Musselburgh is not a venue at which you would expect to see a future pattern race winner and leading juvenile in action but the Scottish track was the location for the racecourse debut of Syphax, a colt trained by Kevin Ryan.
He beat five rivals that day in early July and has been seen in action just once since, when springing a 16/1 surprise in the Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes at York the following month. He beat Best Of Days by a head there, with Lockheed three-parts of a length back in third, and this performance earned him an end-of-year rating of 110. Such a light first season, one that ended so early, may make this colt something of a forgotten horse for many, but this now Godolphin-owned bay, who was bred by Pin Oak Stud, could become a leading performer in 2017, most likely at around the seven to 10-furlong range. He is by the late Claiborne Farm stallion Arch (by Kris S), who died last year and was responsible for US standouts such as Blame, Pine Island, Archarcharch, and Arravale, although perhaps best known to many here as being the sire of the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes and Group 1 July Cup winner Les Arcs. It is not impossible that Syphax could be effective over that shorter trip too, but the strong trend in the distaff side of his family is for talent at around a mile so it is reasonable to presume that this colt will follow their lead. There are two other aspects of his profile that catch the eye before you get to the details of the high-class performers to whom he is related. One of these is his date of birth. Syphax is a 6th May foal, which means that he will not be celebrating his physical third birthday until the actual day of the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas, a race for which he is currently available at around 33/1. It also makes his juvenile record more interesting, suggests that he may be capable of considerable improvement on what he showed at two, and that he could be a candidate to do well as a four-year-old, in addition to whatever he might achieve in 2017. The other aspect that pops on his page is his sales history. His foaling date may have been a contributing factor in his Keeneland September Yearling Sale price but, even so, $25,000 is surprisingly low for a colt with his pedigree. He was sold on for €100,000 at the Arqana May Breeze-Up several months later.
Syphax is the third foal and second winner out of the prolific and talented Much Obliged (by Kingmambo), a $400,000+ earner and six-time scorer who was a Grade 3-placed dual stakes winner in the USA and also Grade 2-placed in Canada, best from eight to nine furlongs. Her good start at stud is no surprise given the notable produce record of both her dam and grandam.
Much Obliged is among six winners out of triple scorer Danka (by Strawberry Road), all six won multiple times and each earned blacktype. Two were listed-placed, one a Grade 3 runner-up, and Free Thinking (by Unbridled) was second in both the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park and Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs. Their half-sister Bedanken (by Geri), however, takes the honours as most prolific and most talented of the siblings as her 11 wins included Grade 3 victories at Fair Grounds, Arlington International, Keeneland, and Oaklawn Park. Their dam, who is one of 11 winners from 13 foals out of the unraced Paloma Blanca (by Blushing Groom), also has a multiple Grade 3 -winning daughter with a double-digit tally to her name – the near $600,000 earner Apolda (by Theatrical) – and a sister whose tally of seven includes a couple of listed events in California, but Danka's most notable sibling is her half-brother Ganges (by Riverman) who showed his talent on two continents. He won the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte as a juvenile, won the Listed Prix Djebel at the same venue shortly before finishing third to Mystiko in the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, and he was also placed in the Group 3 Prix de Meautry before going on to Grade 3 success at Keeneland. Paloma Blanca's siblings include the Norsk Derby winner Underworld (by Riverman), she was out of the La Prevoyante Stakes winner Satania (by Ruritania), and that mare was, in turn, a half-sister to Group 2 Prix de l'Opera winner and blacktype producer Sea Sands (by Sea Bird II), to Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil winner and Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Riboboy (by Ribot), and also to an unraced filly who became the third dam of Group 1-placed sprinter and notable sire Danetime (by Danehill). These are the highlights of the first few generations of Syphax's pedigree and there is more than enough there to suggest that he has the potential to become a high-class performer as a three-year-old and as an older horse.
The 2017 turf season is just beginning – its first pattern event was held in France this afternoon - and during its early weeks the talk of classics will be mostly focused on the mile events: Derby discussion often does not get much coverage until after the Guineas meeting at Newmarket.
Such has been the emphasis on producing speed that, in recent years, it has often been hard to identify serious Derby candidates among the leading juveniles, colts about whom you could say with confidence 'he will definitely stay the mile and a half.' Last season's leading two-year-olds did include a horse who looks sure to stay and who has already got a major win to his name. His connections are no stranger to classic success, so could he be the one? The Andre Fabre-trained Waldgeist made a winning debut over a mile at Chantilly in early September, finished third to Frankuus in the Group 3 Prix de Conde over nine furlongs at the same venue a month later, and then advertised his classic potential with a promising performance in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 10, on soft ground, in which he beat Best Solution by a length.
The chestnut is a son of dual Derby hero and prolific champion sire Galileo (by Sadler's Wells), but what all but guarantees his stamina is the input from the distaff side of his family, a line that has already yielded two Group 1 classic stars, over 12 furlongs and farther, in recent years.
Waldgeist is out of the Group 3 Prix Penelope winner Walderche (by Monsun), that mare is a half-sister to the middle-distance listed race winner Waldnah (by New Approach) and, more notably, also to 2011's Group 1 St Leger hero Masked Marvel (by Montjeu). Europe's champion three-year-old stayer of that season, he also won the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy and Listed Cocked Hat Stakes, he stands at Haras d'Etreham, in France, and his first crop are now yearlings. Their dam, Waldmark (by Mark Of Esteem), was runner-up in the Group 2 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket and in a 10-furlong listed contest at Newbury, and she is a half-sister to the Group 1 Deutsches Derby star Waldpark (by Dubawi), who stands at Haras du Thenney and also has yearlings now. Waldmark's siblings also include the pattern-placed middle-distance pair Waldvogel (by Polish Precedent) and Waldjagd (by Observatory) and her dam is the twice joint-champion German runner Wurfaube (by Acatenango). Her string of blacktype successes featured the Group 2 Gerling Preis over 12 furlongs and the 14-furlong Group 2 Deutsches St Leger, in which she beat Night Petticoat by 11 lengths. In addition to being a half-sister to the dual Group 3 scorer Wurfscheibe (by Tiger Hill), Wurftaube is also a half-sister to Wurfspiel (by Lomitas), who is the stakes-placed dam of Wake Forest (by Sir Percy). That now seven-year-old entire was a multiple Group 3 scorer in Germany before crossing the Atlantic, he won the Grade 1 Man O'War Stakes over 11 furlongs at Belmont Park last May, was only beaten a neck when runner-up to The Pizza Man in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Stakes over 12 furlongs at Woodbine in September, and is already off the mark in 2017 with victory in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida Stakes over 11 on firm turf at Gulfstream Park two weeks ago. It remains to be seen just how good Waldgeist will be at his peak, but so far everything points towards him being a top-class middle-distance horse in the making and it is possible that this 114-rated chestnut could become one of the brightest stars of 2017. Classic star and Ballylinch Stud resident Lope De Vega (by Shamardal) has made a good start to his stallion career with a string of stakes winners that includes dual Group 1 ace Belardo.
That miler and new Kildangan Stud sire represents his first crop, while classic prospect South Seas comes from his third. Qatar Racing Ltd's chestnut was bred by Stonepark Farms, he is trained by Andrew Balding, and he achieved a juvenile rating of 110. He was favourite on each of his first three starts, winning a six-furlong maiden on soft ground at Windsor in June, following that with victory over the same trip at Haydock in July, and then beating Salouen by two and a quarter lengths to take the Group 3 Solario Stakes over seven furlongs at Sandown in August. He lost his unbeaten record when only sixth to Churchill in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes seven weeks later, but bounced back to chase home Thunder Snow in the Group 1 Criterium International over the same trip at Saint-Cloud later that month. A €170,000 Goffs foal who made 145,000gns from the Tattersalls Book 1 catalogue at Newmarket as a yearling, South Seas is the first produce of Let It Be Me (by Mizzen Mast). The mare had a Lawman (by Invincible Spirit) filly last year, was then covered by classic star Make Believe (by Makfi) but did not go in foal. She was unplaced but is a half-sister to Zaidan (by Street Cry), a Listed Chesham Stakes winner who went on to become a Grade 2-placed listed scorer in Hong Kong and who was runner-up to Chinchon in the Grade 1 International Cup over 10 furlongs at Kranji. Element Of Truth (by Atticus), the grandam of South Seas, earned her blacktype when third in the Listed Eternal Stakes over seven furlongs at Warwick, her half-sister My Hansel (by Hansel) was third in the Group 1 Fillies' Mile at Ascot, and her four other successful siblings feature the prolific Ramooz (by Rambo Dancer). He won 10 times from two to six years of age, including the Group 3 Van Geest Criterion Stakes, Group 3 Aon MacDonagh Boland Stakes, and two editions of the Group 3 Minstrel Stakes. He also won two listed races and was placed in a long list of blacktype events from six to eight and a half furlongs. Their dam, My Shafy (by Rousillon), won two of her four starts and she was among five winners for Lys River (by Lyphard), a Deauville and Longchamp listed scorer who was runner-up to Reine De Saba in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary. South Seas holds entries in both the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh and it will be fascinating to find out just how good he is. He has made a promising start to his career. Not many horses who begin their career with an unplaced run on the all-weather and at double-digit odds go on to become a pattern winner at any stage, let alone within less than three months' time, but Making Light did just that and she is an interesting prospect for the coming turf season.
