PROGRAM TRADING SHINES IN HOLLYWOOD DERBY
PROGRAM TRADING (GB) held on to land the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Saturday, 2nd December to take his fourth win in five starts for owner Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown. The win gives him a second Grade 1 having won the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes in August.
The three-year-old was bred in Newmarket by Sara and Luca Cumani's Fittocks Stud, alongside Andrew Bengough's Arrow Farm & Stud, out of the partners' OASIS DREAM (GB) mare DREAMLIKE (GB), another homebred.
Dreamlike's dam, SO SILK (GB), is a half-sister to the 2007 Group 1 Futurity Trophy winner IBN KHALDUN, and was acquired by Fittocks Stud for 480,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2008 from the dispersal of the Leigh family’s broodmare band. So Silk is herself out of GOSSAMER (GB), an important mare for Luca Cumani and Fittocks Stud.
Program Trading was sourced by Mike Ryan at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 in 2021 for 250,000 guineas. More recently, Ryan purchased a half-sister to Program Trading by Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud first-season sire PINATUBO for 260,000 guineas in this year’s renewal.
Like Program Trading, SILVER KNOTT (GB) who placed third in the race, was British-bred by St. Albans Bloodstock out of their homebred Group 1 winner GOD GIVEN (GB) was also purchased at the Tattersalls October Yearling Book 1 in 2021 by Godolphin for 725,000 guineas from Whatton Manor Stud.
Great British Racing International caught up with Sara Cumani at this week’s Tattersalls December Mare Sale about the influence of Gerald Leigh on their breeding operation:
“When Gerald Leigh passed, given we had so much success with the family and the Brocade line, Luca was determined to buy something and bought So Silk for a lot of money at that time, for us. Luca had trained Gossamer successfully and we were very close to Gerald Leigh. He was a good friend, a great man. He was sort of a mentor for Luca.”
Cumani explained the importance of bloodlines in their broodmare band:
“So Silk had SILK SARI (GB) who was very good for us, winning the Park Hill Stakes and finishing second in the Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day. We kept Silk Sari and her first foal, interestingly, was called CHANDERI (GB). She was bought for 1,300,000 guineas by Godolphin. She never raced and then appeared in the December Mare Sale a few years later. We wanted to buy her to join our broodmare band, but Godolphin took her out of the sale and sent her to their Australian division. They put her in foal to KINGMAN (GB) southern hemisphere time and her first foal was ZARDOZI, who just won the Group 1 Kennedy Oaks in Australia and looks like a really good filly. Silk Sari’s got a lovely TOO DARN HOT (GB) filly foal that I think we will try to keep.”
On Program Trading’s breeding and success Cumani added:
“Silk Sari’s daughter Dreamlike we raced and kept as well. Dreamlike is an Oasis Dream and we all know he is an exceptional broodmare sire. She is absolutely beautiful. Program Trading came along and we sold him to Mike Ryan. He’s been so great out there. We then sold a Pinatubo half-sister to Mike this year and a LOPE DE VEGA three-parts brother as well. The Pinatubo was a really nice May foal so we wish them the best of luck. And then we got a Too Darn Hot colt out of her, a late foal. She was not covered this year because she had that late colt last year and is going to JUSTIFY next year. As she is empty, we felt it is the right time to travel her. I think one would expect an Oasis Dream to be small and chunky, but Dreamlike is taller than the typical Oasis Dream. But Program Trading it looks like they rate him highly and think he can go one and achieve a lot more next year. We’re thrilled for ourselves and thrilled for Mike, Klaravich and Chad Brown.”