United Nations combine for Classic glory with Toskana Belle

Toskana Belle's Preis der Diana victory at Dusseldorf on Sunday encapsulated the truly global nature of the bloodstock industry.

Trained in Germany for Australian owners, ridden by an Australian jockey, bred in France from a sire who won his own Group 1 in Italy and spent a couple of seasons in the Czech Republic - Toskana Belle's connections read like a session of the United Nations.

The Classic success was an especially important one for her breeder Simon Springer's Ecurie Normandie Pur Sang, which also owns her sire Shamalgan, and Dabirsim, with the pair standing at Haras de Grandcamp in Normandy.

"This is very special for us," says Olaf Profft, racing manager for Ecurie Normandie Pur Sang. "To make a Group 1 and Classic winner when you do not have that many horses, and with your own stallion, is fantastic."

Toskana Belle is the first Group and Classic winner sired by Shamalgan, a son of Footstepsinthesand who won the Group 1 Premio Vittorio di Capua and was third to Lope De Vega in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains.

Shamalgan's career has been peripatetic; racing for five seasons around the globe, he also won the Group 2 Oettingen-Rennen at Baden Baden before he was retired to stud at Haras du Lion for the 2014 breeding season. However, that initial stint as a stallion didn't last very long and he was soon on his way to the Czech Republic, where he raced six times and was then retired to Strelice Stud.

Springer bought him for €135,000 at the 2017 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, the sixth time the chestnut had been through the sales ring of the Deauville complex.

Asked what it was about him that encouraged Springer to splash out, Profft says: "He was a very tough racehorse who ran for five years. As well as being a Group 1 winner, he won a Group race in Germany, which is important, and he was a very hard and strong horse."

Shamalgan in the ring at Arqana in 2017 for the sixth timeCredit: Arqana

He is hopeful Toskana Belle's exploits will catapult her sire into the forefront of breeders' minds come the spring.

"Shamalgan is a really good character and a very nice horse, but not that many people knew about him before Toskana Belle," says Profft. "Hopefully next year people will follow him more. He's not very expensive and will be about €5,000 or €6,000 next year."

He was bred by Mathieu Daguzan-Garros and Rolling Hills Farm and is a half-brother to Italian Listed winner Chardonney Tcheque out of Genevale, a winning daughter of Unfuwain.

She is a half-sister to Grade 2 American Derby winner Jaunatxo and to Iron Deputy, successful in the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap. She is also a half-sister to Guajira, dam of Listed Doncaster Mile and Midsummer Stakes winner Gabrial.

Toskana Belle is one of two black-type performers sired by Shamalgan from limited numbers, the other being the Listed Criterium du Bequet second Anima Rock, who hails from his first crop.

She is out of Tristane, a winning Teofilo half-sister to the Group 3 Prix Gladiateur winner and Group 1 Prix du Cadran second Varevees, and to the Auteuil Listed winner Magic Mambo. Another of her half-sisters is the dam of Listed Prix Maurice Caillault winner Speedo Boy.

Tristane's dam is an Exit To Nowhere half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Kaldounevees, who was second in the Grade 1 Man O'War Stakes and Group 1 Bayerisches Zuchtrennen and is the broodmare sire of Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Victor Ludorum, who, like Toskana Belle's sire Footstepsinthesand, is by a son of Giant's Causeway.

Toskana Belle is a half-sister to Frohsim, by her breeder's other sire Dabirsim, and he was second in the Listed Prix de l'Avre and third in the Listed Derby du Midi.

She has a two-year-old brother by another son of Footstepsinthesand - the late Pedro The Great - who was bought by Huntingdon/Norris Bloodstock for €50,000 at last October's Arqana Yearling Sale and is in training with Guillermo Arizkorreta in Madrid.

Profft says: "Tristane has a yearling colt by Dabirsim who is entered in the October Sale at Arqana, and her foal is a filly by Shamalgan. She's in foal to him again."

Springer keeps a broodmare band of 20-25 mares at Haras du Buff in Normandy and supports his two stallions with them. According to Profft, it is the will to win which Shamalgan imparts to his offspring that impresses so much.

"All the Shamalgan horses have a big heart, they give their all and they have a good head," he says. "They like to fight and this is very important because if they don't have a heart they can't win races."

Lightly raced with just five starts to her name, Toskana Belle won the Listed Henkel-Stutenpreis over a mile at Dusseldorf in May before being purchased privately by Australian Bloodstock and transferred to Andreas Wohler, who trained Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist for the operation run by Jamie Lovett and Luke Murrell.

She is the third winner of the Preis der Diana in the last ten years owned by Australian Bloodstock, who remain involved in Protectionist's stud career. Their first was Salomina in 2012, and Wohler trained their second, 2015 winner Turfdonna.

“We’re big on tracking all those European races and historically around that time of year we’re always looking for something we can target at the Preis der Diana, and we’ve had a bit of luck previously, it’s a race that’s been good to us,” Lovett tells ANZ Bloodstock News.

“Luke Murrell, my business partner, is very good at translating the times at different tracks. Toskana Belle ran a good time when she won in France and then when she won the Listed race in Dusseldorf, that’s when we thought she was definitely running a time that would be good enough to have her competitive in the Preis der Diana.”

Jamie Lovett (right) and Andreas Wohler celebrate Protectionist's Melbourne Cup victoryCredit: Michael Dodge

Plans for Toskana Belle do not, however, include a visit to Gestut Rottgen, where Protectionist stands.

Lovett says: “I've had a brief conversation with Andreas, there are obviously some quite lucrative fillies' and mares' races in the States and if she was able to be competitive over there it opens up another market [for her to be sold]. We’d be quite keen to explore that.

“We always buy them with the intention to trade out of them, so there’d be no appeal to bring her down here [to Australia].

“When you’re buying fillies trying to upgrade them to get a twist, winning a three-year-old Classic is the biggest prize, isn’t it?”

Australian Bloodstock has developed a reputation for being able to source quality racing stock from around the world, particularly Europe, to either run in the northern hemisphere or take to Australia to target races like the Melbourne Cup.

Lovett says: “Obviously, you’ve got to build that database [of form] over time, but we look forward to Mondays. We watch all those European races.

“It’s not as laborious as one may think. It’s a job, but it’s what we do, and it’s not as if it’s hard work. If you love your racing, you enjoy watching them, looking for your next opportunity.”

Read more

How we turned German racing around: TV presenter and auctioneer Thorsten Castle reveals all

James Thomas's June first-season sire assessment

Bellabel well worth the wait with major Stateside victory

Aga Khan camp delight as Tahiyra manages what big sis Tarnawa couldn't