Karakontie evokes a golden age of French Guineas heroes at Gainesway

There was a time several decades ago when Kentucky was able to consistently cherry-pick the best European stallion prospects on offer.

One of the strongest players in that respect was Gainesway Farm, whose roster heading into the 1980s contained an envious collection of Poule d’Essai des Poulains winners.

It was very much a winning formula. There was Blushing Groom, the 1977 winner who sired Nashwan, Rainbow Quest and Arazi during his tenure at the farm. Green Dancer, the 1975 hero, left behind the likes of Suave Dancer and Greinton, while Riverman, the 1972 victor, forged a briefly important sire-line, partly with the assistance of his son, the 1979 winner Irish River, who arrived to stand alongside his sire at Gainesway in 1980.

In John Gaines, Gainesway had an internationalist at the helm and today there are still echoes of that same ideology at the farm, now under the ownership of Antony Beck.

While former champion sire Tapit continues to head the roster at $225,000, the team also heads into 2019 with hopes running high for their current Poulains-winning resident, Karakontie.

Karakontie in his racing pompCredit: Harry How

The Niarchos homebred was one of the best milers of his generation for Jonathan Pease, winning the 2014 Poule d’Essai des Poulains before going on to emulate his great-granddam Miesque with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He also won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere as a two-year-old.

The son of Bernstein has his first juveniles on the ground this year and although he was far from being the most expensive new Kentucky recruit of 2016 at $15,000, he does benefit from the backing of a powerful group of international owners in the Niarchos family and John Moore and Charles Noell’s Merriebelle Stable in addition to Gainesway.

That kind of support has resulted in Karakontie two-year-olds joining the likes of Andre Fabre, Sir Michael Stoute, Pascal Bary, Wesley Ward, Jessica Harrington, Mark Johnston and Roger Varian.

A number are also likely to be sighted on the breeze-up circuit, both in Europe and the US.

“We will have Karakontie two-year-olds in England, Ireland, France and the States,” says Alan Cooper, racing manager to the Niarchos family, who have retained a quarter of the horse.

“We bought a couple of them at the sales - one colt out of Afleet Lass [bought for $130,000 as a yearling] is named Toutatis and is with Sir Michael Stoute and another, Troll Peninsula [bought for $60,000 as a foal], has gone to Roger Varian. He is the first horse that we have sent to Roger and what is particularly nice about that is that Roger also trained the dam, Perfect Step.

“George Scott has a sweet filly named Teach who we bought from Pam Deegan. And Andre Fabre has a colt out of Soaring Emotions named Undark who we own in partnership with Gainesway Farm.”

Other Karakontie two-year-olds to run for the Niarchos family include White Winged Dove, a daughter of Grade 1 winner Aruna with Willie McCreery, In The Present, a filly out of a half-sister to Kris Kin with Jessica Harrington, and Hectares, a colt owned in partnership with Cash Asmussen who is likely to remain in the US.

“We looked at as many progeny that we could at the sales,” says Cooper. “We bought some and were beaten on some. We certainly liked what we saw.

“Willie Browne has a couple at the moment and he says they’re going well. And when I was in Chantilly at the weekend, Andre Fabre and Pascal Bary were complimentary about the ones they have.”

Much of the Niarchos family's affection for the horse stems from his heritage. Out of the Sunday Silence mare Sun Is Up, he is a direct descendant of the mighty Miesque and therefore part of the same clan as breed-shaper Kingmambo, not to mention last year’s stars Alpha Centauri and Study Of Man.

Interestingly, a number of his first crop are also inbred to Miesque, among them Undark, who is the product of a Kingmambo mare, and an unnamed Niarchos-bred colt out of Candy Kitty, a Lemon Drop Kid mare who was purchased by the family in 2015 with that precise idea in mind.

It is that kind of regal pedigree combined with his miling pace which made him such an appealing prospect to Gainesway, as the farm’s director of sales Michael Hernon explains.

“He was on our radar because he won the Breeders’ Cup Mile, overcoming a very bad post in 14 and yet running the mile in 1min 32sec and change,” he says. “He had that miler speed and of course he won the French Guineas, which is a significant race, especially for us at Gainesway.

“So he really had a lot of talent, plus he’s got that great pedigree - with Storm Cat on top and Sunday Silence on the bottom, who’s to say he won’t get a dirt runner?

“Antony [Beck] has been great in supporting the horse - he has a few in training including a couple that are co-owned in Europe. And he’s had great support from Merriebelle Stables. They sold a really nice half-brother to [dual Grade 3 winner] Toinette for $100,000 to Gatewood Bell last September.”

Karakontie: 'Who's to say he won't get a dirt runner?'Credit: Gainesway

That particular colt was one of seven six-figure yearlings by Karakontie to sell last year. Bell, signing under his Cromwell Bloodstock banner, also purchased the most expensive youngster within the group, a $220,000 colt out of the Grade 2-placed Judy In Disguise. As for Merriebelle, they also sold a colt out of the stakes-winning Cruise for $120,000 to Red Wings.

“He throws plenty of size and they move well,” says Hernon. “I feel like they’re progressive physically in that they come on strong as yearlings. If that progression continues, I’d be very hopeful about him, especially as they are in good hands.

“I’m optimistic he can come through.”

In Blushing Groom and Riverman, Karakontie has a pair of almighty acts to follow if he is to build upon Gainesway’s proud association with the winners of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

But few young stallions can boast to have the collective power of the Niarchos family, Gainesway Farm and Merriebelle Stables behind them. The horse has been given every chance to succeed and now the responsibility falls on him to deliver.

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