For his next appearance, Island Sands was dropped in class to run in a minor stakes race over one mile at Haydock Park Racecourse in May and won by eight lengths at odds of 4/11. In the Group Two Sandown Mile a month later, he led from the start as usual before finishing third to Nicobar and Swalow Flight. In March he ran in the Prix Edmond Blanc at Saint-Cloud, and after leading for most of the way, finished second to Golani. By this time his ownership had been transferred to Maktoum Al Maktoum and he was trained by David Loder. Island Sands returned as a five-year-old in 2001 and won once from four starts. A recurrence of his injury problems then ruled him out for the rest of the season. Frankie Dettori attempted to make all the running on the colt, but he was overtaken in the closing stages and beaten one and a half lengths by the three-year-old filly Penny's Gold. 2000–2001: later career Īfter a break of fifteen months, Island Sands returned to the racecourse in August 2000 in the Group Three Prix Quincey at Deauville, for which he was made 9/10 favourite. An injury then kept him off the racecourse for the remainder of the year. He was never traveling well and appeared to be struggling three furlongs from the end of the race before finishing fifth of the ten runners, beaten more than seven lengths by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Saffron Walden. Three weeks later, Island Sands started favourite for the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh, but failed to reproduce his Newmarket form. Commenting on the finish, he said that he had been worried by Enrique's challenge but that "my fellow ran on really well again".
Dettori explained that he had not intended to make the running but had decided to let the colt go on when he started exceptionally well.
Two furlongs from the finish he established an overall lead and ran on well in the closing stages to win by a neck from the strong-finishing Greenham Stakes winner Enrique, with Mujahid third. The field split into two groups, with Island Sands, ridden by Frankie Dettori, leading the larger group on the side of the course further from the stands. As the Rowley Mile course was being redeveloped, the race was run on the Newmarket July course for the first time since 1945. On, Island Sands started the 10/1 sixth choice in the betting for the sixteen runner 2000 Guineas.
#Island racer failed to start game trial#
After this race he was bought by Godolphin Racing and sent to spend the winter in Dubai, where he was trained by Saeed bin Suroor.Įarly in 1999 Island Sands won a private trial race against other Godolphin horses at Nad Al Sheba, which led to him being aimed at the 2000 Guineas, whilst the Godolphin team's best two-year-old of 1998, Aljabr traveled to the United States for an abortive attempt at the Kentucky Derby. Five weeks later he returned to Salisbury for the Cranbourne Stakes in which he started favourite at odds of 4/6 and won by two lengths from Locombe Hill. Ridden by the apprentice jockey Alan Daly, he took the lead in the final furlong and won by two lengths from Victory Spin and twelve other runners. Island Sands made his first appearance in a six furlong maiden race at Salisbury in August 1998. As a yearling, Island Sands was sent to the Goffs Sale in October, where he was bought for IR£18,000 by the British trainer David Elsworth. Tiavanita failed to win a race but was a half-sister of Corrupt, who won the Great Voltigeur Stakes and started joint-favourite for the 1991 Epsom Derby. At stud, he has sired the winners of over four hundred races, but Island Sands, from his first crop of foals, remains his only winner at Group One level. Turtle Island won six races, most notably the 1994 Irish 2,000 Guineas which he won by fifteen lengths on his favoured soft ground. He was sired by Turtle Island out of the mare Tiavanita. He was bred at the Kilcoran House Stud in County Tipperary, Ireland by Mrs T. Island Sands was described as a "most attractive" brown horse with a small white star and four white feet and stood 16 hands high.
0 kommentar(er)
