b4breeding

Three Tintin In America fillies hit the South Island workout tracks last week, and another one at Cambridge today.

What A Curtainraiser (Tintin In America x Next Live Show – Live Or Die) is a 3yo filly who was at her third workout (North Canterbury, 14 October) and seems to be improving each time. What A Curtainraiser has always shown a quick turn of foot and a very competitive nature, but also a tendancy to pull or want to over-race. But patience and education is sorting that out now. The dam of What A Curtainraiser is the Live Or Die mare Next Live Show who had a twisted leg that prevented her from showing what she might have on the race track.  Trainer Kevin James says she did look good, however, and he thought enough of her to put her to Tintin In America, a horse he admired, aiming to add speed. It seems to be working.

Kevin James has four in training by Tintin In America and each one is quite different.  What A Curtainraiser is a smallish filly, but another of his Tintin youngsters is Go Ellmer Go (from a medium sized mare Ellmer Joy) who has turned out to be 16-plus hand, and he has one who has been teasing Kevin by changing preference to trot or to pace. Another of Kevin’s Tintin In America foals is the 2yo colt from Dazzle Bromac called Tuahiwi Express which he describes as  a”nice going pacer, and a chestnut colour”.

At the same North Canterbury Wednesday workouts Tintin In America 3yo filly American Vogue was having her first workout of the season, after qualifying as a 2yo in March. She sat at the back and when she looked to improve stylishly, she started to hang and pace a bit rough, losing ground before running on wide again at the back of the field. She is still a bit keen and green, but has plenty of ability once the penny drops and the manners are better. The breeding is nice, she’s from the family of Stylish Sweeheart and is from Presidential Ball mare Style By The Mile, who is the dam of MacIntosh, a Mach Three gelding who did a really nice job in Australia particularly as a 3yo and 4yo.

The other Tintin In America filly to hit the workouts last week (Motukarara, on 10 October) was Be A Legend. This is the 3yo from A Legend (a half sister to Bit Of A Legend) that I co-own with Brian West of Studholme Bloodstock. This preparation she’s been in the care of Chris McDowell, who has used patience and education to get her manners in better order. She can still be a bit keen, but is learning to settle and at the workouts he travelled her at the back in a Learners pace and let her run home nicely for second. She’s lining up at the workouts again today and the idea is the same – give her experience without a lot of pressure. Chris feels she has a bit of strength and speed.

And finally today (17 October) I was at Cambridge workouts to watch yet another Tintin In America filly go around – Love American Style – and the theme is a bit the same, with ability there but manners not. She hang badly most of the way in an easy run workout, but wasn’t pushed which is good. Again, patience is the key. The breeding of this filly is very David Phillips/Hambletonian, with the dam being the Road Machine mare Love To Travel who is also the dam of Selkie (the American Ideal mare who also raced well in Australia before retiring late last year.)

Being green and keen has more in common with speed than just having “ee“. It was the same with Tintin In America himself, and it took patience and education to channel that competitive nature and ability into manners and speed that turns on when the driver pushes the go button. My impression is that many of these trainers like what they feel in the Tintins – that there is clearly ability and speed worth being patient for.