I have horses to race in Poland and abroad! – the interewiev with Krzysztof Ziemiański

KRZYSZTOF ZIEMIAŃSKI

I HAVE HORSES TO RACE IN POLAND AND ABROAD!

AUTHOR: KRZYSZTOF ROMANIUK PHOTOS: SŁUŻEWIEC RACECOURSE

In the 2020 season Krzysztof Ziemiański nearly until the end fought with Michał Borkowski for a place on the podium in the championship. Ultimately the trainer from Służewiec got third place with a legacy of 35 victories and 38 second places. In the Thoroughbred competition, his horses played main roles along with the proteges of Adam Wyrzyk. Candidates for the Horse of the Year title were the winner St.Leger and second in the Great Warsaw Race Night Tornado, as well as the final winner Timemaster - winner of four races of cat. A (Rulera, Westminster Freundschaftpreis, Mosznej and Criterium). This year the Niespodzianka stable seems to be even stronger!

The five older horses start high

– Five of my horses start the season from either categories or group I level – highlights Krzysztof Ziemiański. – Those are of course Timemaster and Night Tornado, but also Xawery (late season entry), Petit and Fabulous Las Vegas returning after an injury. I will try to plan their starts so that they won’t need to compete with each other more than two at once, however it cannot be ruled out that from time to time such a confrontation might take place.

Fabulous Las Vegas, The Horse of the Year 2018, suffered from health problems after a race in France at the end of the 2019 season. Hard season, difficult race and a long journey took its toll on him. In the spring of last year we hoped that we would still be able to prepare him for the end of the season, but eventually we gave him more time to recover and he has been working regularly since January. I think that he should go back to the highest level as this is a very good horse. In his case, we do not consider further trips to foreign tracks, because he is already old, and it was visible that the last attempt did not help him, although he achieved a really good result in terms of sport – 5. place in the Listed race, with a slight loss to the third place. He is classified now in group I and I may choose an easier group race for him to start with, so that he can calmly get into racing after such a long break.

Timemaster and Night Tornado are both in A category, so there is no alternative for them. This year’s competition should start with the race for the Golejewka Stakes, which should be treated primarily as an opportunity to enter the racing rhythm. I entered them for the races held during Turf Gala in Bratislava at the beginning of June, respectively to: Cena Scottish Rifla (SVK Listed, 1800 m) and Velka Cena Slovenska (SVK Gd-3, 2400 m). More than financial considerations, the willingness to test yourself in international sport rivalry is decisive here. Later in the season we will think about other foreign targets, depending on their results, form and the pandemic situation in Europe.

Petit who feels good on long distances will undoubtedly also be able to be included in the competition at the highest level, as was the case last year. We have not made the final decision yet in which race to start this year’s starts. Xavery will be entered for the season on an additional date – such a decision was made by his owner. He is a gifted sprinter who will fairly easily find gear in the spring. Most likely, we will see him again in the competition for the Jaroszówka Stakes and/or Haracza Stakes.

Petit

The rest of the „elders” also not too shabby

The remaining seven older Thoroughbreds will start off ranked lower, however they are horses that should bring their owners a lot of joy. Nine-year-old Party Animal probably still has the will to compete so he might still surprise more than once. Quite good Grants Black will be back in the competition after a longer break, but he is not ranked as high as a year ago, so it should be easier for him to get started.

Fear of the Dark has a lot of sprint talent. He won three times at the age of three, and there is no indication that he will take it down a notch. In my opinion he presents possibilities at least at the level of the backstage of the top short-distance runners. Accelerating career of Bright Amber was interrupted by an injury which happened during the race. His leg broke. However he is back to training and he should improve as he is maturing all the time. It is a late horse.

The same applies to Adventure and Terroubi, who debuted at the age of three and needed time to improve their run. They did better and better over time. I expect further progress from them. Mistral of good pedigree did not say the last word either. He also made us wait for him.

Derby class is also powerful

– The derby list will surely include colts that won twice at the age of two: Quibou and Zanzily Passion. The first one of them showed a lot of acceleration and possibilities in two out of three starts. The middle performance was less successful, in my opinion, it just simply did not work out for him. He was bought on the auction in France because he resembled Fabulous incredibly. Not only because of his pedigree (they have the same father, not much appreciated in the west Air Chief Marshal), but mainly through the color, variety and their build. I am convinced that just like Fabulous, the colt has a lot of speed and will run on a high level. It remains to be seen during the season how he will handle longer distances.