Moyglare Stud's homebred does not hold any classic engagements and she needs to improve considerably on her 101-rating to be up to competing well at the highest level, but with her pedigree and connections there is reason to hope that she can go on to further blacktype success. She also has the potential to become another notable broodmare for both her owners and her family. The Dermot Weld-trained bay finished only fifth of 12 in a seven-furlong Dundalk maiden in mid-August. She was a 14/1 longshot that day but a 3/1 favourite at Limerick when she reappeared less than two months later, this time storming home by eight lengths on soft ground. Such was the impression she created that afternoon that she was sent off a joint-favourite for the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown 20 days later and, on ground described as yielding, she stayed on to beat Spirit Of Valor by a length, with Taj Mahal a neck farther back in third. Making Light is a daughter of the regally-related mile Group 1 star Tamayuz (by Nayef), the Derrinstown Stud stallion whose double-digit tally of stakes winners includes Group 1 sprint ace G Force and Group 2 scorers Blond Me and Sir Prancealot, the latter a prolific freshman sire in 2016. She is the third foal out of the 12-furlong winner Instant Sparkle (by Danehill), a mare who has two siblings of particular note: full-sister Irresistible Jewel and half-sister Diamond Trim (by Highest Honor). The latter won the Listed Finale Stakes at the Curragh and the best of her offspring is the prolific Profound Beauty (by Danehill), whose nine wins include the Group 3 Curragh Cup, Listed Saval Beg Stakes, two editions of the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes and three of the Listed Challenge Stakes. Profound Beauty's daughter Rose De Pierre (by Dubawi) won the Listed Platinum Stakes over a mile last year, and her siblings include Majestic Silver (by Linamix), the unraced dam of last year's mile-placed, seven-furlong listed scorer Joailliere (by Dubawi) and of the high-class Carla Bianca (by Dansili). That grey has wins in the Group 3 Meld Stakes, Group 3 Dance Design Stakes, Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes and Listed Naas Oaks Trial on her record, she is to visit Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) in 2017, and is an exciting young broodmare. Diamond Trim's contribution to the family is admirable and yet that of Irresistible Jewel is more impressive. She won the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and Group 3 Blandford Stakes, she was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera, and has three Group 1 offspring, so far. Royal Diamond (by King's Best) won the Group 1 Irish St Leger, Group 3 British Champions Long Distance Cup and Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial, among other performances of note. Mad About You (by Indian Ridge) won the Group 3 Gladness Stakes and Listed Garnet Stakes, she was runner-up to Halfway To Heaven in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas and to Promising Lead in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes, and her string of other blacktype placings include third in both the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac as a juvenile. Mad About You's first foal, a filly named Malinka (by Pivotal), won at over middle-distances at Limerick and Roscommon last year, and her second, a four-year-old named Heartful (by Shamardal), won a mile maiden at Dundalk last month. Princess Highway (by Street Cry) is the third of Irresistible Jewel's stars and she was a joint-champion three-year-old filly in Ireland and England in 2012 when she won the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes and finished third to Great Heavens in the Group 1 Irish Oaks. Aptostar (by Fappiano), the third dam of Making Light, won the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes in 1988, was second in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks and third in the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes that same year, and was a multiple Grade 1-placed Grade 3 winner at the age of four, before going to Ireland to join the Moyglare Stud broodmare band. Whether Making Light is going to be a mile to 10-furlong filly or one who may stay farther will depend on the amount of speed or stamina she has got from Tamayuz. There is no doubt, however, that she is bred to achieve anything, both on the track and, eventually, at stud, and this, combined with her promising juvenile season, makes her an interesting prospect for 2017, and possibly also for 2018.
The great champion Frankel (by Galileo) made an exciting start to his stallion career in 2016 by coming up with six pattern-winning juveniles in his first crop, headed by the undefeated Group 1 star and Japanese filly champion Soul Stirring.
The sextet also includes Frankuus, and although he may not have as much potential for improvement as do some others among their sire's initial runners, this 106-rated grey could be a high-class middle-distance colt in 2017 and 2018. Like so many of his sire's earliest runners, this Mark Johnston-trained colt made a winning debut, in his case over seven furlongs at Haydock in June. He finished fifth to Churchill in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, then third and fourth in listed contests at Ascot and Newbury before stepping up to a mile and beyond. That move saw him win the Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock in early September and the Group 3 Prix de Conde over nine furlongs at Chantilly a month later, his rivals in the latter including the subsequent Group 1 star Waldgeist, who finished third. The degree of improvement that rival found in the following weeks was evident in the way he won the 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud next time, a race in which Frankuus disappointed in eighth place.
Frankuus was bred by Ballylinch Stud, he is a half-brother to the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner and Group 1 Criterium International third US Law (by Lawman), and he is out of Dookus (by Linamix), a half-sister to the speedy juvenile stakes winner Pharmacist (by Machiavellian).
That smart filly became a notable success at stud, she has four blacktype-winning offpsring to her name, and one of those is the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf and Grade 1 Man O'War Stakes hero Red Rocks (by Galileo). He was also a talented performer in Europe where he was placed in both the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp and Group 1 St Leger at York, he began his stallion career at Centro Equino Arcadia in Italy, spent two seasons at Calumet Farm in Kentucky, and is now back at his prior home. Pharmacist's quartet also includes the Group 2-placed, stakes-winning middle-distance horses Medicinal (by Linamix) and Galvaun (by Galileo), while her stakes-placed half-sister Phariseek (by Rainbow Quest) has chipped in with the Punchestown Grade 1 Champion 4YO Hurdle scorer Hisaabaat (by Dubawi). She is also a half-sister to the unraced dam of Green Rock (by Green Tune), a juvenile listed race winner who was third in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe, and all of this stamina at eight to 14 furlongs is striking given that their dam is the high-class sprinter Pharaoh's Delight (by Fairy King). She won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes and was runner-up to Chimes Of Freedom in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, when it was run over six furlongs, and she was later third to the brilliant Dayjur in each of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes, Group 1 Sprint Cup and Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. Her half-brother Kateb (by Pennine Walk), on the other hand, was a star middle-distance runner in Scandinavia, a dual winner of both the Listed Dansk Eclipse Stakes and Listed Oslo Cup. Frankuus clearly has plenty of ability, he holds entries in both the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas and Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, and it would be no surprise to see him become a smart middle-distance performer in 2017 and 2018.
Frankel was one of the greatest racehorses of all times and when his daughter Soul Stirring won the Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies over a mile in Japan in December, the Timeform 147-rated superstar and Banstead Manor Stud stallion became yet another son of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) to sire a top-level winner on the flat.
A total of nine Galileo sons are on that list, so far, and there is a high degree of probability that, in 2017, Frankel will join New Approach and Teofilo on the more select list of Galileo stallions who have been represented by at least one northern hemisphere Group 1 classic star. He had six pattern-winning juveniles in his first crop - the others were Fair Eva, Frankuus, Mi Suerte, Queen Kindly, and Toulifaut - a string of promising maiden winners and, no doubt, plenty more high-class prospects still to emerge from that initial batch. Some have looked like being sprinters, others like milers and/or middle-distance horses, and the latter include the aforementioned Soul Stirring. She extended her unbeaten record to four with an odds-on success in the Group 3 Tulip Sho over a mile at Hanshin today and so she remains the top candidate for the Group 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) over the same course and distance next month.
Her sire was never tried beyond 10 and a half furlongs, her dam's string of top wins includes the Prix Vermeille over 12 at Longchamp, and this also makes the Kazuo Fujisawa-trained star a prime prospect for the Group 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) over a mile and a half at Tokyo in May.
Soul Stirring is a daughter of the French champion Stacelita (by Monsun) who, in addition to the Vermeille, won the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks), Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary, Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet, Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes, and Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes. Her pattern-placed, juvenile stakes-winning dam Soignee (by Dashing Blade) is one of four blacktype scorers out of Suivez, who was a dual stakes-placed German winner from the tiny sole crop of Fioravanti (by Northern Dancer), a $2.3 million yearling and juvenile Phoenix Park listed scorer that Timeform rated 115p at two. Soignee's half-brother Simoun (by Monsun) won the Group 2 Hansa-Preis and Group 2 Grosser Mercedes-Benz Preis, and he could be described as being a three-parts brother to Stacelita. Their half-brother Shining (by Sutumu) won 10 times, including a listed contest in Germany, and the fourth of the high-class siblings is Soudaine (by Monsun), a German listed scorer who has become a notable broodmare. Her dual stakes-winning son Sussudio (by Nayef) has won seven times in France and Savoir Vivre (by Adlerflug) was among the leading classic-age colts of 2016 when he won the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville and took the runners-up spot to Isfahan in the Group 1 Deutsches Derby at Hamburg in July, beaten by just a head in heavy ground.
Several of Suivez's daughters have also been blacktype producers at stud, notably the unraced Suisun (by Monsun). She is the dam of Secessio (by Konigstiger), who has won listed races in Germany and Australia, and of Silvaner (by Lomitas), the dual Group 3 scorer who finished third to Earl Of Tinsdal in the Group 1 Rheinland-Pokal six years ago.
Fioravanti's single-digit foal count also included the speedy Group 3 and dual listed-winning filly Wixon, but it is Suivez's descendants who represent his legacy. If you go farther back into the family then you will find Group/Grade 1 standouts such as Steinlen (by Habitat), Zagreb (by Theatrical), and Sagace (by Luthier) in its branches, although their connection to Japan's leading three-year-old filly is remote. As for Soul Stirring, this dark bay filly has the potential to win two classics in 2017, and if she does fulfil that promise then it would be exciting to see Shadai Farm's homebred daughter of Frankel have a go at one or more of the best races in Europe and/or the USA.
Tally-Ho Stud stallion Kodiac (by Danehill) has established himself as a popular and prolific source of high-class juveniles, sprinters, and milers. It is entirely possible that the pattern-placed half-brother to leading international sire Invincible Spirit (by Green Desert) may even get a mile Group 1 classic horse before long.
If he does achieve that feat then it won't be with Ardad, a talented colt that the stud bred out of a mare called Good Clodora (by Red Clubs). That's because this 108-rated bay appears, on his juvenile form, to be a sprinter, and possibly a five-furlong specialist. The John Gosden-trained three-year-old ran six times in 2016, winning three and finishing unplaced in the others. Two of those defeats came on his only attempts at six furlongs and the third one was his ninth of 17 in the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp, run at Chantilly last October. He was only four lengths behind the winner, Marsha. Ardad made his debut over the minimum trip on fast ground at Yarmouth and just six days before an impressive three and a quarter-length score in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes on soft at Royal Ascot. Three months later, he added the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster, beating Legendary Lunch by three-parts of a length.
He is a £170,000 graduate of the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale at Doncaster, he is the first foal of his dam, and his half-sister by freshman sire Society Rock (by Rock of Gibraltar) is catalogued as Lot 20 for the 2017 edition of the same sale, scheduled for 12th April: she made 25,000gns as a yearling in Newmarket.
