Time Is Now For Darley's Dominance In States - by Joel Cunningham

For a long time I've awaited the day that Darley would break through and truly dominate American racing and it appears they finally may be on their way to doing so. "Dominance" in horse racing is a relative term, but the type of summer and fall campaign they figure to reign on America - specifically New York - could be as close to dominance as you'll see in this industry if the pieces fall into place for the powerful stable.

Owned by Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed, Darley – the Americanized sister stable to the powerful Godolphin stable, has dumped money into this industry by the (oil) barrel for some time now, spending tens of millions of dollars to acquire the best bloodstock at every single prominent sale around the world. Darley has one chief competitor - Coolmore, who itself doesn't have pockets near as deep as the endless billions of dollars in wealth that the Sheik has.

I have long predicted their eventual dominance, but it wasn't until a few days ago I really started to believe that day might be here. We have sat and watched them purchase a large majority of the blue hen broodmares over the last 10 years, and they are now breeding horses like Bernardini out of Grade I mares. Has this slowed their involvement at the yearling and 2-year-old in training sales?...No. They continue to be the leading buyer by a long stretch at every major sale in the world, and on top of that, they purchase horses like Discreet Cat, Henny Hughes and many others by throwing ridiculous amounts of money to smaller owners to get the horses that they “missed” at the sales.

The knock on their operation is that they have not won the coveted Kentucky Derby (GI), despite trying vigorously from the late 90's through the turn of the century. The fact is that it is almost impossible to try to win one particular, single race every year, especially the Derby where it takes immense luck on top of talent. I think we all saw that Darley has clearly changed their priorities and approach to how they operate their American fleet of horses by the fact that they chose to skip the Derby with Discreet Cat, who was easily the best chance that stable has ever had of winning the “greatest two minutes in sports.” The discipline displayed by them to pass a race that they had so long coveted goes to show that they have taken a more practical approach, and they are doing things the right way - which is making decisions that are best for the horses and not the owners. We all know that this sort of good management practice usually pays off in the long run, and I believe Darley will reap the benefits this year.

So, how will they dominate American racing? Well, let's evaluate their North American bloodstock.

For starters, Bernardini, the stable's first American Classic winner, has been given a nice rest after displaying that he could be the kind of horse that could impact the breed all together. He is immaculately bred, very fast and already very accomplished, has unbelievable looks and an appearance about him, he moves like poetry, and the scary part - he will get better. Darley displayed their patience and will to do what is best for the horse again in this instance by skipping the Gr. I Belmont, where he would have been the heavy favorite in one of America's greatest races, and instead will point him to the Travers (GI). The fact is he'll be the horse to beat in that race, and I personally don't see him getting beat anytime soon. Looking at the older horse division and how it currently stands, Flower Alley and Bellamy Road may be the only horses with the upside to beat Bernardini, but both are unraced thus far in 2006 with major question marks surrounding their condition. It has left a sizable void in the handicap division, as the unglamorous duo of Buzzard's Bay and Brass Hat and former claimer Lava Man appear to be America's leaders in that division at this point.

Discreet Cat is at Belmont training forwardly for the Dwyer (GII) on July 4th, where is he certain to be the horse to beat off of his dominating UAE Derby (GI) victory earlier this year. A win there would make him the favorite for the Haskell Invitational (GI) on the same weekend Bernardini will be the favorite in the Travers. Like Bernardini, Discreet Cat is also a brilliant animal, and it is quite easy to label that duo as the top pair of 3-year-olds in the country with the disappointing departure of Barbaro.

A Haskell-Travers double - which happen to be the two most important 3-year-old races in the second half of the year - would be the pseudo beginning of the realization that Darley has arrived in North America - and arrived in a big way. Looking further down the road to the Breeders' Cup, Darley has a handful of top challengers to win the Classic (GI) and Turf (GI), depending on what they want to do and the surface they wish to try and do it. Horses like Bernardini and Discreet Cat make for an already strong hand in the Classic without even taking into account Dubai World Cup (GI) winner Electrocutionist, who could also participate in the 1 1/2-mile Turf along with several other of the top turfers they have stabled in Europe to choose from.

As for filly and mare turfers, they acquired the highly-regarded Shawanda last year from the Aga Khan after that filly finished a credible sixth against the best turf colts in the world in the Arc de Triomphe (GI). She was actually well bet in that race against the likes of Hurricane Run, Shirroco, Bago, Motivator, etc. and has been virtually unbeatable against her own gender. There is little doubt that she should be one of the horses to beat in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (GI) at the extended 1 3/8-mile distance, if she is healthy and shows up for that event.

