Roaring Lion mares racing on, clamour for Kameko, mating plans and more – an update from Tweenhills

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Roaring Lion proved with his sole crop of offspring that he could transmit abundant class, stamina and tenacity, and to that list of positive attributes we might now add durability, as several of his high-profile daughters – who turned five this month – will stay in training this year instead of being retired to paddocks.

Running Lion, who carries the silks of her joint-breeder David Howden, remains with John and Thady Gosden in pursuit of a first Group 1 victory, which she came agonisingly close to securing when finishing second to stablemate Friendly Soul in the Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp in October.

“She gave David his best day in racing when she won the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot last year and her run in the Prix de l’Opera was superb," said David Redvers, who bought Roaring Lion as a yearling in Keeneland for Qatar Racing and stood the charismatic grey at Tweenhills, and also oversees Howden's racing and breeding interests. "She’s sound and in possession of a brilliant brain, so we're keeping her in training for another year.

“She's had a bit of a history of tying up in her races, and John and Thady are training her with that in mind. But when she’s been physically able to, she’s run huge races. She’s very consistent outside of the times she’s tied up.

“She probably represents our best chance of a homebred Group 1 winner this season. I’d imagine the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Guineas weekend will likely be the first target, and then we’ll be looking at races over a mile or nine furlongs with her, probably against her own sex. There are quite a few to choose from.”

Qatar Racing’s homebred Roaring Lion mares Long Ago, third in a Listed race in France for Francois Rohaut, and Queen Regent, who has run third in Grade 3s on her last two starts for Brendan Walsh in North America, will also be seen on the track again this year.

“Long Ago has gone to America where she’ll continue racing and hopefully she can win a big one there,” said Redvers. “Francois did a great job with her but while she’s doing so well physically we might as well see what she can do across the Pond. Queen Regent is staying in training in America too. She’s talented.

Running Lion: Royal Ascot heroine remains in training for 2025Credit: Edward Whitaker

“The thing with these Roaring Lions is they just have the most magnificent minds. They’re tough, tough horses. Hopefully we’ll see what they can do on the track for a little while longer before bringing them home to breed from, and we can keep the Roaring Lion blood going for a long time.”

Tweenhills is, however, welcoming one high-class daughter of the sire for the start of her breeding career this year, in Qatar Racing’s homebred Lancashire Oaks winner Queen Of The Pride, who makes for an even more attractive prospect for being out of St Leger and British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes victress Simple Verse.  

“She’s going to be covered by Baaeed,” revealed Redvers. “We work with Michael Youngs fairly closely on the core Qatar Racing mares, and it was his suggestion. I like it too, though, as I was impressed by Baaeed’s first foals at the sales. There weren't a huge number of them to see, but the ones who did turn up all had a serious look of quality about them. 

“It’s an unproven sire for a mare of that quality so early in her breeding career, so it’s a bit of a high risk, but the decision was made that the appeal the mating made on paper and in terms of matching physiques outweighed any downsides.”

The influence of Roaring Lion’s sire Kitten’s Joy is felt strongly at Tweenhills through Kameko, another multiple Group 1-winning son for Qatar Racing who got off to a highly encouraging start with his first two-year-old runners last year. They included Qatar Racing’s own Woodbine Grade 1 winner New Century, Royal Lodge Stakes scorer and Futurity Stakes third Wimbledon Hawkeye and a host of other smart performers, including American Gal, Ghost Run, Hawksbill, Rajeko and Spell Master. 

“As you’d imagine, he’s flying,” commented Redvers. “He’s proven that he can get proper, top-notch horses, and that’s not something many stallions do with just one crop of two-year-olds. We’re definitely hoping he can build on those early successes quite quickly, as the ones who did well at two looked the types to be even better at three, just as he was himself, of course.

“He also has crops that were the result of good books of mares to follow on from that first generation, so he’s exciting. I think he’s in a really good spot in the market price-wise, and he’ll cover a very nice book again this year.

Kameko: 2,000 Guineas hero and high-flying young sireCredit: Edward Whitaker

“We’re supporting him hugely with a lot of our own top mares once more – he’ll get the best part of 40 mares on the farm, between those owned by Sheikh Fahad, ourselves and our other clients. He’s got in excess of 100 outside mares booked in at the moment, so he’s in very good shape.”

Among the home mares being covered by Kameko this year will be one of Redvers’ own who has come to the fore this winter.

“Ruby Love is in foal to Kameko and will almost certainly go back to him,” he said. “She’s a fascinating one in that she was a champion two-year-old filly in her native Chile, and is by Scat Daddy, but I managed to buy her for $90,000 at Keeneland a few years ago when she was carrying her first foal, by Honor AP.

