Gear Up (horse)

Gear Up (foaled 8 March 2018) is an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the leading two-year-old colts in Europe in 2020 when he won three of his four races including the Group 3 Acomb Stakes in England and the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in France.

Gear Up
SireTeofilo
GrandsireGalileo
DamGearanai
DamsireToccet
SexColt
Foaled8 March 2018[1]
CountryIreland
ColourBay
BreederJim Bolger
OwnerTeme Valley 2
TrainerMark Johnston
Record4: 3-0-0
Earnings£104,561
Major wins
Acomb Stakes (2020)
Criterium de Saint-Cloud (2020)

Background

Gear Up is a bay horse with a white star with a white sock on his left hind leg bred in Ireland by Jim Bolger. In October 2019 he was consigned to the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale and was bought for €52,000 by the trainer Mark Johnston.[2] He entered the ownership of the Teme Valley 2 syndicate, and was taken into training by Johnston at Middleham Moor, North Yorkshire.

He was from the tenth crop of foals sired by the Teofilo the undefeated European Champion Two-Year-Old of 2006. Teofilo's other European offspring have included Cross Counter, Trading Leather, Pleascach, Twilight Payment and Parish Hall: he has also had great success in Australia where his major winners have included Happy Clapper, Humidor and Kermadec.[3] Gear Up's dam Gearanai showed no racing ability, failing to win or place in six races,[4] but was a granddaughter of the Kentucky Oaks winner Dispute.[5]

Racing career

2020: two-year-old season

The 2020 flat racing season in England was disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic with racing being abandoned from mid-March until June when it was resumed behind closed doors. On 25 July at York Racecourse Gear Up made his racecourse debut over seven furlongs in a novice race (for two-year-olds with no more than two previous wins) and started at odds of 12/1 in a ten-runner field. Ridden by Silvestre de Sousa he was restrained towards the rear in the early stages before overcoming difficulty in obtaining a clear run and overtook the leader Henrik inside the final furlong to win by one and half lengths.[6] The colt was then stepped up in class for the Group 3 Acomb Stakes over the same course and distance on 19 August when he was partnered by De Sousa and started the 9/1 fourth choice in the betting. He was in contention from the start but looked to be outpaced three furlongs out before staying on strongly to gain the advantage in the final strides and won won "gamely" by half a length from Spycatcher.[7] After the race Mark Johnston said: "He got loose before he won on his debut and everyone was thinking of him as quite a difficult horse... He was very different in the prelims today – laid back and relaxed... He's not the most impressive horse at home, but we’ve seen his style again today, he looked the first under pressure then found more and more. He wants a mile now and he’s bred to get a mile."[8]

Franny Norton took the ride when Gear Up moved up in class and distance for the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes over one mile at Newmarket Racecourse on 26 September when he raced in second place for most of the way but was unable to make any progress in the last quarter mile and came home fourth of the five runners behind New Mandate, Ontario and Cobh, beaten two and a half lengths by the winner. On 24 October the colt was sent to France for the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 2000 metres on heavy ground at Saint-Cloud Racecourse in which he was ridden by James Doyle. He started the 27/1 outsider of the seven-runner field which also included the favourite Makaloun (winner of the Prix de Conde), the filly Tiger Tanaka (Prix Marcel Boussac) and the German challenger Best of Lips (Preis des Winterfavoriten). In a change of tactics Gear Up led from the start and repelled several challengers to win by a short neck from his fellow long-shot Botanik.[9] Johnston stated that the colt would be aimed at the following year's Epsom Derby while Doyle commented "He was still a bit green under pressure when we turned into the straight and he just wanted to hang to his left. It took probably half a furlong to get him fully straightened up but once we did, he powered away nicely."[10]

Pedigree
Pedigree of Gear Up (IRE), bay colt, 2018[1]
Sire
Teofilo (IRE)
2004		 Galileo (IRE)
1998		 Sadler's Wells (USA) Northern Dancer (CAN)
Fairy Bridge
Urban Sea (USA) Miswaki
Allegretta (GB)
Speirbhean (IRE)
1998		 Danehill (USA) Danzig
Razyana
Saviour (USA) Majestic Light
Victorian Queen (CAN)
Dam
Gearanai (USA)
2007		 Toccet (USA)
2000		 Awesome Again (CAN) Deputy Minister
Primal Force (USA)
Cozzene's Angel Cozzene
Charming Pan (FR)
Plaintiff (USA)
1996		 Seeking The Gold Mr Prospector
Con Game
Dispute Danzig
Resolver (Family: 5-f)[5]
  • Gear Up was inbred 4 × 4 to Danzig, meaning that this stallion twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References
  1. "Gear Up pedigree". Equineline.
  2. "Goffs - Orby Sale 2019, Lot 254". Goffs.
  3. "Teofilo – Stud Record". Racing Post.
  4. "Gearanai – Race Record". Racing Post.
  5. "Bajazet mare – Family 5-f". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
  6. "Skybet First Race Special Every Saturday Novice Median Auction Stakes result". Racing Post. 25 July 2020.
  7. "Acomb Stakes result". Racing Post. 19 August 2020.
  8. "Gear Up reels in Spycatcher to win the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes". ITV. 19 August 2020.
  9. "Criterium de Saint-Cloud result". Racing Post. 24 October 2020.
  10. Burton, Scott (24 October 2020). "Johnston has Derby dreams for Gear Up after Criterium de Saint-Cloud success". Racing Post.
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