BEAT HOLLOW by Nancy Sexton
It would have been easy to disregard Beat Hollow as a challenger
for the first-crop sires' title as he was a late-maturing type who
hit his stride at the age of five. But a promising first
batch of juveniles has ensured that the son of Sadler's Wells will
be well supported next year.
Despite being represented by just 37 foals in his first crop,
Beat Hollow has exceeeded all expectations. The consistent
Charlotte O Fraise got the ball rolling in August by taking the
Group 3 Prix du Calvados, while Streets Ahead showed drastic
improvement throughout the season to take the Listed Stonehenge
Stakes. The colt has since been transferred to Canada, where
he was fourth in the Grade 3 Summer Stakes to Dreaming of
Anna.
Hollow Ridge, a late foal out of the Irish Oaks winner Bolas,
was another to defy her stamina-laden pedigree by winning a a
competitive maiden on her debut before going down by half a length
in the Listed Radley Stakes. Donoma as also not beaten far
when second in the Group 3 Premio Dormello.
Other horses to look out for are Princess Valerina, a runaway
maiden winner at Newmarket, the highly regarded Hum The Tune,
Transcend and Prototype.
The subject of a tall home reputation when trained by Henry
Cecil, Beat Hollow won his only start at two before beginnning his
three-year-old year with an easy victory in the Listed Newmarket
Stakes. Those victories ensured that the was sent off
favourite for the Derby, and he justified that support to some
extent by finishing third.
An impressive display in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris put the
colt back on the winning track, and even though unraced at four,
Beat Hollow came back at five in the US to register three Grade 1
wins headed by the Arlington Million.
Date: 3 January 2007