“That foal turned out to be Jamie Osborne’s colt Heart Of Honor, who has won two races at the Dubai Racing Carnival at Meydan very impressively in the last few weeks. He’s now one of the favourites for the UAE 2,000 Guineas.”

Among the other mating plans for Tweenhills-based mares this year, Electress, a winning daughter of Galileo and Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Just The Judge, is set to be covered by newly crowned champion miler Charyn at his owner Sumbe’s stallion base at Haras de Montfort et Preaux.

“Qatar Racing have taken a share in Charyn,” said Redvers. “We loved him as a racehorse, and are very excited to use him.”

Lightening Quick, a Group 3-winning daughter of Frankel and Sheikh Fahad’s first Group 1 winner Lightening Pearl, and Ventura Diamond, a Listed-winning sprinter by Dandy Man, will both visit Yeomanstown Stud stalwart Dark Angel, who was made British and Irish champion sire chiefly by Charyn’s exploits.

David Redvers: "we loved him as a racehorse, and are very excited to use him"Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Lightening Quick was covered by Showcasing last year, while Ventura Diamond is in foal to Havana Grey.

Lightening Pearl herself, the Cheveley Park Stakes heroine of 2011, is in foal to Frankel, and the Marju mare is heading to Siyouni on the back of reportedly producing “a stunning” colt by the son of Pivotal last year.

Bella Nouf, a winning daughter of Dansili who is dam not only of Running Lion but also Sweet Solera Stakes winner Majestic Glory, “is under careful consideration for Camelot,” said Redvers, who owns the mare with Howden.

Run Wild, a German-bred Listed winner by Amaron who belongs to Cornthrop Bloodstock, the vehicle of Howden and Nick Wheeler, is also off to Haras de Bonneval, as she is being covered by Siyouni’s studmate Zarak.

“Her first foal is the very talented Siyouni filly Flight, who we’re hoping could be a 1,000 Guineas filly,” said Redvers. “She’s got the most absolutely beautiful Night Of Thunder two-year-old filly who will join Flight with Ollie Sangster this season.”

Roman Mist, a Group 3-winning daughter of Holy Roman Emperor owned by Howden, was covered for the first time last year by Kingman and is booked into Sea The Stars this time around.

Con Te Partiro, a daughter of Scat Daddy who won the Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot for Wesley Ward and later became a dual Group 1 winner in Australia for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, is another mare whose recent offspring are earning rave reviews.

Con Te Partiro: high-class mare is set for Too Darn HotCredit: Caroline Norris

“She has a really gorgeous two-year-old by Frankel, probably as good a yearling filly as we had on the farm last year, and she’s now going to Too Darn Hot,” said Redvers.

The first foal out of the 11-year-old mare, bought for $1.6 million from the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale of 2020, is an unraced three-year-old filly in training with James Ferguson named University.

Roheryn, a Listed-winning daughter of Galileo who has emerged as one of Qatar Racing’s best proven mares, having produced Australian Group 1 hero Buckaroo, Aston Park Stakes winner Middle Earth, Listed third Siege Of Troy and classy handicapper Kihavah, is barren and so the 14-year-old is being sent to Kentucky for a liaison with Justify at Ashford Stud.

Prix du Cadran winner Molly Malone, who sealed her status as one of Tweenhills’ blue-chip mares when her Dubawi colt sold to Godolphin for 1,500,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last year, has another mating fit for a queen in line, as she is likely going to be covered by Frankel. An earlier mating between the pair produced Chalice Stakes scorer Emotion.

Caravel, a daughter of Mizzen Mast who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint for Qatar Racing and partners and was sold privately to John Stewart’s Resolute Racing at the end of her racing career, is boarded at Tweenhills. She has a date with Dubawi after delivering her first foal by Frankel in the spring.

Those Roaring Lion five-year-olds remaining in training will fit right in with the elite broodmares at Tweenhills upon their retirement, very possibly with even more Pattern race successes on their records, considering their sadly short-lived sire is becoming a byword for robustness and resolution.

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Must-read story

“It's lovely to have a mare of this quality at the farm; she really was one for the big days and we're delighted to have her back,” says Chasemore Farm’s Jack Conroy as he reveals mating plans for Breege and other star names.

Pedigree pick

Inspired’s pedigree stands out like a sore thumb in the mile novice stakes at Newcastle on Tuesday, in which he makes his debut for Karl Burke (6.15).

He is by elite sire Dubawi and is the first produce of Worth Waiting, a daughter of Bated Breath who landed the Prix Minerve at three and the Dahlia Stakes at four. 

The dam is out of Salutare, a winning Sadler’s Wells three-parts sister to Prix Royal-Oak heroine Montare, who found further fame as the dam of British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes scorer Journey – also by Dubawi.

Inspired carries the silks of Clipper Logistics, having been bought for 300,000gns from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

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