2011

ORGANISDCONFUSION proved a star turn for Arthur Moore and Nina Carberry in the Ladbrokes Irish Grand National, providing the trainer and jockey with a victory they will forever cherish.

Representing one of the most famous dynasties associated with this race, Organisedconfusion was produced to perfection by Moore, and turned in a cracking effort for a mere six-year-old to land the Easter Monday spectacular.

For Moore, this bridged a gap of 15 years since he sent out Feathered Gale to take the race, and that triumph came some 25 years after he landed it as jockey on Kings Sprite.

For her part, Nina Carberry was enjoying perhaps the finest moment of her career. No stranger to high-profile successes through her exploits at Cheltenham, she was winning Ireland’s most valuable chase at her local track on a horse trained by her uncle.

Furthermore, she became the third Carberry sibling to lift this prize, after brothers Paul and Philip prevailed on Bobbyjo and Point Barrow in 1998 and 2006 respectively. She also joined Ann Ferris (Bentom Boy 1984) as the only female jockey to have won this race.

A third in January’s Leopardstown Chase had marked out the Grace Dunlop-owned Organisedconfusion as an Irish National contender. This was followed by a Clonmel conditions chase win, and an encouraging second over hurdles at Gowran last month.

Trouble-free

At 12/1 Organisedconfusion was one of the better fancied runners, and he enjoyed a trouble-free run, having settled just off the leading half dozen. In a race where Done Deal raced off into a clear lead, Carberry’s mount jumped efficiently and travelled well, and the pair were on the heels of the leaders turning for home.

The Dessie Hughes-trained Done Deal was still in front at this stage, but he soon gave best to stablemate Western Charmer. Shortly after jumping two out Organisedconfusion struck for home and he edged away from Western Charmer. A good jump at the last made sure of victory and he won by five lengths.

Sunnyhillboy was a length back in third, Quiscover Fontaine took fourth and A New Story, competing in his sixth consecutive renewal, was fifth.

Shared breeding

“I’m thrilled. I shared the breeding of him with Tim Murray who was our first ever owner, and he’s owned by Alan Dunlop who was my second owner,” said Moore. He added: “He’s too young to go to Aintree next season, but that would be the plan down the road. He might be hard enough to place, but he is only a six-year-old and he has a big engine.”

[This was the highlight of the career of Organisedconfusion. He did run in the following year’s Grand National at Aintree and unseated Nina Carberry at the Canal Turn, the eighth fence on the course. The same fence saw Black Apalachi and Denis O’Regan fall, while Andrew Thornton, Robbie Power and Davy Condon were also unseated on the first circuit at the famous jump]

Death of an equine legend

2011

SADLER’S Wells died of natural causes at Coolmore Stud on Tuesday, April 26th where he had lived since retiring to stud in 1984.

Coolmore manager Christy Grassick said: “He was undoubtedly the best sire Europe has ever seen, and through his sons Galileo, Montjeu, High Chaparral and Yeats, along with grandsons Hurricane Run and Rip Van Winkle, he has left a wonderful legacy at Coolmore. His influence looks set to continue for many years to come.

“We all feel privileged to have been involved with such a special horse.”

When a famous or hugely accomplished individual dies, we often utter the phrase ‘the end of an era’. However, there are some who appear to transcend time, whose influence and impact will continue to exist and be felt long after they have died.

Sadler’s Wells has been a constant presence throughout my time of interest in the bloodstock industry. He was a two-year-old when I first started following flat racing seriously and, in the decades that have followed, he has become, arguably, the most influential stallion in the world.

It is a fact that many of the world’s greatest races, flat and National Hunt, have been won either by his progeny or his descendants. It is a strong likelihood that his tally of 14 general sires’ championship titles in the combined Ireland and Britain region is a record that will never be beaten.

His achievements as a sire of Group 1 winners is well-known. Alexandrova, Barathea, Beat Hollow, Brian Boru, Carnegie, Dance Design, Doyen, Dream Well, Ebadiyla, Entrepreneur, Galileo, Gossamer, High Chaparral, Imagine, In The Wings, Intrepidity, Islington, Kayf Tara, King Of Kings, Leggera, Milan, Montjeu, Moonshell, Old Vic, Opera House, Poliglote, Quarter Moon, Quiff, Refuse To Bend, Saddlers’ Hall, Saffron Walden, Salsabil, Yeats and Yesterday is an alphabetical selection of some of his better Group 1 and classic stars.

Outstanding

You then look at the long list of his sons and realise that many of them have been outstanding stallions in various parts of the world. Alnasr Alwasheek, for example, has sired a string of classic stars in India, El Prado has been champion sire in North America, Fort Wood has excelled in South Africa, while Dushyantor and Poliglote have a string of Group 1 stars in South America.

Scenic, Carnegie, Montjeu, Galileo, King Of Kings and High Chaparral are among those who have sired celebrity racehorses in Australia and/or New Zealand. Closer to home, In The Wings was, for a long time, the best stallion son of his sire. Now it is widely believed that the dual champion sire Galileo is the natural successor to the great patriarch, while Montjeu is prized as an outstanding Derby sire in two hemispheres.

The achievements of his daughters are no less impressive, and indeed it was only a week ago that yet another of them added her name to the list of those who have produced a Group 1 scorer somewhere in the world. The outstanding stallions Medaglia D’Oro and Singspiel are grandsons of the great horse.

National Hunt

This is just a cursory look at his achievements in the flat sector, and the impact that Sadler’s Wells has had on the National Hunt industry has also been profound. His own gelded sons Istabraq and Theatreworld, and his ill-fated daughter French Ballerina, were Grade 1 stars over hurdles. His triple Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurdlers of all time.

The dynasty he created, and the legacy he has left us, will ensure that his name will not fade. He was the son of a dynasty-maker but forged his own, one whose reach has spread around the globe. Sadler’s Wells raised the bar for how we judge the relative success and influence of stallions, achieving an unprecedented level of excellence.

We may never see his like again.

[This tribute was penned by Dr Sieglinde McGee. At the time a full list of all of the principal winners sired by Sadler’s Wells, and out of his daughters, was published. It included the names of his 73 Group/Grade 1 winners sired from 23 crops.

Also listed were the 39 Group/Grade 1 winners produced by his daughters. That figure has now grown to 71, and includes the brilliant Enable, while his daughters bred three 2020 Group 1 winners in Fancy Blue, Van Gogh and Fifty Stars.

Under National Hunt rules, he also added a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner to his roll of honour, Synchronised]