Coolmore honored as top owner in BC Challenge series

Cape Blanco sported the colors of Coolmore co-owner Derrick Smith in the Man o’ War, which was not part of the BC Challenge; he won the others in the silks of Fitri Hay (Ross Woodson/Horsephotos.com) Benefiting from seven first-place finishes in Ireland, Canada and the United States, Coolmore Stud, represented by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, has won the Montblanc Rieussec Star Award as outstanding owners of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Challenge series. The Montblanc Rieussec Star Award, presented by Montblanc, the official timepiece of the Breeders’ Cup, recognizes the importance of owners worldwide who participate in the Breeders’ Cup program. This is the second consecutive year that Coolmore has won the Montblanc award. The Montblanc Rieussec Star Award is given to the owner who receives the highest number of points based upon graded/group first-place finishes in the 68 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races. Coolmore accumulated 64 points. William Clifton Jr. finished second in the standings with 20 points from two Grade 1 victories by the five-year-old Tizway in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park and the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga.

The Ballydoyle stable stars were led by the four-year-old Cape Blanco, who
won both the Grade 1 Arlington Million and the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
Invitational during the series, and the five-year-old New Zealand-bred So You
Think, who captured the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes.

The three-year-old filly Misty for Me won the stable’s first Challenge race
of the year in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh. Coolmore also had
three Juvenile winners in the Challenge series: two-year-old colts Power, who
won the Group 1 National Stakes, and Finale, winner of the Grade 3 Summer Stakes
at Woodbine. The two-year-old filly Maybe took the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

“We would like to congratulate Coolmore for winning the Montblanc Rieussec
Star Award for the second year in a row,” President & CEO of Montblanc North
America Jan-Patrick Schmitz said.

“On behalf of all of our team I would like to express my sincere thanks to
Montblanc for their generous sponsorship of this award,” Coolmore’s Smith said.
“The Breeders’ Cup Challenge series means a great deal to us, and while it won’t
be easy to match this season’s results in the coming year, we’ll be giving it
our best shot!”

The Montblanc Rieussec Star Award point system was based on wins in Breeders’
Cup Challenge races for U.S and Canadian, and international Group events:

“We are grateful to all the owners who participated in the Breeders’ Cup
Challenge series,” Breeders’ Cup Senior Vice President Carter Carnegie said,
“and congratulate Coolmore on receiving the Montblanc Rieussec Star Award this
year with their remarkable success of victories in both Europe and the U.S.

“Montblanc has established an impeccable reputation as an exquisite
international brand, and we are proud to partner with them in recognizing the
vital contributions and commitment Thoroughbred owners bring to the Breeders’
Cup and to our industry.”