The Woody Stephens Breeders' Cup (GII) on the Belmont undercard could be the unveiling of one of the Sprint division leaders if they choose to run recent impressive winner on Preakness Day, Songster, and/or the brilliant Henny Hughes, who is training forwardly at Belmont and figures to be a force around one turn this summer. Both colts have tremendous speed and ability, and would be no surprise at all to see them blossom into top Breeders' Cup Sprint (GI) contenders by year's end.

It is almost too bad that there is not a Filly and Mare Sprint in the Breeders' Cup, as it appears to be the only major group of horses that doesn't have their own Breeders' Cup event, because Darley arguably also has a horse in that division as well in the dominant Dubai Escapade, the half sister to the brilliant Madcap Escapade that figures to be a handful in New York this summer in races like the Ballerina (GI).

While it is unclear what Darley's juveniles look like this early in the year, you can expect them to be loaded with several expensive auction purchases and homebreds with ridiculously nice pedigrees. Would it really be a surprise to see them win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) with a colt of the ability of a Street Cry?...Or the Juvenile Fillies (GI) with a debutante with the class of a Tempera?...Not at all. In fact, you can almost expect them to have at least one in the gate for each of those races this November at Churchill Downs.

In the Distaff division, Darley has 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) runner-up Balleto, who ran very respectably in her second start off a very long layoff to be a game second in the Shuvee (GII) last out and has every right to improve on the stretch-out to around two turns.

While their may be more acquisitions and other horses, such as the promising Barbican (full brother to champ Tempera that got hurt at Gulfstream Park after a very promising allowance victory) that develop into North American threats later on this year for the Darley camp, one thing we can count on is that they are set up to have a very productive second half of the 2006 season, and I can't help but to imagine how ironic it would be if they show up at Churchill Downs - the place they chose to emulate when constructing Nad Al Sheba racetrack in their home land and also the venue of the heralded Kentucky Derby that they have tried so hard to win in the past - and clean house in the 23rd renewal of the $20 million Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on November 4th.

The warning has been issued.

-Joel Cunningham

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

i like to see what darley does this year..they have been loaded before....am a fan of the stable..and played some of their well intended firsters as gs..

[Gauchos0522]

Nice read and extremely valid points. It is still horse racing which can always result in 1 or 2 injuries......1 or 2 of the developers doesn't pan out, but yes they should be very well represented the remainder of the year and years to come.

[Togacapper]

Good reading, Joel....

[zippyneedsawin]

Good Read. Darley should have a nice summer in the states... but, we'll see about dominance!

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

Nice piece of writing, and I absolutely agree with you. I've been watching that stable too. Bernardini is easily the best three year old in training as of right now, and I love Discreet Cat. Those two are a powerful force. Henny Hughes was awesome last year, and I expect that he will be just as good this year based on his recent workouts. However, we still have some very promising American horses of whom could step up to the plate at any time. It should be a good rivalry in racing between the Sheiks of Dubai and the bluebloods of America in the years to come. With that being said, this is going to be one BC day to remember. We have just got an outstanding group of horses with a tremendous amount of talent. This three year old crop is deep. I think I have said that a hundred times, and I cannot emphasize it enough.

[Pointg5]

Bernardini is a nice horse and could certainly get better, but for every Bernardini there's a Saarland, I don't get caught up in "blueblood breeding." It's hard to say what Discreet Cat beat over there in Dubai, I know Invasor won the Pimlico Special, but that was an awful group. There was another horse out of that race that did not run very well in the Peter Pan, where Sunriver was all out to get past Lewis Michael. I would say the jury is still very much out on Discreet Cat, he may be a nice one, but we won't know until he runs again. Songster did not beat much in that race on the Preakness undercard and he'll be up against it facing better competition. They'll win their fair share, but I don't think domination.

Great writeup Joel! Not sure I agree with all aspects, but great piece. I think the Sheikh has shown that he is learning every day, and paying attention to new methods of management, and grasped teh difference between US and foreign racing.

[Unbridled]

Joel, great writeup. As for those that doubt Discreet Cat. Granted he might not have beaten anything in Dubai, but last year I was at Stan Hough's barn up at Saratoga. He pulled out Discreet Cat and told me that he thought the horse had a lot of talent and that even though he was a Forestry he'd be a two turn horse and if he was as good as he thought he was he was going to skip the BC Juv b/c he thought he was a legitimate Derby horse. Four days later he debuted and ran a 103 beyer and 6.5 rag in his debut after cutting out wicked fractions on the front end. Make no bones about it, this is one talented horse.