Good Clodora ran from six furlongs to a mile at two but was never placed, which made her the only one of her dam's 10 runners not to win. Indeed, four of those siblings are blacktype horses, with one of the quartet also making an impact at stud. That one is Ruby Rocket (by Indian Rocket), the pattern-placed dual sprint stakes winner whose star son is the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp hero Maarek (by Pivotal). His 13 wins also include the Goup 2 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes, Group 2 Duke of York Stakes, Group 3 Chipchase Stakes, Group 3 Renaissance Stakes, and Group 3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy, and he has achieved a peak rating of 123 from Timeform. Maarek is a gelding so it will instead fall to Ardad to become the family's next new stallion recruit. Ruby Rocket's pattern-placed, stakes-winning half-brother Inzar's Best (by Inzar) got some minor winners, as did Kier Park (by Foxhound), who appears farther back on the page, but the fourth generation features a moderately successful blacktype sire and a branch that leads to one of the bright prospects among the freshman sire class of 2017. The third of Good Clodora's stakes-winning siblings is juvenile listed scorer Alexander Alliance (by Danetime) and she is also a half-sister to the stakes-placed gelding Cool Panic (by Brave Act). Geht Schnell (by Fairy King), the grandam of Ardad, is a half-sister to one winner out of Anita's Princess (by Miami Springs), who was an unraced half-sister to Anita's Prince (by Stradavinsky). That Group 1-placed Group 3 scorer was the top-rated three-year-old sprinter in Europe in 1984 and his string of successful offspring include the multiple stakes winner and prolific sprinter Carranita. His half-brother Ready (by Digamist) won the Centurion Cup at Sha Tin, and placed half-sister Merlannah (by Shy Groom) was the dam of the aforementioned Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes winner and Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest third Kier Park. The most notable of these other progeny of one-time juvenile scorer Get Ready (by On Your Mark), however, is Bo' Babbity (by Strong Gale). She was an early two-year-old winner and it is her stakes-placed prolific sprint winner Blue Iris (by Petong) from whom Swiss Lake (by Indian Ridge), Swiss Diva (by Pivotal), Swiss Dream (by Oasis Dream) and Swiss Spirit (by Invincible Spirit) descend. The last-named was a dual Group 2-placed pattern winner on the track, his yearlings made up to 130,000gns in 2016, and this Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion looks a likely candidate to feature in the top 10 in the 2017 freshman sires' title race. With his juvenile form and pedigree credentials, Ardad has no doubt already attracted interest as a prospective stallion. It will be interesting to see if he can stay six furlongs this year, which would bring him into the reckoning for the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, but there is, of course, a plethora of opportunities over five, which is where he may prove best suited. Juvenile champion and dual classic star Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway) wasted no time in establishing himself as a top-class international sire and the Kildangan Stud ace gets leading two-year-olds, high-class sprinters, and top-notch milers and middle-distance runners.
His many notable performers in 2016 included Godolphin's good colt Blue Point, and the Charlie Appleby-trained bay ended his season with a third-place finish to Churchill and Lancaster Bomber in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. It is certainly possible that he will prove effective at a mile, but a combination of his overall juvenile record with a reading of the distaff side of his pedigree suggests that his best prospects of success at the highest level may come from six to seven furlongs. Each of his first five starts was over six furlongs and he won three of them, including a novice event by 11 lengths at Doncaster and, more notably, his three-length defeat of Mokarris in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York, a performance that saw his official rating increase to 115. Timeform have him on 118. He lost his unbeaten record when a neck runner-up to Mehmas in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood the previous month and lost out again at Newmarket in late September when The Last Lion sprang a 25/1 shock in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, winning by three-parts of a length. Blue Point, who was raised to a mark of 116 after his Dewhurst performance, was bred by Oak Lodge Bloodstock. He made 110,000gns in Newmarket as a foal and 200,000gns from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale at the same venue, and he is the best of several winners out of Scarlett Rose (by Royal Applause). Those siblings include a lowly-rated mile winner, but he is also a half-brother to the Group 2 Railway Stakes winner and Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes runner-up Formosina (by Footstepsinthesand). Indeed, he and Formosina could be described as being three-parts brothers as both are by sons of the prolific Group 1 star and multiple US champion sire Giant's Causeway (by Storm Cat). Their dam was only placed, as was their grandam Billie Blue (by Ballad Rock), but Scarlett Rose is a half-sister to seven winners, two of whom are of particular note. The track star among them is Tumbleweed Ridge (by Indian Ridge), a prolific seven-furlong specialist whose 10 wins included the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes, the Group 3 Prix de la Porte Maillot, and three editions of the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes. The other sibling one made her name at stud because she, the lightly-raced triple sprint winner Tumbleweed Pearl (by Aragon), is the dam of Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes heroine Gilded (by Redback) and grandam of the pattern-placed multiple sprint stakes winner Fort Del Oro (by Lope De Vega), a grand-daughter of Shamardal. Blue Nose (by Windjammer), the third dam of Blue Point, won a listed nursery and earned three other pieces of blacktype, one of which was her fourth-place finish to Monteverdi in the Group 2 National Stakes at the Curragh in 1979. It is, of course, a very long time now since finishing fourth in a listed or pattern event awarded any blacktype. Blue Point holds an entry in the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh and he is available at between 16/1 to 33/1 for the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, but it would not be a surprise to see him become a leading candidate for the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Ascot the following month. Heavy ground can make form unreliable but Capri was odds-on when beating Yucatan by three-parts of a length in the Group 2 Juddmonte Beresford Stakes on that surface at the Curragh in September, a month before achieving a higher rating in defeat in France.
The latter race was the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 10 furlongs on soft ground and he was only beaten by a length and half a length when third to Waldgeist and Best Solution, with Douglas Macarthur a neck back in fourth. He ran three times before his pattern success, finishing a half-length second to Arcada on his debut in a seven-furlong Curragh maiden in July, easily winning over a furlong and a half farther at Galway a fortnight later, and then taking a seven and a half furlong listed contest at Tipperary just six days after that. Capri, an Aidan O'Brien-trained grey who was bred by the partnership of Lynch Bages Ltd and Camas Park Stud, ended his juvenile campaign on a rating of 113 and, as you might expect, he holds entries in the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, Group 1 Investec Derby, and Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. The colt is out of the French winner Dialafara (by Anabaa) and that half-sister to winners is, in turn, a daughter of the talented Diamilina (by Linamix). She won the Group 2 Prix de Mallaret and Group 3 Prix de la Nonette, she was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, and she has quite a few relations of note. Her half-brother Diamond Green (by Green Desert) won the Group 3 Prix La Rochette as a juvenile and was later runner-up in each of the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas), Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes, and Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. His progeny feature the US Grade 1 scorer Watsdachances, which could make Capri an interesting prospect if he goes on to secure a place at stud. Diamonixa, a full-sister to Diamilina, looked like a potential Group 1 star in the making when running away with the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre on her second start but, sadly, she met with a fatal accident before getting the chance to run again. Their full-sister Dali's Grey, who won just once, has done her part for the family as she is the dam of the listed scorer and Group 1 Melbourne Cup runner-up Bauer (by Halling) and grandam of the dual stakes-winning fillies Bezique (by Cape Cross) and Momayyaz (by Elusive Quality). Diamonaka (by Akarad), the grandam of Capri, was runner-up in both the Group 2 Prix de Mallaret and Group 3 Prix du Royaumont and she was among nine winners out of Phoenix Park listed scorer Diamond Seal (by Persian Bold). Those siblings include Group 2 Prix Greffulhe winner and Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris third Diamond Mix (by Linamix), Group 3 Prix de Royaumont scorer Diasilixa (by Linamix). and also Diamond Dance (by Dancehall), the Group 3 Prix Penelope-winning dam of Group 2 Prix de Pomone victress Diamond Tango (by Acatenango). The last-named is the dam of three blacktype earners including last year's Group 3 Prix de Lutece runner-up Dounyapour (by Lope De Vega). It remains to be seen just how good Capri will be at his peak, and how he will fare on good and on fast ground, but he clearly has ability and also the potential to do well over middle-distances.
In the 1980s, Bedtime and Teleprompter proved themselves good enough to compete at the highest level in Europe but were prevented from doing so because of their physical status.
It was only in 1986 when the first Group 1 contests here were opened to geldings, too late to catch Bedtime at his peak. Teleprompter, however, made a bit of history by finishing in third place behind Dancing Brave and Triptych in the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown. Geldings have won many of the European Group 1 contests open to them in the three decades that have followed, but some races still exclude them, notably the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the classics: for those, geldings remain ineligible to compete. Some may exclaim, 'oh but what about the Irish St Leger and its French equivalent, the Prix Royal-Oak? Geldings have won those!' Once those two top events were opened to older horses (1983 and 1979 respectively) they lost their true classic status as classics are restricted to three-year-olds only. Time will tell if Landfall is capable of performing with credit at the top level, but this 110-rated three-year-old, an unbeaten pattern winner, was among the best of his age in Ireland in 2016. He made his debut over seven furlongs on ground described as yielding-to-soft at the Curragh in August and, three weeks later, beat Firey Speech and Douglas Macarthur by two and a quarter lengths and a head in the Group 3 Willis Towers Watson Champions Juvenile Stakes over a mile on good ground at Leopardstown.
The Ken Condon-trained bay was bred in France by Marie-Claude Biaudis and he is a son of juvenile Group 1 scorer and Haras du Mezeray stallion Myboycharlie (by Danetime). That horse's offspring also feature Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes heroine Euro Charline and star Australian filly Jameka, winner of both the Group 1 Caulfield Cup and Group 1 Crown Oaks.
Landfall is out of an unraced mare called Lana Girl (by Arch) and his grandam is Volga (by Caerleon), who won the Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes, Grade 2 La Prevoyante Handicap and Group 3 Prix de Royaumont. That star mare is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Hong Kong Vase heroine Vallee Enchantee (by Peintre Celebre) and a full-sister to Group 3 Grand Prix de Vichy scorer Victory Cry, and they are among 11 winners out of the notable performer Verveine (by Lear Fan). She won the Group 2 Prix de l'Opera and Group 3 Prix du Calvados and the races in which she was placed featured the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks), Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary, and Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac. The best of Verveine's siblings was the Group 2 Prix du Muguet winner and Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois runner-up Vetheuil (by Riverman), but Vanishing Prairie (by Alysheba) also deserves mention. She won twice as a three-year-old, her daughter La Sylphide (by Barathea) won the Group 3 Prix Penelope, and that flly became both the dam of Grade 2 Red Smith Handicap scorer Expansion (by Maria's Mon) and grandam of the high-class Usherette (by Shamardal), who won the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes and Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes in 2016. Vanishing Prairie is also the dam of the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat and Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris star Vespone (by Llandaff), of pattern-placed dual stakes winner Vanishing Cupid (by Galileo), and of Purple Moon (by Galileo), a listed and Ebor Handicap winner who was runner-up in both the Group 1 Melbourne Cup and Group 1 Hong Kong Vase. Landfall is bred to be a top-class racehorse. It is worth noting that his middle-distance relations tend to be by stallions with a proven track record of getting such horses, so, given Myboycharlie's record in Europe, it is possible that this gelding could be seen to best effect at eight, nine, and 10 furlongs.
The phrase 'breed the best to the best and hope for the best' has long been used by many thoroughbred producers. All too often it soon becomes apparent that the dreams of stardom have been dashed but there are, of course, many Group 1 performers who are the product of Group 1-winning parents.
One example from 2016 is star juvenile Rhododendron, a daughter of Derby hero and prolific champion sire Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) and of the triple Group 1 ace Halfway To Heaven (by Pivotal). The Aidan O'Brien-trained bay was bred by Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt and she achieved her top billing with an impressive two and a quarter-length defeat of Hydrangea in the Group 1 Dubai Fillies' Mile at Newmarket in October.
She beat that same filly by a head in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes at the Curragh in August, finished a short-head and one and three-quarter lengths behind Intricately and Hydrangea in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes in September, and her only other outings were in maidens at the Curragh and at Goodwood, the latter an odds-on success.
