by Bernard Kenny
The Randwick Guineas winner Kementari retires to stud at Kelvinside, to stand beside his sire Lonhro as the ‘dominant three-year-old of his generation.’
“The point that can’t be made strongly enough is his dominance as a three-year-old,” said Darley’s Stallion Head of Sales Alastair Pulford. “You need only look at the quality of the horses that finished
behind him in the Randwick Guineas to see the sort of horse he is.”
“And he’s by Lonhro, one of the great colonial-bred stallions, who just keeps proving how big an influence he is on the Australian racing and breeding industry. He is also from a mare by Redoute’s Choice, the benchmark for stallions in Australia in recent times.”
Kementari is described by Darley as a ‘tough and consistent son of Lonhro, who hit the board in eight Group 1 races from 1200m to 1600m. Rated 125 by Timeform, he easily won the Randwick Guineas and was narrowly beaten in the Caulfield Guineas and Memsie Stakes.’
Even as a juvenile Kementari showed he was a classic talent when scoring with a four-length victory over 1400m at Randwick at his second start.
His classic season began when placed in the Gr2 Run To The Rose and Gr3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude, before finishing an unlucky second in the Gr1 Caulfield Guineas, having beaten the Gr1 Blue Diamond winner Catchy and future Gr1 ATC Derby winner Levendi.
Kementari returned in the autumn with successive wins in the Gr3 Eskimo Prince Stakes of 1200m, the Gr2 Hobartville Stakes 1400m and an outstanding 1.5 length victory in the Gr1 Randwick Guineas of 1600m, in a race record time of 1-33.72sec.
In starting as the $2.40 favourite in the Randwick Guineas, and ridden by Glyn Schofield, Kementari again demonstrated his explosive turn of foot in defeating nine Group 1 performers including Pierata, Trapeze Artist, Ace High and D’Argento.
So convinced was trainer James Cummings that he challenged the world champion Winx in the Gr1 George Ryder Stakes, where he finished just 1.6 lengths behind the wonder mare and third to triple Group 1 winner Happy Clapper.
At four years, Kementari raced entirely at weight-for-age, being beaten by a nose by Humidor in the Gr1 Memsie Stakes, a 1.5 length second to Manuel in the Gr1 CF Orr Stakes and third in the Gr1 Manikato Stakes to Brave Smash and Spirit of Valor.
A brown standing at 16.1½hh Kementari is from the winning Redoute’s Choice mare Yavanna and is a half-brother to Godolphin’s stakes winner and Group 1 placed juvenile Telperion , by Street Cry. World champion sprinter Harry Angel will also be standing at Kelvinside having proved to be extremely popular when oversubscribed in his debut season earlier this year at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.
Darley says that ‘Harry Angel was the highest-rated sprinter to retire to stud in Britain in over 30 years. Rated 132 by Timeform as a record-breaking World Champion sprinter of the July Cup and Haydock Sprint by four lengths, who broke his maiden at two years in the Mill Reef Stakes.’
“Harry Angel is a high-end sprinter whose precocity will work well in this part of the world,” said Vin Cox, Godolphin Australia’s Managing Director. “We’re sure he’s the sort that Australian buyers will like, and we will be supporting him with Godolphin mares and expect him to get off to a good start.”
Darley’s Alastair Pulford said “He was the world’s best sprinter in a year when there were a lot of good sprinters going around, particularly in Australia. The international handicappers rated him better than Chautauqua, better than Redzel, better than Vega Magic.”
In a sensational season at three, he not only won the Gr1 July Cup and the Gr1 Haydock Sprint Cup in the widest margin in recent history, but also took out the Gr2 Sandy Lane Stakes in a new record time of 1-08.56sec, and was second to Caravaggio in the Gr1 Commonwealth Stakes at Royal Ascot.
At four he took out the Gr2 Duke of York Stakes, again retaining his peak 132 Timeform mark, and was second in the Gr1 British Champions Sprint from four starts.
At 15.3hh Harry Angel is the best son of Dark Angel, who also raced nine times for four 2yo wins including the Gr1 Middle Park Stakes. Already at stud he is the sire of six Group 1 winners.
“I was very impressed with Harry Angel,” said bloodstock agent John Foote. “He’s correct, he’s got a lot of quality – a lovely head on him and obviously an outstanding racehorse.”