PHOENIX REACH BREEDING

ARTICLE COURTESY OF THE PACEMAKER MAGAZINE

PHOENIX REACH

ALHAARTH - CARROLL'S CANYON BY HATIM

The flights of the Phoenix have proved to be profitable. Although he's won trhe Gordon Stakes (Gr.3) while racing at home, it's intercontinental trips that have provided Phoenix Reach with his richest victories.

Last year he travelled to Canada to capture the Canadian International Stakes (Gr.1) and this year a trip to Hong Kong provided him with a victory in the Hong Kong Vase (Gr.1)

Phoenix Reach is from the third crop sired by Alhaarth. A champion at two when undefeated in five starts, all at around 7 furlongs. Alhaarth was not as dominant at three and four, although he did add three more Group wins at distances from a mile to nine-and-a-half-furlongs. In his short stud career he has already sired high-class winners over a remarkable spread of distances: they range from Dominica, who took the King's Stand Stakes (Gr 2) and Cornwallis Stakes (Gr 3) over five furlongs; through the seven-furlong Nell Gwyn Stakes (Gr 3) winner Misterah; Haafhd, winner of the 2000 Guineas (Gr 1) at a mile and the Champion Stakes (Gr 1) at 10 furlongs; Phoneix Reach and Bandari, who have both captured their most important wins at 12 furlongs; to Muharib, winner of the 1m 6f Curragh Cup (Gr 3).

Clearly, the stamina capacityof Alhaarth's offspring depends considerably on the contribution made by the mares to which he is bred. In the case of Phoenix Reach's dam, Carroll's Canyon, we don't know for sure how far she would have stayed, as she never raced. There is, however, plenty of stamina in her background. She is by Hatim, an Exclusive Native half-brother to U.S. Champion Older Male Bates Hotel, who won the 11-furlong Doonside Cup in England and the nine-furlong San Antonio Handicap (Gr.1) in the U.S.

Carroll's Canyon is a half-sister to Carroll House who stayed 12 furlongs well enough to cause an upset in the 1989 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1), and to Jean-Claude, who won the Irish Cesarewitch over two miles.

Phoenix Reach's broodmare sire, Hatim, is by the Raise a Native stallion Exclusive Native. Neither Alhaarth or his sire Unfuwain have sired a previous stakes winner out of an Exclusive Native-line mare- although opportunitues would have been scant - but Unfuwain has worked well over other Raise a Native-line mares. He has Group 1 winners Lahan and Lailani out of mares by Raise a Native's son, Mr. Prospector, and Group 2 winner Aimiwain out of a mare by Raise a Native's son, Alydar.

Both Mr. Prospector and Alydar are bred on a Raise a Native/Nasrullah cross, and so is Hatim. His dam is by U.S. Turf Champion T.V. Lark, a son of the English-bred Indian Hemp. What makes this very interesting is that Indian Hemp is very closely related to Neartic, the son of Northern Dancer, so Hatim is bred on the reverse cross to Alhaarth's grandsire, Northern Dancer.

Written by PACEMAKER. This article appeared in the February 2005 issue.

PHOENIX REACH (IRE) 5-y-o (5 Mar 2000) b h

Owners: Winterbeck Manor Stud
Alhaarth(IRE) (10.6f) - Carroll's Canyon(IRE) (Hatim (USA)(9.0f)) Current Trainer: A M Balding 7th foal, half-brother to 12f 4yo winner The Director and 10-12f winner Capriolo (also placed 6-7f at 2), dam unraced half-sister to Arc winner Carroll House