Rhododendron is a leading classic contender for 2017, but although we already knows that the mile is no problem to her, and staying 10 furlongs looks a shade of odds-on, there is a chance that she may be more of a Guineas and Prix de Diane one than an Oaks filly. Her dam's Group 1 treble came in the Irish 1000 Guineas, Nassau Stakes and Sun Chariot Stakes – all over a mile – and her full-brother, Flying The Flag, got his best win in the Group 3 International Stakes over 10 furlongs at the Curragh. He was unplaced both times he tried farther. Halfway To Heaven is by a Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes winner whose progeny have got their Group 1 wins anywhere from five-furlong sprints up to 12-furlong classics, and she is out of Cassandra Go (by Indian Ridge), a Group 2 King's Stand Stakes and Group 2 Temple Stakes winner who chased home Mozart in the Group 1 July Cup. That sprint ace is also the dam of the Group 3 Abernant Stakes and Group 3 Coral Charge Sprint Stakes winner Tickled Pink (by Invincible Spirit) and of Theann (by Rock Of Gibraltar), the six-furlong Group 3 scorer whose daughter Photo Call (by Galileo) is a Grade 1 star at eight and 10 furlongs in the USA, but has also had blacktype success at 11 furlongs and been placed at 12. Cassandra Go's late half-brother Verglas (by Highest Honor) won the Group 3 Coventry Stakes and chased home Desert King in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas before going on to a successful stud career, and her stakes-winning half-sister Persian Secret (by Persian Heights) became the dam of the pattern-winning sprinter Do The Honours (by Highest Honor) and of Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes third Seba (by Alzao), as well as being the grandam of Group 3 Desmond Stakes scorer Future Generation (by Hurricane Run). The third dam of Rhododendron is the winning grey Rahaam (by Secreto) and that half-sister to Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner and Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) third Glory Forever (by Forever Casting) is also a half-sister to the ancestor of some interesting horses. That mare is Queen Caroline (by Chief's Crown), who was placed a few times, and she is the grandam of Remus De La Tour (by Stormy River), who is in his first season at stud at Haras de la Hermeraie in France. He is a grandson of Verglas, so is inbred 4x3 to Rahaam's unraced dam Fager's Glory (by Mr Prospector), and both his Group 3 success and Group 2 placing came over 12 furlongs. His three-parts sister Chill (by Verglas) won the nine-furlong Listed Prix Finlande and was runner-up in the 10 and a half-furlong Group 3 Prix Cleopatre before going on to produce Childa (by Duke Of Marmalade), a listed scorer who finished third in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris at Longchamp. We won't know if Rhododendron will stay 12 furlongs until she tries it, and although it is certainly possible, it may be that she will be most at home over eight to 10 furlongs.
Not every horse given a name that evokes images of excellence, power or greatness lives up to its billing, but in the case of Churchill, the equine namesake has already bagged a championship title and set up the likelihood of an influential future, both on the track and at stud.
He was beaten on his debut, finishing a two and a half-length third over six furlongs at the Curragh in late May, but then reeled off five-in-a-row, including the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, and, on a mark of 122, he was crowned Europe's juvenile champion of 2016. He beat Mehmas, who did not seem to stay the trip, by four and a quarter lengths in the first of those top-level wins, and those who followed him home in the Dewhurst were subsequent Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Lancaster Bomber, Group 2 scorer Blue Point, subsequent Group 1 stars Thunder Snow and Rivet, and subsequent Group 1-placed South Seas.
All of Churchill's wins have been in blacktype company and over seven furlongs and, one as one would expect, he is a short ante-post favourite for the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
He is a son of the phenomenal Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) so should have no trouble with the mile, but anyone who is thinking of backing him for the Group 1 Investec Derby, for which he is also ante-post favourite, may wish to pause. It is not impossible that he will stay that distance, but his is a family of sprinters and milers and that raises both strong doubt about his ability to go beyond 10 furlongs and a chance that the mile is where he is will prove best. Churchill is trained by Aidan O'Brien, he was bred by Liberty Bloodstock, and he is out of the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes winner and Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes runner-up Meow (by Storm Cat), a filly who showed more speed and precocity than either of her best two siblings. Orator (by Galileo) won a listed contest over a mile at Nantes and a minor contest over a quarter-mile farther, and Aloof (by Galileo) got her Group 3 success at nine and a half furlongs at Gowran Park and multiple pattern placings from eight to 10 to and a half furlongs. Their dam is Airwave (by Air Express), whose Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes victory gave her the title of champion two-year-old filly in England in 2002. She went on to add the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Sandown, she was runner-up in the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes at Ascot and third in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket. She left Henry Candy's team and joined the Aidan O'Brien stable at the age of five and, on the second of three starts from that base, she won the Group 2 Ridgewood Pearl Stakes over a mile at the Curragh, so she stayed farther than her tragically ill-fated half-sister Jwala (by Oasis Dream). That filly was all about speed, all five of her wins came over the minimum trip, and her finest hour came with Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes success at York. A few weeks later, on her penultimate start, she finished one and three-quarter lengths fourth to Maarek in the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. Their unraced half-sister Vasilia (by Dansili) has produced three blacktype earners. Lasilia (by Acclamation) earned hers over five furlongs as a juvenile, and Dream Of Dreams (by Dream Ahead), who was runner-up to Sir Dancealot in the Listed Rockingham Stakes over six furlongs at York on his final start last season, finished third to Medicine Jack in the Group 2 Railway Stakes over the same trip at the Curragh several months before. The most prolific of the trio is Silverheels (by Verglas), a five-time winner over a mile and who was placed in both the Group 2 Superlative Stakes and Group 3 Solario Stakes as a juvenile. Airwave also has an unraced half-sister of interest, mainly because her two successful offspring have notched up a total of 18 wins between them. They are a long way below even stakes class, but Frequency (by Starcraft) has won eight times over six furlongs and three races over seven, while all seven wins for Sloop Johnb (by Bahamian Bounty) have come over five furlongs. Churchill is clearly an exciting prospect and it is going to be fascinating to see what path his career takes. He looks like being a top-class miler in the making, one who may stay 10 furlongs rather than being a Derby colt, and while the latter is not impossible, the amount of speed throughout the distaff side of his family makes success at Epsom seem unlikely.
Those known as reverse shuttle sires – horses from the southern hemisphere who come north rather than the other way around – have not made as great an impact as their counterparts, but a growing number of them are making the grade and coming up with a string of Group 1 stars.
Exceed And Excel (by Danehill) has been one of the most successful of them, so far, and last season one of his Australian-born Group 1 winners got off to a quick and eye-catching start as a freshman in Europe. The star of that first crop is the Darley-bred colt Thunder Snow and the Saeed bin Suroor-trained bay is already off the mark in 2017. He made his debut at the end of May, and although only sixth behind Caravaggio in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot a fornight later, his four subsequent outings showed him to be among the best of his age. He chased home War Decree in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes over seven furlongs at Goodwood in late July, failed by just a head to beat subsequent Group 1 winner Rivet in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, and then finished a two-length fourth to champion Churchill in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. It was his final start, however, that advertised his potential to be a major player at three as he beat South Seas by five lengths in the Group 1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud, with the talented filly Promise To Be True back in third.
The ground was soft that day, it was fast for his winning debut and for his Goodwood second, and he finished the year on a rating of 118.
The merit of what he achieved in his five and three-quarter-length Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas victory at Meydan on Saturday is open to question, especially as the eight-furlong contest is on dirt, but this talented colt is clearly in good heart and a serious candidate for Europe's mile classics. Helmet's racing and pedigree profile suggests that most of his offspring will be sprinters and/or milers and that, with the right mares, he will get some who are effective at 10 furlongs.
Thunder Snow is the fourth foal and fourth blacktype winner out of Eastern Joy (by Dubai Destination) and he is a half-brother to three fillies of note, headed by Ihtimal (by Shamardal), who won the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at two, added both the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas and a runaway victory in the Group 3 UAE Oaks at three and was then third in the Group 1 1000 Guineas. Her final start was when finishing fifth behind Taghrooda in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom.
The lightly-raced First Victory (by Teofilo) won the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes, and listed scorer Always Smile (by Cape Cross) finished third in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes and runner-up in the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes last year, both races won by Alice Springs. It is no surprise that Eastern Joy has become such a successful broodmare. Not only is she by a rising star in the broodmare sire ranks, but she is a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) winner West Wind (by Machiavellian) and out of a high-class sibling to two classic performers. Her dam is the Group 2 Sun Chariot Stakes winner Red Slippers (by Nureyev) and that mare is both a full-sister to Romanov and half-sister to Balanchine (by Storm Bird). Romanov won the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes and Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes, he was runner-up in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and finished third in both the Group 1 Derby at Epsom and the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh. Balanchine was Europe's champion three-year-old filly in 1994 when, after being short-headed by Las Meninas in the Group 1 1000 Guineas as Newmarket, she won the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom and beat the colts to take the Group 1 Irish Derby at the Curragh, joining Salsabil (1990) and Gallinaria (1900) as the most recent fillies to achieve that latter classic feat. Balanchine disappointed at stud but her placed half-sister Subtle Breeze (by Storm Cat) is the dam of the Australian seven- and eight-furlong Group 1 scorer Trust In A Gust (by Keep The Faith), unraced Alleged Devotion (by Alleged) is the dam, grandam and third dam of several talented performers, and stakes-placed First Night (by Sadler's Wells) is the grandam of the Group 1-placed Australian Group 3 winner Havana Cooler (by Hurricane Run). Thunder Snow is, therefore, a Group 1 winner from a family that has a strong recent tradition of producing Group 1 performers and, although he may not stay quite as far as did some of his most accomplished relations, he is a talented miler who may handle the 10 and a half furlongs of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby).
Promise To Be True has twice been a beaten favourite in Group 1 contests, first when only fifth to Intricately in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and then when third to Thunder Snow and South Seas in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.
That might sound like she has been a somewhat disappointing performer, but that would not be a fair assessment of this 112-rated classic prospect. She started off her career in style, beating four rivals to take a seven and a half-furlong Tipperary maiden at the end of June and then following that with defeat of Take A Deep Breath in the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown. Between the aforementioned defeats she was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac over a mile at Chantilly, beaten just three-parts of a length by Wuheida, the only time that she has not been favourite.
Promise To Be True is trained by Aidan O'Brien, she was bred by Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt, and as one might expect of a daughter of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells), she represents a top classic family. It is also one that features a fascinating mix of speed and stamina.
