Free nomination to Phoenix Reach for mares’ race winner
Winterbeck Manor Stud has donated a free nomination to its resident stallion Phoenix Reach to the winner of Jockey Club Mares’ and Fillies’ Maiden at the Melton Hunt Club point-to-point at Garthorpe on 21 May.
A globe-trotting multiple Group 1 winner who earned almost £2 million in prize-money during his racing days, Phoenix Reach carried the colours of his owner Andrew Christou to glory in three top-level contests over a mile and a half, winning the Canadian International, the Hong Kong Vase and the Dubai Sheema Classic. In addition to his international success, he also won the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, and was runner-up in the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup.
During a stud career which started at Newmarket’s National Stud, Phoenix Reach has sired the Group 1-winning juvenile Elm Park, who, like his father, was trained at Kingsclere by Andrew Balding. He has also produced the multiple-winning flat stayers Whiplash Willie, Rawaki and Chesil Beach and boasts a 31% winning strike-rate with his National Hunt runners, including hurdles and chase winner Xenophon, and treble-winning hurdlers Phoenix Returns and Arctic Reach. His four-year-old son Templepark, the eight-length winner of a maiden point-to-point earlier this year, recently sold for £75,000 at the Goffs Aintree Sale during the Grand National meeting.
Phoenix Reach returned to his owner’s farm, Winterbeck Manor Stud, at Bottesford in Nottinghamshire, for the 2017 covering season and is standing for a special rate during June and July for National Hunt and point-to-point mares.
Andrew Christou commented, “Phoenix Reach gave us so many happy days on the racecourse and the fun has continued as we’ve watched his offspring become winners. It’s been wonderful to have him back at home this year and we are delighted to offer a free nomination to the winner of the mares’ race at the Melton Hunt Club point-to-point. We wish all the runners and their connections the very best of luck.”