Originally Posted by Unbridled

Joel, great writeup. As for those that doubt Discreet Cat. Granted he might not have beaten anything in Dubai, but last year I was at Stan Hough's barn up at Saratoga. He pulled out Discreet Cat and told me that he thought the horse had a lot of talent and that even though he was a Forestry he'd be a two turn horse and if he was as good as he thought he was he was going to skip the BC Juv b/c he thought he was a legitimate Derby horse. Four days later he debuted and ran a 103 beyer and 6.5 rag in his debut after cutting out wicked fractions on the front end. Make no bones about it, this is one talented horse.

I agree 100%...I thought he had a REAL chance to win the Derby (if he would have showed up) despite all going against him from an experience standpoint and the shipping across-seas standpoint...I really did...its kind of the same feeling I had about Bernardini in the Preakness..He lacked experience but I really thought he was a special horse and he proved it, and I really think Discreet Cat is special too. We all know that nobody would have probably beaten Barabro that day at CD, so it was good move they didn't elect to run him..

..however, with Barbaro out and George Washington hurt, I really believe Darley has potentially the 3 best 3-year-olds in the world at each of their respective disciplines.

Bernardini and Discreet Cat taking little convincing for me to believe they are the best 3-year-olds in training right now, and I still believe Henny Hughes is a potential monster in the Sprint ranks...we'll soon see, but I just see us looking back at the end of 2006 and saying,

"Damn, Darley won seemingly everything in the states after Bernardini broke through in the Preakness."

..thats just my forecast, but I acknowledge that it is a very bold statement..

Thanks to all that read and enjoyed it. I love to write about my thoughts on this industry because it goes through my head all day long, and Derby Trail looks like a great platform to do that.

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

Thanks to all that read and enjoyed it. I love to write about my thoughts on this industry because it goes through my head all day long, and Derby Trail looks like a great platform to do that.[/quote]

Great. I enjoy reading everything you type so keep it coming! I love hearing from people that are so passionate about horses like I am. I know how you feel because it goes through my head all day long too, even though I am on the outside looking in. That will all change next year though!

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

I agree 100%...I thought he had a REAL chance to win the Derby (if he would have showed up) despite all going against him from an experience standpoint and the shipping across-seas standpoint...I really did...its kind of the same feeling I had about Bernardini in the Preakness..He lacked experience but I really thought he was a special horse and he proved it, and I really think Discreet Cat is special too. We all know that nobody would have probably beaten Barabro that day at CD, so it was good move they didn't elect to run him..

..however, with Barbaro out and George Washington hurt, I really believe Darley has potentially the 3 best 3-year-olds in the world at each of their respective disciplines.

Bernardini and Discreet Cat taking little convincing for me to believe they are the best 3-year-olds in training right now, and I still believe Henny Hughes is a potential monster in the Sprint ranks...we'll soon see, but I just see us looking back at the end of 2006 and saying,

"Damn, Darley won seemingly everything in the states after Bernardini broke through in the Preakness."

..thats just my forecast, but I acknowledge that it is a very bold statement..

Thanks to all that read and enjoyed it. I love to write about my thoughts on this industry because it goes through my head all day long, and Derby Trail looks like a great platform to do that.

It's a joy to read your write-ups, Joel. Keep em coming!

I wrote that on a whim yesterday evening and just realized how poorly editted it was. I've editted it and gone back and posted a cleaner, more factual peice for better reading...Sorry

Very well written although I disagree with some of it. If you are the guy who runs the Churchill website, excellent job. You should hire yourself out to Darley because with all their money they should be able to put together a better site.

Darley has a ton of upside, but they are still unproven in the states. You would think with 50 stallions they would be able to do better than they do here. Sir Percy is from their Mark of Esteem though so I guess right now they are red hot.

Expect Corinthian to give Discrete Cat a run for the money in the Dwyer although if SNS shows up I would give him the edge over both.

Can't argue with Bernardini, although I still think Barbaro was the better horse, mainly because of his proven ability on all surfaces.

Watch out for Lael in the future. If they stop selling their horses to the Sheiks they could be the ones dominating american racing. Grandera who Darley now owns was theirs. George Washington and Barbaro were both theirs at one point and they have Showing Up and some nice mares.

Winstar is also interesting.

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by boldruler

Very well written although I disagree with some of it. If you are the guy who runs the Churchill website, excellent job. You should hire yourself out to Darley because with all their money they should be able to put together a better site.

Darley has a ton of upside, but they are still unproven in the states. You would think with 50 stallions they would be able to do better than they do here. Sir Percy is from their Mark of Esteem though so I guess right now they are red hot.