She is one of three winners out of Sumora (by Danehill), a mare whose best win came in the Listed St Hugh's Stakes over five furlongs, and she is a full-sister to Maybe, Europe's juvenile filly champion of 2011. Maybe also won the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes, in her case after victory in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, and to those she added both the Group 2 Debutante Stakes and Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. She was only third in the Group 1 1000 Guineas, behind runaway winner Homecoming Queen, and she was beaten by less than four lengths when fifth to Was in the Oaks. Her dam's three-parts sister Dancing Rain (by Danehill Dancer) took both the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom and the Group 1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) at Dusseldorf, a unique double, and then added the Group 2 Qipco British Champions Filles' and Mares' Stakes at Ascot. Their dam, Rain Flower (by Indian Ridge), did not race but was always a candidate to produce one or more high-class offspring because she is out of Rose Of Jericho (by Alleged). That mare was also unraced, but in addition to being the dam of leading Irish sprinter Archway (by Thatching) and of high-class Japanese colt Shinko King (by Fairy King), she was responsible for Dr Devious (by Ahonoora). He won the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and Group 3 Vintage Stakes as a juvenile before going on to take both the Group 1 Derby at Epsom and Group 1 Champion Stakes at Newmarket. Although never a major sire, his tally of stakes winners did include Group 1 scorers such as Collier Hill and Kinnaird, and he could be described as being a three-parts brother to Rain Flower. If she has trained on from two to three then there is every reason to hope that Promise To Be True could become one of the top fillies of her age group. We already know that she stays a mile, and having done that at two suggests that she can handle 10 furlongs at three. Whether or not she will manage the full Oaks distance, however, will depend on what she got from her dam: was it her sprinter's speed, or the family's middle-distance aptitude?
Invincible Spirit's position as one of Europe's outstanding stallions is well-established and his classic prospects for 2017 include National Defense, last year's juvenile champion colt in France.
The grandson of Green Desert (by Danzig) is trained by Criquette Head-Maarek, he was bred by Ecurie Des Monceaux and Meridian International Sarl, and he earned an official rating of 118 after his four and a half-length defeat of Salouen in the Group 1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium) over a mile at Chantilly in October. That performance, which gave his sire the 15th individual Group/Grade 1 winner needed to place his name on the list of internationally protected names, came just over six weeks after his impressive six-length debut success over the same trip at Deauville. Between those two wins he finished third to Akihiro and High Alpha in the Group 3 Prix des Chenes at Chantilly. The first-named is an Andre Fabre-trained, twice-raced son of Deep Impact (by Sunday Silence), and the runner-up, who was a three-length listed scorer on his previous start, finished fourth to Frankuus in the Group 3 Prix de Conde over nine furlongs at the same venue on his only subsequent outing.
National Defense, who made €280,000 at the Arqana August Deauville Yearling Sale, is the third foal and third winner out of an unraced mare called Angel Falls (by Kingmambo).
The eldest of the trio is Cascading (by Teofilo), whose only win came in a 12-furlong Epsom maiden and who earned her blacktype when a three-quarter-length third in a listed contest over that same trip at Newbury, and the one in the middle is Andalouserie (by Poet's Voice), a seven and a half-furlong winner in France. The mare's current two-year-old, a son of Makfi (by Dubawi), was the subject of a €110,000 private sale transaction at Deauville in October, and Angel Falls is due to visit Shalaa (by Invincible Spirit) after she has her Siyouni (by Pivotal) foal this year. Angel Falls is out of the Group 3 Prix d'Aumale winner Anna Palariva (by Caerleon) and that makes her a half-sister to three stakes winners, headed by the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte winner and Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Anna Salai (by Dubawi). The prolific Iguazu Falls (by Pivotal) won the Listed Surrey Stakes at Epsom, was twice Group 3-placed in England as a juvenile and has been third in the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort Stakes at Meydan, while Advice (by Seeking The Gold) is a pattern-placed four-time listed scorer in France. Their lightly-raced and placed half-sister Anemometer (by Sunday Silence) has also done her part for the family as she is the dam of the Australian-bred Grade 1-placed South African listed scorer Dubai Gina (by Dubai Destination). All of this suggests that National Defense could be a leading mile to 10-furlong performer in 2017, and as he is based in France he could be a candidate to try for the classic double of Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) and Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby). Whether or not he will stay beyond the distance of that latter classic remains to be seen, and although his third dam is the Group 3 Park Hill Stakes winner Anna Of Saxony (by Ela-Mana-Mou), progeny of Invincible Spirit who are effective at 12 furlongs and beyond are rare compared to the number he gets from five to 10 furlongs. In addition to the lightly-raced and aforementioned Anna Palariva, Anna Of Saxony is the dam of the Group 3 Queen's Vase third Ancestor (by Polish Precedent), of listed-placed stayer and prolific National Hunt scorer Aachen (by Rainbow Quest), and of one-time winner Anna Amalia (by In The Wings), who is the dam of the Listed Cheshire Oaks winner Anipa (by Sea The Stars) and of the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes heroine Ave (by Danehill Dancer). The fourth dam of National Defense is the unraced Anna Matrushka (by Mill Reef), whose offspring also include the Group 2 Prix Hubert de Chaudenay winner Pozarica (by Rainbow Quest) and the dual middle-distance Group 2 scorer Annaba (by In The Wings). The mare is also the grandam of the Group 1-winning miler Anna Monda (by Monsun) and her unraced daughter Accessories (by Singspiel) has produced the notably quick Australian pattern stars Bullbars (by Elusive Quality), Helmet (by Exceed And Excel), Epaulette (by Commands) and Pearls (by Exceed And Excel). The middle pair of that quartet are, of course, reverse shuttle stallions, with Helmet having sired Group 1 scorer Thunder Snow among his first crop and Epaulette proving popular at the yearlings sales in 2016. If you go back another generation of the family then you will find another mix of speed and stamina, with fifth dam Anna Paola (by Prince Ippi) having won the Group 2 Preis der Diana (German Oaks), her classic-placed and pattern-winning daughter Anno Luce (by Old Vic) being the dam of the brilliant hurdler Annie Power (by Shirocco), and others on the page including Group 1 Irish Derby third Annus Mirabilis (by Warning), the seven to nine-furlong horse Autumn Glory (by Charnwood Forest) and ill-fated juvenile Group 3 scorer Piping Rock (by Dubawi). All of National Defense's juvenile starts were over a mile, which is something that we often associate with potential middle-distance horses. It is not impossible that he will stay beyond the 10 and a half furlongs of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club, a race his sire has already won before with Lawman, but it is more likely that the influence of his sire will cap his range at that classic distance, and he could be among the season's leading eight to 10-furlong horses. Dark Angel's (by Acclamation) rise in the stallion ranks has been remarkable and in 2016 he finished in fourth place in the combined Ireland and UK sires' championship title race.
His plethora of stakes performers during the season included Harry Angel, a £44,000 Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale graduate who was bred by Cbs Bloodstock and who earned a 110 rating in the recently published Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. The Clive Cox-trained colt lost out by a nose in a five-furlong Ascot maiden in early May 2016 and was only seen out once more after that, when beating Perfect Angel by two and a half lengths in the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes over a furlong farther at Newbury four months later. Timeform rated the performance 113p and he is an intriguing prospect for 2017. Whether he will be a sprinter, a miler, or one of those horses capable of performing with credit in both divisions, remains to be seen. He has shown plenty of pace in his first two starts, but his pedigree suggests that a mile will be within his range. Dark Angel has proved his ability to get both sprinters and milers and this young son is out of a mare who was placed at both six furlongs and a mile. Beatrix Potter (by Cadeaux Genereux) has also produced the 10-furlong winner Golden Journey (by Nayef), she is by a sprint champion who stayed a mile, and she is out of the stakes-placed seven-furlong winner Great Joy (by Grand Lodge). That older mare is also the dam of the dual Group 1-winning miler Xtension (by Xaar), who won the Group 2 Vintage Stakes and was placed in both the Group 2 Coventry Stakes and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes before going on to star in Hong Kong. He stands at Rathbarry Stud in Ireland and his oldest progeny are yearlings. Great Joy is a half-sister to the mile listed scorer A La Carte (by Caerleon) and to Bally Souza (by Alzao), who is the dam of the Listed Round Tower Stakes winner and Group 1 National Stakes runner-up Wathab (by Cadeaux Genereux), and their dam is an unraced daughter of the mighty Spectacular Bid (by Bold Bidder). There are plenty of blacktype horses to be found under the fourth generation of the family, starting with fourth dam Avum (by Umbrella Fella), and it is her Grade 3-winning daughter Baroness Direct (by Blushing Groom) who is the grandam of Grade 1 star and successful sire Stephen Got Even (by A.P. Indy), and third dam of multiple Grade 1-winning filly Artemis Agrotera (by Roman Ruler). Avum's best son was the US Grade 2 scorer Minneapple (by Riverman) and she was also the dam of the pattern-placed French stakes winner Lyphard's Princess (by Lyphard), who was in turn, the dam of the Grade 2 Ohio Derby scorer Private Man (by Private Account). As a pattern-winning son of Dark Angel, it is likely that Harry Angel has already caught the interest of some of those looking for a future new stallion recruit and, of course, any additional success for him in 2017 will also serve as an advertisement for his Group 1-winning 'uncle' Xtension. The 2016 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings were published this week and of the 47 European juveniles who reached or surpassed the 110 mark required for inclusion, many have already been reviewed here, or will be reviewed in the coming weeks.
