Tropics and three new friends
Exciting 2yo King’s Concerto
TROPICS, Dean Ivory’s star sprinter, who won five races last year and went up 32lbs to a mark of 116 acquired three new fans during a private tour of Harper Lodge Farm yesterday by three local racing enthusiasts.
Mark Barnard, who runs his own company Contrasol Limited, was at last month’s St Albans Chamber St George’s Day lunch and bid in a charity auction for a five-star champagne racing experience offered by Solario Racing.
The day started with Mark and his two friends, Barry and John, being chauffeur driven by Principal Chauffeurs to Harper Lodge Farm where they were given a personal tour of the 120-acre private training establishment, which included seeing horses working on the gallops.
Dean Ivory drove Solario Racing’s guests to the gallops for Second Lot which included Amadiva and King’s Concerto doing a nice piece upsides. They were then introduced to a few stable stars including Tropics, whose story never fails to capture the imagination.
Going through the sales ring at $280,000 as a foal and then $700,000 as a yearling, the chestnut was bought for just 2,500 guineas at Newmarket’s Horses in Training Sale in the autumn of 2011 and has gone from strength to strength under Dean Ivory’s careful handling. The 6yo son of Speightstown has won over £126,000 in prize money and last season’s wins included a Listed race at Newmarket and a Group 3 at Ascot. He has Group One entries over 6f in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Headquarters.
The stable visit finished with a glass or two of champagne before retiring for a fabulous lunch at the Michelin listed St James restaurant in nearby Bushey where the Barolo flowed and yours truly regaled Mark and his friends with various tales of the turf.
