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VALIANT BOY SBFAR wins the Grade 3 Arabian Racing Cup Stallion Stakes (male division), secures his spot as leading Arabian racehorse in USAOctober 18, 2014 - Lone Star Park - There is one word for the quality of colts and geldings that strutted in for the $20,000 Grade 3 Arabian Racing Cup Stallion Stakes - Exceptional! While the handsome group were led around the pre-race saddling paddock,
a dark grey horse made eye contact with fan after fan. VALIANT BOY SBFAR shot a piercing stare at the crowd that clearly said "I am here to win." And win he did. Rated well by his jockey Ramos Guce and taking the lead before the final turn, VALIANT BOY SBFAR added another stakes win to his incredible career and boosted his lifetime earnings to $316,835. This win also secures his position as leading Arabian racehorse in the USA by earnings for the year 2014.
VALIANT BOY SBFAR is a 6 year old stallion, born in France, bred by Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed and owned by Guy Neivens. He is by the French stallion Darweesh, and out of the mare Thumb Print by Barour de Cardonne. VALIANT BOY SBFAR enjoyed his first racing successes in France, before he was imported to the USA. In France, he won the Prix Ourour in Toulouse, and ran 2nd in the Al Rayyan Cup (Ex Prix Kesberoy)(Group 1) at Deauville, and 3rd in the Prix Tidjani Group III (Group 3) at La Teste. In the USA, he has run 14 races since June of 2012, and won 11 of them. His win at Lone Star Park Saturday night makes his 8th win straight in a row as he has traveled from state to state racing in the major races. This year he has accumulated his wins at Churchill Downs in the Grade 1 President of the UAE Cup Stakes, in Delaware at the Grade 1 Delware Park Arabian Classic Handicap, in California at
Los Alamitos in the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan Arabian Cup Stakes, and now in Texas at this Grade 3 event sponsored by the Arabian Racing Cup.
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If the race had been a bit more than mile, it might not have turned to VALIANT BOY's favor. The young colt RB Rich proved to be a frightening adversary. Trained by Elizabeth Brand and ridden by Adrian Ramos, RB Rich made a courageous effort after being well rated through the race. His position gave him an unfortunate disadvantage of going four wide through the turns but he stayed fresh. He was coming on strong, gaining quickly down the lane and missed the win only by a length. RB Rich is a 4 year old son of multiple Darley winner and USA Triple Crown Champion TH RICHIE, and out of the mare ROYALE FANFARE, by Monarch AH. The beautiful dam ROYALE FANFARE earned $168,056 on the racetrack for Texas
owners Dan and Claudia Spears before retiring to the breeding shed. In 2010 the mare was acquired by astute Dianne Waldron for the famous international Rosebrook breeding program. RB Rich is the first of five Royal Fanfare offspring from Rosebrook, and is owned by Garrett Ford. Ford also owns a younger full sibling, RB So Rich, who was entered for this race as well but late scratched by his trainer. While the start of the race was good for all, Aim High leaving from position 1 on the rail got away a little awkwardly. He sauntered along sideways a few steps, almost like considering whether he would race or not. Then he flagged his tail and launched into full flight. Aim Hi was by far the most
seasoned runner with 46 starts but he hasn't traveled much. 44 of his races he ran at Delaware Park. By the half Aim Hi was leading the fiercely competitive group of horses, each one no more than a half length apart. He lost the lead to VALIANT BOY SBFAR and then dropped behind further when RB RICH made the charge. Finishing a respectable third, Aim Hi is a son of Burning Sand, and his flashy tail and Arabian characteristics are marked well through his dam Halianna, a daughter of straight egyptian ZT Ali Baba. His mother Halianna produced half a dozen other winners including his full sister- the remarkable mare CATH, earnings of $226,620. Aim Hi is a product of Bill Waldron's breeding program. Bill Waldron was named Darley Champion Breeder of the Year in USA in both 2012 and 2013. Aim Hi is now owned and trained by Mark Powell who claimed the horse from Waldron in Delaware. Mark Powell
has made some sharp decisions that put him on the stage last year as Darley Champion Owner of the Year.
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Congratulations to all the horses who entered and made this a fantastic event. Texas Arabian Breeders Association is honored by the top class group of Arabian racehorses that this race attracted. Many thanks to the sponsor, Arabian Racing Cup, who also provided an additional bonus of $1,000 outside of the actual purse money to breeders of the horses who finished first, second, and third- each being awarded $500, $300, and $200 respectively. Stewards of theArabian Racing Cup also organized a great night of camaraderie in the upper level suite at the racetrack for all owners, trainers, fans and friends to enjoy. Chief Steward Denise Gault and other stewards Michelle Morgan and Sam Vasquez hosted the event. Finishers in order:
Valiant Boy SBFAR, RB Rich, Aim Hi, Paddys Day, Sand Champ, Fastandfurious, RB Moose, Mister Edd. Running time for the 1 mile race: 1:50.07 Inquiring minds want to know... Where did Valiant Boy SBFAR's talent come from and tell us about connections to USA and Texas Arabian racehorsesVALIANT BOY SBFAR's sire Darweesh was born in Great Britain and is a son of Amer. Darweesh raced only once according to IFAHR pattern race statistics turning in a third place for his efforts in 2005. Despite a lackluster race career, Darweesh carries some powerful genetics. He is a full brother to the highly successful DAHESS- winner of 28 races in UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Great Britain, and Italy for an equivalent of over $1.4 million in earnings.
VALIANT BOY SBFAR's dam Thumb Print was lightly raced and placed only (in France), and a daughter of the four time winner Barour de Cardonne who is a son of Manganate. Manganate is also the sire of Dubai Kahayla Classic winner NIVOUR DE CARDONNE (now standing at stud in Texas at Mandolynn Hill Farm for Shadwell Stud of UK), and sire of famous and influential sires like Dormane, Djelfor, etc. Dormane of course is the father of several important stallions standing in Texas- CHNDAKA, KAOLINO, (at Mandolynn Hill Farm in Aubrey, Texas for Shadwell Stud - UK) and NORPHE (at Eric and Randi Moreau-Sipieres' east Texas farm Centurion Stud, for Taleb Al Muhairi - UAE). Barour de Cardonne is also a 3/4 brother to Kesberoy, sire of Virgule Al Maury, who was leading sire of racehorses in USA for 2 years in a row, leading all time French purebred Arabian sire in USA, and stands in Oklahoma for his
owners Betty Jo and Paul Richards who are members of Texas Arabian Breeders Association.
VALIANT BOY SBFAR's natural ability comes from the planning by his astute breeder Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed and nurtured by his owner Guy Neivens. The horse's talent should no doubt also be attributed to his excellent team and staff and his trainer and riders. Sharon Clark, owner of the 326 acre Rigbie Farm, is racing manager for Guy Neivens racing stable located in Darlington, Maryland, while Liz Collard oversees operations at the farm as well as other various hands-on activities in USA and abroad. She personally flew with VALIANT BOY SBFAR aboard the airline to Texas for this recent race and accompanied him in the stable and testing barn on track. Collard has been involved with VALIANT BOY since he arrived into the USA from France where he completed his import quarantine at Rigbie Farm. "He's a special horse," says Collard. "We are lucky to be a part of his story."
Guy Neivens's trainer, Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Merryman was occupied with a racing engagement at another track, and during this trip VALIANT BOY was in capable hands of assistant trainer Alli Rawles. Jockey Ramon Guce rode VALIANT BOY to victory, as he did in the previous win at Los Alamitos. Guce has won 970 races in his career spanning 15 years, and his mounts have amassed $6,462,368 in earnings.
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