Reports on each year's figures tends to focus on the ones mostly highly ranked, but there is a colt among those at the lower end of the list that caught the eye last season and his name kept popping up because of what those he beat on his final start went on to do afterwards. There are many reasons why those defeated one day may go on to achieve greater things while their earlier conqueror fails to progress, but the colt is a classic-entered and thrice-raced member of the Richard Hannon team and he has a pedigree that suggests he could be a high-class seven to nine furlong horse in the making. Larchmont Lad was bred by Domenico Fonzo and he is a €110,000 graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, an eye-catching amount for a son of Coolmore Stud's classic star and somewhat underrated stallion Footstepsinthesand (by Giant's Causeway). The colt has only run over seven furlongs, so far. He beat 11 rivals by three and a quarter lengths and more at Sandown at the start of July, came off worst in a three-way photo for the Listed Weatherbys Stallion Book Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster in September, and then won the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket 13 days later. The times of those two blacktype events were unremarkable, which suggests that the form may need to be treated with caution. He won the Newmarket race by three-parts of a length from Whitecliffsofdover and with Sir Dancealot a short-head back in third. The former is an Aidan O'Brien-trained colt who finished third to National Defense in the Group 1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on his only subsequent start, and the latter is the David Elsworth-trained colt who then won the Listed Rockingham Stakes at York shortly before finishing a four and a quarter-length sixth to Rivet in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy. Best Solution was fourth in the Newmarket race, finishing a half-length behind Sir Dancealot. The Godolphin colt is trained by Saeed bin Suroor, he won the Group 3 Dubai 100 Autumn Stakes on his next start and then chased home Waldgeist in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. He finished only fourth over seven furlongs on dirt at Meydan on Thursday but can be expected to improve on that when returning to turf. Fifth place at Newmarket went to Law And Order, and although that James Tate-trained colt was well-beaten behind Best Solution over the mile next time out, he dropped back to seven furlongs for his final start and finished third to Pleaseletmewin in a Group 3 contest at Newbury. Larchmont Lad is the fourth foal out of an unraced mare called Fotini (by King's Best) and his siblings include the capable filly Peticoatgovernment (by Holy Roman Emperor). She has run 13 times for the Willie McCreery stable, winning a seven-furlong Dundalk maiden and a five-furlong Cork handicap, she was sixth of 19 in the prestigious Scurry Handicap at the Curragh in July and has achieved a peak handicap rating of 88. Fotini is a half-sister to several multiple winners, most notably the Group 1 Gran Criterium runner-up Spirit Of Desert (by Desert Prince) whose tally of six wins featured the Group 2 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) and three listed events. Their dam, Nomothetis (by Law Society), is a half-sister to nine winners and, in addition to the notable middle-distance horse Posidonas (by Slip Anchor), they include the Listed Singapore Gold Cup scorer Carry The Flag (by Tenby), pattern-placed stakes winner Final Verse (by Mark Of Esteem), two flat blacktype-placed winners, and a broodmare of note. The latter is Thermopylae (by Tenby) who, although herself just placed a few times, is the dam of Unsung Heroine (by High Chaparral), the Tommy Stack-trained Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes heroine who chased home Conduit in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster and was beaten just a head by Crystal Capella in the Group 2 Pride Stakes at Newmarket from a four-start career. Posidonas won the Group 1 Gran Premio d'Italia, Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes, Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, Group 3 John Porter Stakes and the Listed Arc Trial Stakes and the races in which he was placed included the Group 1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club and Group 1 Deutschlandpreis. Footstepsinthesand is a 2000 Guineas winner whose best progeny tend to excel in the six to nine furlong range, although some, for example last year's Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam scorer Heshem and 2014's Peruvian Grade 1 winner Sand Bijou, are just as effective over 10 furlongs. This combined with having a dam who is a King's Best (by Kingmambo) half-sister to an Italian mile classic winner suggests that Larchmont Lad is another who is likely to show the typical distance range of his sire's progeny, despite the stamina farther back on the page. He is available at around 40/1 for the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and although he has plenty of progress to make if he is to be up to winning a strong race at the highest level, he looks like the sort of colt who could make the frame in such races while picking up a variety of pattern events at the lower levels. It's January, all of the thoroughbreds in this part of the world are officially a year older, and with the breeding season soon to begin again it is also a time when fans of the flat start to look ahead to the new turf campaign and speculate as to which of the previous year's juveniles will play a prominent role in the classics.
It is entirely possible that one or more of those who will become Group 1 classic winners in Europe in 2017 have not yet done anything more than run in or win a maiden. Maybe they have not even step foot on a racecourse. Some, if not most, will already have names already well known to us because of their excellent juvenile form. Every year there are some major winners and even classic stars who have somewhat humble pedigrees, but should H H the Aga Khan's homebred Eziyra hit the top then she would be the opposite of that, an example of equine royalty achieving what she was bred to do. She was also a highly talented performer at two. The daughter of Kildangan Stud's leading international sire Teofilo (by Galileo) has five Group 1 stars in her immediate family and four of them are siblings of her stakes-placed dam Eytarna (by Dubai Destination). She holds entries in both the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas and Group 1 Darley Irish Oaks, she is available at around 20/1 for the Group 1 Investec Oaks at Epsom, and she was among the leading juvenile fillies in Ireland last season. The Dermot Weld-trained chestnut was runner-up on her debut over seven and a half furlongs at Tipperary in early July and then beat the subsequently dual Group 1-placed Hydrangea by two lengths in a seven-furlong maiden at Galway before losing out by a neck to her debut conqueror Sea Of Grace in the Group 3 Flame Of Tara Stakes over a mile at the Curragh. A month later, and wearing a hood for the first time, she justified favouritism with a two-length score in the Group 3 C.L. & M.F. Weld Park Stakes over seven on heavy ground at that same venue. Weld said, in post-race interviews, that he sees her as a miler and as an Irish 1000 Guineas candidate. She has already run well over that course and distance so we know that neither will pose her any difficulty if she lines up for that classic in May. We also know that she is bred to achieve anything and that the Curragh race is a classic that her sire has won before: Pleascach beat Found by half a length to land the spoils in 2015. Both those standout fillies went on to excel over 10 and 12 furlongs and there is every chance, on pedigree, that Eziyra could follow suit. The Australian dual Group 1 stars Kermadec and Palentino are milers, as was the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat scorer Havana Gold, but Teofilo's other top-level winners also include the afore mentioned Yorkshire Oaks and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Pleascach, Irish St Leger winner Voleuse De Coeurs, last season's Prix du Cadran scorer Quest For More, and also the ill-fated Irish Derby hero Trading Leather. Dubai Destination (by Kingmambo), who was a miler, is well-established as a leading broodmare sire and the Derby and Arc champion Golden Horn (by Cape Cross) is just one the major winners his daughters have produced. Like Eziyra, that colt represents a family that contains some notable middle-distance horses. Eytarna was unraced at two, won her maiden over nine and a half furlongs in July of her three-year-old season and rounded off her career with a third-place finish in the Listed Finale Stakes over 12 furlongs on soft ground at the Curragh. Her first foal is the hurdles-placed gelding Enzani (by Cape Cross), who won over 12 furlongs at Dundalk just over two years ago, and her second is the lightly-raced Eshera (by Oratorio) whose two wins from just three starts included a mile listed contest at Cork. Eytarna is out of the Group 2-placed triple middle-distance stakes winner Ebaziya (by Darshaan) and that makes her a half-sister to the Group 1 Gold Cup winners Enzeli (by Kahyasi) and Estimate (by Monsun), to Group 1 Irish Oaks heroine Ebadiyla (by Sadler's Wells) and to the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes scorer Edabiya (by Rainbow Quest). Ebadiyla is the dam of three blacktype earners and grandam of the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu winner Ebiyza (by Rock Of Gibraltar), and those out of her unplaced half-sister Elbasana (by Indian Ridge) include the lightly-raced Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes winner Edelmira (by Peintre Celebre). Ebazyia's daughters also include a thrice-raced maiden called Ebaza (by Sinndar), dam of the Group 3 Athasi Stakes winner Emiyna. That filly was also Group 3-placed over a mile and never asked to try farther, but she is a daughter of US classic sire Maria's Mon (by Wavering Monarch), a horse whose best tend to be in the seven to 10-furlong range. That is also the range in which Ebadiyla's son Eyshal (by Green Desert) earned all of his blacktype. Another indication that Eziyra may stay the Oaks trip is that Ezilla, an unraced full-sister to Ebaziya, is the dam of Ezima (by Sadler's Wells), the Listed Savel Beg Stakes winner and Group 2 Lancashire Oaks runner-up whose star daughter is 2014's champion Taghrooda (by Sea The Stars). She won both the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom and Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, was runner-up in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and third in the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Her first foal is a Kingman (by Invincible Spirit) filly born last February and she was then bred to Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium). If Eziyra has inherited a speed influence from Teofilo and through Dubai Destination then she may indeed be a miler in the making, but the odds are slightly more in favour of her getting at least 10 furlongs. If she does indeed prove good enough to win or be placed in the first fillies' Irish classic of the year at the Curragh then she may also be capable of following the example of her sire's Pleascach by excelling over middle-distances too.
Coolmore Stud's Group 1 winner Zoffany (by Dansili) has made an outstanding start to his stallion career. His oldest progeny are three, they have yielded nine individual stakes winners in Europe and one Australian-born pattern scorer, and four others from his Irish-conceived offspring have been blacktype placed, one of them in three classics.
What he was missing on his record until the middle of this month was a Group 1 winner, which was something of a surprise given how many of his progeny have performed with credit at the highest level. The non-stakes winner noted above is Architecture, who chased home Minding in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom, was runner-up to Seventh Heaven in the Group 1 Irish Oaks at the Curragh, and third to Serienholde in the Group 1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) at Dusseldorf. Foundation was third in last year's Group 1 Racing Post Trophy shortly after winning the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket, Illuminate was runner-up in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes after her Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes victory, and the triple stakes-winning sprinter Washington DC has been placed in each of the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp, Group 1 Commonwealth Cup and Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. The Marco Botti-trained Knife Edge gave his sire a first classic winner when taking the Group 2 Mehl-Mulhens Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) at Cologne in May, but it is Ventura Storm who has given their sire his first Group 1 star. The Richard Hannon-trained colt, who won the Group 3 Prix de Reux over 12 and a half furlongs at Deauville in August and was runner-up to Harbour Law in the Group 1 Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster last month, is only rated 113, which is some way below what you expect of a top-level winner, but he justified favouritism with a narrow score in the Group 1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club over a mile and a half at San Siro 10 days ago.
This was his sixth win from a dozen starts, his tally also includes the Listed Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton and the Listed Fielden Stakes at Newmarket, and he could become a leading player in the better middle-distance events of 2017.
