The family
Dark Daisy ran a couple of times over hurdles without much success, but had previously won an Irish Point, and been placed several times.
'Seb' is the 3rd produce of Dark Daisy, his two year older half
brother by Beneficial is Classic Ben. He has won 2 hurdle races and
enjoyed an excellent 2018-19 season when winning a valuable Class 2
staying handicap at Sandown in February.
Darks Daisy also has a full brother to 'Seb' born in 2017, and was
covered by Milan in 2018.
The grand-dam Josie's Turn has bred a couple of winners in the
shape of Numbercrucher who is a triple chase winner/multiple Point
winner, and Heart's Delight, a winner over fences.
Interestingly, as a broodmare Heart's Delight has a gelding by
Prince Flori called Destiny is All who has shown promising Point
form and is in training with Lucinda Russell for the 2019-20 season.
About the sire
The German bred Prince Flori (brown horse born 2003) was trained in
Germany by Sascha Smrczek and won 7 races in a career spanning 4
seasons from 3 - 6 yrs
old. A tall colt in stature, he was a very smart performer who
stayed 12 furlongs and acted on soft and good to firm ground.
He won 5 Group races, the best of which was a Group 1 at Baden-Baden
as a 3yr old.
Retired to stud in 2011, he moved to England in 2012 for one season before locating to Knockhouse Stud in Ireland where he stands to this day. He has an attraction in his pedigree to breeders in that he is completely free of Northern Dancer, who appears in the majority of broodmare pedigrees these days.
He has had relatively few runners to date but with his first Irish crop being 5yr olds in 2019, he should be adding to his tally of winners, currently headed by Arlett, a 3 year old winner in Germany in 2015.
Such was the success achieved by the initial foray in buying a National Hunt store, that a follow up was inevitable. Yes Keyboard Gangster was indeed that first purchase and he capped a fine 2017-18 season by winning a valuable Class 2 handicap hurdle at Kelso in April.
So, there was only one target in the mind of 'Mouse' Young and his
cohorts of The Buyers Club in the 2018 sales circuit, surely? Lot
627 of that year's Tattersalls Ireland NH August Sale
was a 3yr old full brother to Keyboard Gangster, who was bought at
this corresponding sale in 2014.
But as Rabbie once opined..."The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
gang aft a-gley”.
Everybody has a sales budget and on the day 'Mouse' was
unfortunately outbid by those giants of the Irish Point-to-Point
field Monbeg, in the shape of the Doyle brothers.
However, there were several horses that had caught the eye later in the sale, and a Prince Flori gelding was one such. This time the bid was successful and Lot627 was soon on his way across the Irish Sea, courtesy of Gillies Transport, to his new home in the Scottish Borders.
Along with a couple of his new stable companions, 'Seb' made the
short journey down to the border to Gary Rutherford's yard to be
broken in. Truth be told, he wasn't the easiest horse to educate but
Gary did a fine job and after a winter break 'Seb' joined the yard
for a couple of months in the spring.
He's still very much a man's ride though!
This lengthy, athletic Prince Flori gelding stands at around 16.2hh, has enjoyed a good summer
and has furnished well into his frame.
He rejoined Dodlands Steading in late August. On pedigree, he may be
one who will come into his own when presented with a fence but we'll see how it goes.
Watch out for those regular gallop reports and we're looking for
an initial appearance in a bumper after the turn of the year.
Season | win | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | other | |
2019-20 | NH Flat |