Australian owned horses continued on their winning way in France this week with CHANTILLY ROCK a three year old filly by Rock Of Gibraltar out of Banakill, winning in ultra impressive style over 1100m at Dieppe, first up from a spell.
CHANTILLY ROCK is owned in Western Australia by Yarradale Stud principal, Mr. Ron Sayers and trained by one of Frances leading conditioners, Pascal Bary at Chantilly.
Purchased at the 2008 Arqana yearling sale by Belmont Bloodstock Agency’s Damon Gabbedy for 145,000 euros, CHANTILLY ROCK is the first horse raced by Ron Sayers in Europe.
“Damon sent me an Arqana catalogue and it had been a long ambition of mine to race a filly in France. After flicking through the catalogue my main focus was on finding a filly by either Singspiel or Rock Of Gibraltar. After Damon’s inspections, we ended up having a go at the Rock of Gibraltar filly out of Banakill because of her terrific residual value, being a half sister to two Group winners in Obrigado and Coupe de Champe”
Sayers further explains, ‘originally, I was going to send her to race in England, but when I heard about the excellent prizemoney offered in France and the bonuses offered to French bred horses, it became an easy decision to leave her in France to race’.
That decision has certainly paid off for Sayers with CHANTILLY ROCK running second on debut at Parisian track Saint Cloud, a third at Chantilly in April and now winning at Dieppe. ‘It has been great fun racing this filly and I think the fun will continue as her trainer Pascal Bary believes that she is capable of getting black type by the end of the year’.
Sayers adds,
“my ultimate dream was to buy a filly, race her in France, and then hopefully bring a stakeswinning French filly back to join the Yarradale Stud broodmare band, so hopefully I am getting closer to achieving that”
The 2010 Arqana yearling sale will be conducted in Deauville from 13-16 August. For further information or to request a catalogue, call Damon Gabbedy who will be attending the sale on 03 9429 1148 or 0408 007 786.