Ventura Storm was bred by Laurence Kennedy, who sold him for €54,000 in Goffs as a foal. The colt made just €50,000 when re-offered at that venue as a yearling, but Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock had to go to 110,000gns to secure him at the 2015 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. A half-brother to the 12-furlong Lingfield winner Bella Varenna (by Lawman), he is the second foal out of Sarawati (by Haafhd) and he is followed by sons of Footstepsinthesand (by Giant's Causeway) and Rip Van Winkle (by Galileo). The former is a €200,000 graduate of last month's Goffs Orby Sale and, like Ventura Storm, he was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle. Sarawati was trained by John Oxx but did not show much in four starts from eight to 10 and a half furlongs, and her best effort was a fourth-place finish over nine furlongs at Ballinrobe. Several of siblings are winners, however, and one of those is the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks and Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes runner-up Sahool (by Unfuwain), a filly whose best win came in the Listed Chalice Stakes. That filly's three-parts sister Mathool (by Alhaarth), who was unplaced in five starts, is the dam of this year's Listed Vincent O'Brien Ruby Stakes winner Erysimum (by Arcano), but two of their one-time successful siblings have achieved more notable results at stud. Nasanice (by Nashwan) is the dam of Maraahel (by Alzao), the dual Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes hero who was placed in each of the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes (twice), Group 1 Champion Stakes, Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Group 1 Coronation Cup and Grade 1 Hong Kong Cup. She is also responsible for Huja (by Alzao), who is the pattern-placed dam of the Group 3-placed stakes winner Tazahum (by Redoute's Choice). The other sibling is Alikhlas (by Lahib), two of that mare's daughters have produced a pattern-placed juvenile, but it is her own son Gutaifan (by Dark Angel) that made the headlines. He was one of the leading two-year-olds of 2015, when he won the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Morny, but rather than stay in training and have a go at the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, a race for which he looked a leading contender, he joined his sire at Yeomanstown Stud and covered 203 mares this year. His speed may sound a bit out of place among the good middle-distance stamina of his aforementioned relations, but this is a family that has a well-established tradition of producing speed horses, in addition to its more stamina-oriented stars. The third dam of Ventura Storm, and of Gutaifan, is an unraced mare called Manal (by Luthier) and, in addition to being a full-sister to the Group 1-placed Group 3 Grand Prix d'Evry scorer Tip Moss and his classic-placed Group 2 Prix Noailles-winning full-brother Twig Moss, she is a half-sister to the runaway Group 3 John Porter Stakes winner Brush Aside (by Alleged). One might have expected that her Blushing Groom (by Red God) daughter Muhbubh would, therefore, be a miler or middle-distance filly, but not only did she win the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes and take second place in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes, but she is the dam of the US Grade 2 sprint winner Kayrawan (by Mr Prospector), grandam of Group 2 Rockfel Stakes heroine Sayedah (by Darshaan) and of Group 2 Diadem Stakes scorer Haatef (by Danzig), and third dam of the Group 1-placed, Group 2 Duke of York Stakes star Magical Memory (by Zebedee). Muhbubh's half-sister Mathkurh (by Riverman) also produced a speed-oriented branch of the family as her son Istintaj (by Nureyev) was a dual six-furlong Grade 3 scorer in Florida and her star daughter Asfurah (by Dayjur), the joint champion juvenile filly in Ireland in 1997, won the Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. As a classic-placed Group 1 winner it is likely that Ventura Storm will eventually find a place at stud, but although he is related to Gutaifan, who was all about speed and is likely to sire sprinters and milers, his path will be a different one. Had he inherited the speed elements of his parents' genetics then he would not have come so close to winning the St Leger last month. With the right mares he could, of course, sire some milers or 10-furlong horses, but if he remains in Europe then it seems more likely that his offspring will be middle-distance horses and stayers on the flat, and that he may attract the attention of National Hunt breeders.
Rathbarry Stud stallion Acclamation (by Royal Applause) has had a tremendous season, a top-10 position in the combined Ireland and Great Britain sires' championship title race and a string of stakes winners headed by the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp heroine Marsha.
It has also been a notable year for his sons with Dark Angel and Equiano represented by Group 1-winning progeny on the track and Harbour Watch being among the current cohort of freshmen with at least one pattern winner to their name from among their first juveniles. His list of stallion sons will be bolstered in 2017 when the Group 1-placed dual juvenile Group 2 scorer Mehmas covers his first book at Tally-Ho Stud, and those for whom a stallion career may also await include Aclaim. The Martyn Meade-trained three-year-old won the Listed Dubai Duty Free Cup over seven furlongs at Newbury last month and he added the Group 2 Challenge Stakes over the same trip at Newmarket 10 days ago. He won his only start at two, a six-furlong maiden on the polytrack at Kempton in December, made a successful reappearance in a Newmarket handicap over the same trip on soft ground in April, and lost his unbeaten record when finishing third to Only Mine in the Group 3 Lackan Stakes at Naas in late May, also over six. He could be candidate for the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and the Group 1 Prix de la Foret next year, if he stays in training and continues to progress, but it also possible that he could become a notable player in the milers' division too. He won a mile handicap on fast ground at Ascot in early September, his only attempt at the distance.
Acclamation was a leading sprinter, among the best of his generation not to win at the highest level, and it is true that most of his leading progeny are sprinters and/or effective at seven furlongs. Some do stay a mile, we already know that this young son of his does, and with the distaff family that the colt represents there is no surprise in that.
Aclaim is owned and bred by Dermot Farrington and Canning Downs and he is the first foal out of Aris (by Danroad). The €130,000 Goffs Orby Sale graduate has a two-year-old half-brother named Bere Island (by Dark Angel), his yearling Dawn Approach (by New Approach) half-brother made €125,000 in Goffs as a foal, and the mare had a first-crop Slade Power (by Dutch Art) filly at the end of March. Her sire got some good results in his native Australia but did not make any impact with his handful of European-born crops. Add to this the fact that the grandam of Aclaim is an unraced daughter of Kahyasi (by Ile de Bourbon), and this might not particularly promising. Aclaim, however, actually represents what has become one of the premier classic families in Europe. Not only that, but his grandam is a half-sister to a stallion of major significance and the family's latest Group 1 star is likely to be among the most popular new recruits whenever his time comes to go to stud. Aris was listed-placed over a mile as a two-year-old, her sole win was a half-length defeat of Gordon Lord Byron over seven furlongs in very soft ground at Listowel on her final start. She is out of Cumbres, and that makes her a slightly closer than half-sister to the classic heroine Again (by Danehill Dancer) and to Arkadina (by Danehill), the pattern-placed dam of listed scorer Iltemas (by Galileo). Again was the joint-champion juvenile filly in Ireland in 2008, when she won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Group 2 Debutante Stakes, and she added the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas the following spring. She was third in the Group 1 Matron Stakes three and a half months later, and she is the dam of the juvenile listed scorer Indian Maharaja (by Galileo). Cumbres is out of the talented stayer Floripedes (by Top Ville) and hers is a name that will be instantly recognised by many because she is the dam of Montjeu (by Sadler's Wells). He won the Irish Derby, Prix du Jockey Club, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Tattersalls Gold Cup, and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud – all Group 1 – and was Europe's three-year-old champion and leading older male before going on to become one of the world's leading sires of Derby-type horses. Montjeu's premature death was a huge loss to the bloodstock industry, but his sons and daughters are carrying on his name. The Derby heroes Authorized and Motivator are among the former, and those of note from his daughters include the multiple Group 1-winning standouts Charm Spirit (by Invincible Spirit) and Legatissimo (by Danehill Dancer). Floripedes is also responsible for the Grade 1-placed stakes winner Le Paillard (by Sanglamore), for the pattern-placed Le Fou (by Polish Precedent), and for Cuixmala (by Highest Honor), an unraced filly whose descendants have made quite an impact on the track. Her multiple stakes-winning son Mont Rocher (by Caerleon) was placed in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville and Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, her unraced daughter Clizia (by Machiavellian) is the dam of the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp and Group 1 King's Stand Stakes star Goldream (by Oasis Dream), and that gelding's unraced half-sister Galicuix (by Galileo) is the dam of Galileo Gold. A second-crop son of the top-class miler Paco Boy (by Desert Style), the chestnut won the Group 2 Vintage Stakes and was third in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere as a juvenile, and this year he has won both the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at Ascot. He was runner-up to Awtaad in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas and to his classic-winning Ascot victim The Gurkha in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, he finished fifth behind Minding in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, and it was good news to hear that he is to stay in training as a four-year-old. With family connections like these, there is every reason to hope that Aclaim could make the necessary progress to be able to win at the highest level, and with how the Acclamation stallions have been doing at stud, this relation to Montjeu looks sure to attract plenty of attention from breeders whenever his racing days come to an end.
The regard with which Left Hand was held by her connections last year was evident when, one month after making a winning debut over a mile at Longchamp, she took her chance in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac – Criterium des Pouliches over the same course and distance.
She finished fourth that day, behind Ballydoyle, Turret Rocks and Qemah, an effort of sufficient promise to suggest that she would be a likely pattern race winner in 2016. Her seasonal reappearance, however, was disappointing because she finished only sixth of seven in a one-mile conditions event on soft ground at Maisons-Laffitte in April. A month later she stepped up in distance for the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary, and although finishing a two-length fourth behind Jemayel was a much better effort, she was still sent off at 50/1 in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) over a half-furlong farther at Chantilly in June. It was that race, however, that confirmed the promise of her juvenile form as she came within half a length of producing a shock in the classic and of ending the unbeaten run of La Cressonniere. Her victory in the Group 3 Prix Psyche at Deauville was an odds-on success and she was one of the market leaders when beating Endless Time and The Juliet Rose by half a length and three-parts of a length in the Group 1 Qatar Prix Vermeille nine days ago. That prestigious race turned into something of a sprint, as many French races do, thereby making the form had to interpret with confidence. It is no surprise, therefore, that she is available at around 14/1 for next month's Group 1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot. She is trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, she is a Wertheimer brothers homebred, and her recent Chantilly success makes her the latest in a long list of Group 1 winners for the distaff side of her family. Left Hand is a daughter of Dalham Hall Stud's classic star and outstanding stallion Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium), whose 115 individual stakes winners include 24 who have won at least once at the highest level. His early sons at stud include the classic sire Makfi, and he looks a likely candidate to become an influential broodmare sire. She is the fourth foal out of the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu winner Balladeuse (by Singspiel) and that makes her a half-sister to the French 10-furlong listed scorer Bilissie (by Dansili). Her two-year-old half-brother has been named Acrobate (by Oasis Dream) and the mare had another Dansili (by Danehill) filly in February. The lightly-raced Maniaco (by Galileo), who was sixth in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris in July, is engaged in a conditions race at Saint-Cloud on Thursday and that Andre Fabre-trained three-year-old is out of Plumania (by Anabaa), the best of the string of successful siblings of Balladeuse. She won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the Group 2 Prix Corrida, she was third in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and runner-up in two editions of the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, and her two-year-old son, Plumatic (by Dubawi), is very closely related to Left Hand. Plumania's yearling has been given the intriguing name Maniac (by New Approach) and the Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) colt she had in April is her fifth foal. Balladeuse and Plumania are out of Featherquest (by Rainbow Quest), whose only win came as a two-year-old, and that mare is, in turn, one of eight winners out of the stakes-placed dual scorer Featherhill (by Lyphard). The star among the octet was Groom Dancer (by Blushing Groom), a prolific colt who won the Group 1 Prix Lupin, Group 3 Prix du Prince d'Orange, Group 3 Prix Daphnis and Group 3 Prix de Conde and who went on to become a successful sire, with winners at all levels. His best included the Group 1 scorers Groom Tesse, Sphenophyta and Lord Of Men, and the classic-placed Group 2 stars Dancienne, Maiden Tower, and Pursuit Of Love (successful sire), to name a few. His lightly-raced half-brother Tagel (by Cox's Ridge) won the Group 3 Prix Saint-Roman and finished third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Slew The Slewor (by Slew O' Gold) was a pattern-placed stakes winner on both sides of the Atlantic. Like Featherquest, three of their sisters made their names at stud rather than as racehorses, with Sea Hill (by Seattle Slew) being the only one of the trio who was herself a winner. Her daughter Legerete (by Rahy) won the Group 2 Prix de Mallaret at Saint-Cloud and finished third in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp before going on to produce the Group 2-placed stakes winner Pilote (by Pivotal), while Sea Hill's one-time scorer Icelips (by Unbridled) made her name by becoming the dam of three stakes winners, most notably the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) winner and blacktype sire Falco (by Pivotal). Pieds de Plume (by Seattle Slew) was placed once as a three-year-old, but five of her offspring are stakes winners, including the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes winner Hearthstead Maison (by Peintre Celebre), listed scorer and Group 1 Premio Lydia Tesio runner-up Rave Reviews (by Sadler's Wells), and that one's listed-winning full-sisters Fermion and Sail. The fifth one is the French listed scorer Dirgam (by Galileo), and her progeny also include 2013's Group 1 1000 Guineas third Moth (by Galileo). The third of Featherquest's notable sisters is Keltshaan (by Pleasant Colony). She was unraced but is the dam of the dual Japanese Group 1 scorer Kinshasa No Kiseki (by Fuji Kiseki) and grandam of the Group 1 Australasian Oaks-winning full-sisters Abbey Marie (by Redoute's Choice) and Absolutely. All of this Group 1 talent falls under the first three generations of Left Hand's family, and its branches from those, and yet to stop there would be to leave out a major part of the family's story. The fourth dam of Left Hand is Lady Berry (by Violon d'Ingres), and in addition to being a winner of the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak, and an ancestor of all those aforementioned Group 1 stars, she is also one of those rare mares who produced at least three top-level winners at stud. Her son Le Nain Jaune (by Pharly) won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris in 1982, her daughter Indian Rose (by General Holme) was the Group 1 Prix Vermeille heroine of 1988, and Vert Amande (by Kenmare) won the 1993 edition of the Group 1 Prix Ganay, seven months after finishing third to Subotica (no relation) in the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. And that's not all, because Rose Bonbon (by High Top), a dual stakes-placed daughter of Lady Berry, is the grandam of the outstanding filly Danedream (by Lomitas), winner of the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Grosser Preis von Berlin and two editions of the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden, in addition to the Group 2 Oaks d'Italia. It remains to be seen if the classic-placed Group 1 scorer Left Hand can add to her top-level tally, but she is bred to achieve anything, both on the track and at stud, and that places her highly among the most intriguing members of her generation.
