Crusade’s Half-Brother Places In Gr 3

Crusade’s Half-Brother Places In Gr 3

First season sire Crusade, a Gr 1 winning son of Mr Greeley who stood his first season at stud at Scott Bros in 2013, saw his half-brother by Henrythenavigator – Cristoforo Colombo – place in the Gr 3 Curragh Gladness Stakes over the weekend.

Ballydoyle’s Cristoforo Colombo, tracked the leader Custom Cut until two furlongs from home. He finished three lengths off under Joseph O’Brien behind winner Sruthan. Owned by Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith, Cristoforo Colombo has now had two wins, the last in October 2013. Trainer Aiden O’Brien, describes Cristoforo Colombo as “A lovely horse. We spent all winter trying to get him to relax so he would get a mile. He didn’t get a mile at Newmarket. He got a break and we brought him back. He still doesn’t know how to sprint yet, but when the penny dropped today he quickened up well. He has a chance of making a decent sprinter. He still thinks he’s running over a mile and just relaxes too much early on.”

Cristoforo Colombo has had two wins and three places, including placing in the Gr 2 Coventry Stakes (third), Gr 2 Railway Stakes (second) and fourth in the Gr 1 Middle Park Stakes – the race which his half-brother Crusade won.

Crusade, by European Gr 1 sprinter miler by Sire-Of-Sires Mr Greeley(USA), Crusade had six starts in England, winning twice and placing once. His win in the Gr 1 Middle Park Stakes saw him defeating a strong field of horses that included four Group 2 winners, including Capar Netscher who is a three time Gr 2 winner.

Past Middle Park Stakes winners include some outstanding individuals, such as Known Fact, Diesis, Minardi, his own broodmare sire, Johannesburg, Oasis Dream, leading Freshman sire Dutch Art and Dark Angel.

Out of those horses, Crusade ran the second fastest time of 1:10.75 behind Oasis Dream who won the race in 2002 in a time of 1:09.61. Crusade also competed in the Breeders Cup Juvenile, but was badly interfered with and finished fifth subsequently.

Mr Greeley(USA), himself by Gone West out of Long Legend by Reviewer(USA), has produced 14 Group 1 winners at stud in both America and Europe and almost 60 Stakes winners – in 2008 he stood for a fee of $125,000. Unfortunately for Mr Greeley who stood at Gainesway, he succumbed to Laminitis in 2010 at the age of 18. A Sire-Of-Sires, he has produced the likes of El Corredor, Greeley’s Galaxy, Horse Greeley and Belgravia, as well as Whywhywhy – the sire of Gr 2 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf winner Nownownow in 2007.

Crusade’s dam is La Traviata, herself by Johannesburg(USA) out of Piedras Negras by Unbridled(USA), in turn out of a Devil’s Bag(USA) mare. La Traviata won three races at three years old in America including the Gr 3 Victory Ride Stakes at Saratoga and the Post Deb Stakes at Monmouth Park. She is a very young broodmare (a 2004 foal), the dam of two runners of which both are Group horses – the first being Crusade and second being Cristoforo Colombo(USA).

A stallion who reportedly has excellent fertility, Crusade covered a quality full-book of mares for his first season at Scott Bros and well look forward to seeing his first foals on the ground in August 2014 – the first foal expected from Peter Blyth’s Clifton Stud.

Contact Details:
Robin Scott
Mobile: 082 4696197
Tel: 033 2666918
Tel: 033 9400169
Email: scottbros@worldonline.co.za