Expect Corinthian to give Discrete Cat a run for the money in the Dwyer although if SNS shows up I would give him the edge over both.

Can't argue with Bernardini, although I still think Barbaro was the better horse, mainly because of his proven ability on all surfaces.

Watch out for Lael in the future. If they stop selling their horses to the Sheiks they could be the ones dominating american racing. Grandera who Darley now owns was theirs. George Washington and Barbaro were both theirs at one point and they have Showing Up and some nice mares.

Winstar is also interesting.

I have been watching out for Lael since Barbaro. They seem to have some nice horses currently (Tagg trains a lot of them, does he not?)

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

I have been watching out for Lael since Barbaro. They seem to have some nice horses currently (Tagg trains a lot of them, does he not?)

Tagg has a bunch. Showing Up is his best and is headed to Virginia for a big grass race, but he has Rumpspringa who just ran 108 for 6f at Belmont. Klepto Cat is a really nice filly who trounced a horse named Criminologist who just won big this weekend. Polished Arrow is another of theirs. He has a bunch of other foreign horses, Stormy Kiss, La Chiflota, Auguri for them which are all stakes horses.

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by boldruler

Tagg has a bunch. Showing Up is his best and is headed to Virginia for a big grass race, but he has Rumpspringa who just ran 108 for 6f at Belmont. Klepto Cat is a really nice filly who trounced a horse named Criminologist who just won big this weekend. Polished Arrow is another of theirs. He has a bunch of other foreign horses, Stormy Kiss, La Chiflota, Auguri for them which are all stakes horses.

I picked Klepto Cat and Auguri last week in the Belmont Challenge...

Originally Posted by boldruler

Very well written although I disagree with some of it. If you are the guy who runs the Churchill website, excellent job. You should hire yourself out to Darley because with all their money they should be able to put together a better site.

Darley has a ton of upside, but they are still unproven in the states. You would think with 50 stallions they would be able to do better than they do here. Sir Percy is from their Mark of Esteem though so I guess right now they are red hot.

Expect Corinthian to give Discrete Cat a run for the money in the Dwyer although if SNS shows up I would give him the edge over both.

Can't argue with Bernardini, although I still think Barbaro was the better horse, mainly because of his proven ability on all surfaces.

Watch out for Lael in the future. If they stop selling their horses to the Sheiks they could be the ones dominating american racing. Grandera who Darley now owns was theirs. George Washington and Barbaro were both theirs at one point and they have Showing Up and some nice mares.

Winstar is also interesting.

I can understand how many may feel my thoughts were a little bold, but I really believe they will win the rest of the important 3-year-old races if form holds up, and they have a mass of other very important horses in other division that should account for several graded stakes wins in the states through the rest of the year.....just my opinion..

..I do, however, seriously disagree with anybody who feels that Cornthian can run with Discreet Cat......I think Discreet Cat will run away from Corinthian like his feet were cemented in the dirt....Discreet Cat has twice the ability and class IMO...we'll see soon enough, but I certainly am up for a side wager if you are game?...So, what do you think?

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

I can understand how many may feel my thoughts were a little bold, but I really believe they will win the rest of the important 3-year-old races if form holds up, and they have a mass of other very important horses in other division that should account for several graded stakes wins in the states through the rest of the year.....just my opinion..

..I do, however, seriously disagree with anybody who feels that Cornthian can run with Discreet Cat......I think Discreet Cat will run away from Corinthian like his feet were cemented in the dirt....Discreet Cat has twice the ability and class IMO...we'll see soon enough, but I certainly am up for a side wager if you are game?...So, what do you think?

I'm up for a side wager if gator isn't. Not a big one though. I can't believe I am going against Discreet Cat. I have been touting that horse for a very long time. He was one of the ones on the other board that I said was a potential superhorse in the making. However, I love Jerkins, Corinthian, and America! What's the terms? Nevermind, I'll PM you so we can discuss the terms if you are up to it!

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by kentuckyrosesinmay

I'm up for a side wager if gator isn't. Not a big one though. I can't believe I am going against Discreet Cat. I have been touting that horse for a very long time. He was one of the ones on the other board that I said was a potential superhorse in the making. However, I love Jerkins, Corinthian, and America! What's the terms? Nevermind, I'll PM you so we can discuss the terms if you are up to it!

How did I get put into this conversation? LMAO... Boldruler made the comment about Corinthian. I don't think Corinthian can touch Discreet Cat with a ten foot pole. Discreet Cat is a very nice colt and I think he'll prove that here soon enough.