Zanzily Passion is a horse of a different type. He is quite delicate and definitely needs stayer runs. In this respect he slightly resembles Petit, who has the same father – Zanzibari. Despite such predispositions at the age of two he was undefeated, therefore he surely has talent.

I very much believe in Young Thomas. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to start a second time. He made a successful debut and I suspect that he would have won the second start if I hadn’t had to withdraw him because of a minor injury. I appreciate horses after the stallion Dariyan and I will look forward to the starts of this colt.

Other stallions: Exostar, Angel March, Dancing Riko, Indian Galeste, Kuri, Dream It Possible and Hamam were not quite mature at the age of two. Exostar did win the debut, but, like the previous offspring of Infamia, he is very late. The beautiful Angel March and Dancing Riko developed a lot during the winter. I expect them to perform much better. Kuri had his ups and downs. It is a talented horse – I suspect that his talent will show itself in the second part of the season. Grown Indian Galeste and Dream It Possible should do better than in 2020. First of them ran without shine, he lacked physical strength. Second one had lots of development problems, I would

rather not rush with him. He has a great character. Polish-bred Hamam did poorly twice, but he was completely immature.

Two mares belong to Westminster. I highly value Mała Czarna’s father (Dutch Art). She had one victory at the age of two. She is small, but I think that in case of a mare it does not have to be an obstacle to succeed on the track. Small Greek Sphere can be an example, which won in Andrzej Walicki’s training among others Derby and the Great Warsaw Race. Ginger Rose performed definitely weaker, but after the season she underwent airway surgery and only now should she show what she can really do.

The group of two-year-olds is even better than last year’s

It is still early to judge two-year-olds accurately, but overall the whole group looks promising. is healthy and working well. If i were to point horses, from which i expect good performance in this season, then such an impression is made by the colts by Pedro The Great and Le Havre, as well as Good Gift, Dariyangel and Palm Club. I like Egalitaire, son of Iron Belle.

The purple-born Iva Gray of Infamia by the French Derby winner The Great Gatsby makes a good impression. Montjeu Star is a filly gifted with nice movement. However, the other two-year-olds also promise to be extremely interesting, although they might be a bit later. On the other hand they still have several weeks to develop and overtake their peers in training, so certainly it is worth observing them.

Arabians might throw in their three cents

The oldest Arab in the stable is Hermes. His possibilities are known, but he will try to earn his livelihood. A group of five-year-olds is fun. I am counting on good results of Alnnajm, who is third in the Derby and has already shown that he can gallop, especially on a dry track. Third in Oaks was Shamila. Her advantage is the fact that she did not “play”, therefore in spring it will be possible to choose the right races, and then we will look for something suitable for the mare. Asrar Al Khalediah showed her good side. It should be remembered that she started her career only last year, so she should still move forward. It is an interesting, universal mare.

A year younger Fadwa Al Khalediah might have not been fully mature at the age of three, therefore her performances were not particularly successful. She performed best at the debut, later she lacked some “steam”. She should run better this year. Mutar JR and Węgierka have won one race each. The first one was not fully formed yet, but during winter it turned into a plus, so an improvement in his case is very likely. Węgierka has a bit of speed, we shall see how it translates into results.

Among the Arab youth I have, i.a. Almared, whose father gave i.a. last year’s Derby winner Wielki Dakris and

Fabulous Las Vegas

Wellman after Qatar’s Assy. They look interesting. I like the mares owned by Mrs. Gołębiowska – Cecylia i Osa. Machir Jr is another offspring of Oaksist Mukata Fata. Makes a nice impression. From the two representatives of the SK Kamionna stud farm, Felini looks slightly better than Elamino. Salik is a few weeks younger than both of them,but he works willingly.

At the end I would like to inform you that I made an Quibou

agreement with the jockey Martin Srnec, that he will, as much as possible, come to Warsaw for weekends and ride the horses I train. I like working with him and we have already achieved many successes together. I hope that we will add more. In addition, amazons work for me - experienced Daria Panczew and apprentice, Oliwia Szarłat. I would also like to give Klaudia Zwolińska a chance in racing - adds Krzysztof Ziemiański.

EXPERT’S EVALUATION

EXPERT’S EVALUATION: The strongest point of Krzystof Ziemiański’s stable are definitely Thoroughbreds and it is among horses of this breed that the titled trainer can seek opportunities for further victories. The undisputed stars of last season – Timemaster and Night Tornado – will surely compete for the most valuable awards. A few colts, mainly French-bred might play important roles in Derby class. The ranks of thoroughbred horses are completed by very promising twoyear-olds.

Maciej Piłat Służewiec iTV Expert