One Last Share The Delight Update

Those of you who have been long time followers of this blog know I have had a soft spot for Share The Delight (1:48.4,4, $540,952), a tough campaigner who raced in the States against the likes of Art Official and Somebeachsomewhere.  During his five year old campaign, he was sold and exported to Wales to begin a new career as a sire; his new owners had hopes of him becoming a major sire in the United Kingdom.

How time flies.  Share The Delight is now 11 years old so I decided it was time for one last check-in to see how he has done on the other side of the pond.

Unfortunately, it became clear STD is not destined to become the sire of stakes-caliber horses there as I got this message from my acquaintance in the UK:

Sorry for the late reply. Llwyns Delight has won a race this season, Cavendish won last year.

Brywins Mayhem won once last year and Greenhill Lillian has won in the amateur racing.

That's it. I'm afraid he has been a bit of a disappointment despite serving some good mares. I wish it was better news!

Then today, ten days later, I received the following e-mail:

Just to let you know that last night Llwyns Delight (Share The Delight-Bon Sian-Master Scoot) won my local meeting's heat and final. He's a half brother to one of the UK's top racehorses, Bon Jasper, who has been racing (and winning) from 2 to 12 (and continues to race this season).

Llwyns Delight is the horse I said had been one of the most successful by S-T-D and he was impressive last night on the half mile turf track which suited the staying horses. It was soft in places with a stiff incline on the run in and the horse handled it easily in his heat and overturned the heavily backed favourite Coalford Tetrick in the final as well as other fancied horses.

He's a homebred, owned, trained and driven by brothers Robin and Lee Price who live a couple of miles from the track at Cilmery, mid Wales. Lee is one of my fellow directors on the board for the Standardbred as Trotting Horse Association of Great Britain and Ireland (STAGBI) which is the recognised breed society and passport issuing organisation for Standardbreds in the UK. He was my successor as Secretary for a short time and has been involved in racing all his life, having also ridden in saddle races (monte style) in his youth. He's now encouraging his two young sons to take part in pony races this summer at some of the turf meetings.

Brywins Vincent was also a maiden winner last night (Share The Delight-Vociferous-Dragons Lair). He showed promise at Monmouth last week on the turf and perhaps the bigger track last night helped him.

Cavendish (Share The Delight-Ayr Quality-House Of Cards) runs at Musselburgh on Saturday. Musselburgh is one of the four premier meetings in the UK calendar and is staged tomorrow night and Saturday afternoon.

Who knows, while he may not be the sire of champions, perhaps Share The Delight may make it as a raceway sire?