There were 46 individual Group/Grade 1 winners among a career total of 198 blacktype scorers by the great stallion Danzig (by Northern Dancer), and although many of his stallion sons got at least one top-level winner of their own at stud, there are only two who went on to forge their own powerful branch of his line.
There are two notably successful sires among the last of Danzig's sons – War Front and Hard Spun – and there is a chance that one or both of them could do the same, but to have the sort of impact that Danehill and Green Desert have had will be a difficult feat. The latter's stallion sons feature the Group 1-winning sprinter Invincible Spirit, who stands at the Irish National Stud, and there is a growing number of that horse's sons getting stakes and pattern winners of their own. Ballylinch Stud's classic-winner Lawman was one of Invincible Spirit's first sons to go to stud, and although his overall tally of 20 stakes winners is decent yet unremarkable for a stallion whose oldest progeny are seven, what is notable is that five of that number have won at the highest level and two of those are classic stars. Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes winner and young Coolmore Stud stallion Most Improved (first yearlings) represents his first crop. Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Just The Judge, who went on to add the Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes, came from his second crop, as did the Group 1 Gran Criterium scorer Law Enforcement (aka Rocket Fly). When Marcel won the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster 11 months ago there were many who thought that there could be a Lawman-sired classic star from among his fifth crop. There is, but it's not that Peter Chapple-Hyam trained bay. Marcel was among the market leaders for the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in the spring but performed a long way below expectations, coming home last behind Galileo Gold. The colt has not been out since, but the day after this defeat another member of the crop won a 12-furlong Salisbury maiden, an event of no apparent significance at the time. It was his first start for the Epsom-based Laura Mongan team, he had been runner-up in a similar contest over 12 furlongs on the artificial track at Lingfield on his debut in mid-March, and he followed-up in a 14-furlong handicap at Sandown before finishing a three-quarter-length runner-up to Sword Fighter in the Listed Queen's Vase over two miles at Royal Ascot. A few weeks later he finished fourth to Housesofparliament in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy over 13 furlongs at Newmarket, clearly talented but without making an impact on the racing public's consciousness. Now, however, he has earned his place in the history books.
The recent Group 1 Ladbrokes St Leger was quite a dramatic renewal. The hot-favourite Idaho, a full-brother to Highland Reel and placed in two classics before beating the aforementioned Housesofparliament impressively in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York, stumbled and unseated his rider about three furlongs from home.
His stable companion and York victim looked set for glory when sweeping to the front over two out, but then got into a duel with Ventura Storm, that colt bidding to give his excellent young sire Zoffany (by Dansili) a first-crop Group 1 star. A furlong out, the Richard Hannon-trained bay appeared to be getting the better of the Aidan O'Brien-trained chestnut, with 22/1 Harbour Law looking likely to take an honourable but probably soon forgotten third. The Ballydoyle colt fought back and narrowed the deficit to inches, but Harbour Law also stayed on strongly. The George Baker-ridden colt hit the front shortly before the line and went away to win by three-parts of a length. There was a short-head between second and third, and the first three finished 10 lengths clear of the fourth. Like last year's Derby and Arc hero Golden Horn, Harbour Law was bred by Hascombe and Valiant Studs. He is no relation to that Timeform 134-rated champion and he was led out unsold at 24,000gns when offered in Newmarket as a yearling. Six and a half months later he made £30,000 at the Goffs London Sale. He is the fifth foal out of Abunai (by Pivotal), which makes him a half-brother to the pattern-placed gelding Moheet (by High Chaparral), who was unplaced in both the 2000 Guineas and Derby last year. He has a gelded two-year-old half-brother named Flying Raconteur (by Bated Breath), the mare's yearling filly has been named Siena Firenze (by Cityscape) and she had a Toronado (by High Chaparral) filly in April. Abunai, who was trained by Roger Charlton, stayed seven furlongs at three but got all three of her wins as a juvenile: a five-furlong Bath maiden, a five-furlong Newmarket nursery and a six-furlong nursery on turf at Southwell. Her final two career outings were losses by a head and by a short-head, and she achieved a peak handicap mark of 85. There is no surprise that a well-bred mare such as Abunai could produce a Group 1 performer, although when one considers her family's profile it would have been expected that she might get a talented miler or even middle-distance horse by Lawman rather than one who stays so well. She is a half-sister to the Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes heroine Miss Keller (by Montjeu), to the dual 10-furlong pattern-placed gelding Sir George Turner (by Nashwan), to stakes-placed prolific scorer Tissifer (by Polish Precedent) and to Kotsi (by Nayef), who was runner-up in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes as a two-year-old and listed-placed over 10 furlongs at three.
Abunai's siblings also include two fillies who went on to success at stud. Umlilo (by Mtoto) is one of them, she was only placed, but her successful progeny include Fantastic Pick (by Fantastic Light), who won the Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby over nine furlongs at Hollywood Park six years ago.
The other sister of note is the one-time scorer Oshiponga (by Barathea), who is the dam of Group 2 Superlative Stakes winner Hatta Fort (by Cape Cross) and of last year's Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes scorer Blue Bayou (by Bahamian Bounty). Oshiponga's grandson Ayaar (by Rock Of Gibraltar) won a Group 3 contest over seven furlongs at a juvenile, became a capable handicapper at around a mile, and reached a handicap mark of 102, but another of her grandsons showed more stamina than might have been expected. Agent Murphy (by Cape Cross) is out of her unraced daughter Raskutani (by Dansili), he won a 12-furlong listed contest at Ascot in May of last year, took third in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and then was a five-length winner of the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes over the extended 13 furlongs at Newbury. It was he who chased home 11-length winner Order Of St George in the Group 1 Irish St Leger last year, holding off the Willie Mullins-trained Wicklow Brave, who was a neck back in third. That high-class dual-purpose gelding, who was 20/1 on this occasion, has developed into a leading stayer and he sprang a surprise in the same Group 1 event a week ago. The grandam of Harbour Law is Ingozi (by Warning), who got her listed success over a mile at Sandown. She was out of the Group 2 Child Stakes heroine and Group 1 Coronation Stakes runner-up Inchmurrin (by Lomond) and that popular filly was, in turn, a half-sister to the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes scorer Welney (by Habitat). Ingozi's string of notable siblings includes half-sister Incheni (by Nashwan), who won the Listed Ballymacoll Stud Stakes, and half-brother Inchinor (by Ahonoora), the Group 3 Greenham Stakes and Group 3 Hungerford Stakes winner who was runner-up in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at two and went on to become a successful sire. Inchmahome (by Galileo) only made the frame once in six starts and she achieved a peak handicap mark of 66, but that sole placing was victory in an 11 and a half furlong handicap at Lingfield and she is the dam of the talented Venus De Milo (by Duke Of Marmalade). That Aidan O'Brien-trained filly won the Listed Naas Oaks Trial over 10 furlongs, was a half-length runner-up to Chicquita in the Group 1 Irish Oaks and then an odds-on winner of the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes at Cork before chasing home The Fugue in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks. She did not reach the heights at four that this early form promised, but she added the Group 3 Munster Oaks at Cork, was runner-up to Thistle Bird in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh and third to Sultanina in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. Her first foal is a Lope De Vega (by Shamardal) colt born in February. Inchyre (by Shirley Heights), another half-sister to Ingozi, won a mile maiden at Warwick and missed out on blacktype when only fourth in listed contests over 10 and 12 furlongs on her only subsequent outings. There are, however, plenty of her descendants who have earned that value-enhancing distinction. Her son Ursa Minor (by Galileo) won the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes over 14 furlongs at the Curragh shortly before finishing fourth behind Encke in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster. Inchiri (by Sadler's Wells) sprang a 25/1 surprise in the Listed Galtres Stakes at York, shortly after finishing third in a similar contest at Chepstow, and her progeny include Hawk's Eye (by Hawk Wing), who was a dual 10-furlong winner in England before becoming a blacktype performer in South Africa. Another daughter, Inchberry (by Barathea), picked up some blacktype when a six-length runner-up in a mile listed contest at two and, although she retired a maiden – she was disqualified after passing the post in front at Hamilton as a juvenile – her performance-of-a-lifetime effort was one for which she earned no blacktype. She was only beaten by a total of two and half lengths when fourth, at 100/1, to Casual Look in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom. Inchberry's son Measuring Time (by Dubai Destination) was placed in the Select Stakes at Goodwood, Derby Trial Stakes at Lingfield, Classic Trial at Sandown and in the Solario Stakes, also at Sandown – all Group 3. Inchyre is also the dam of Whirly Bird (by Nashwan), who reeled off a five-timer from nine and a half furlongs to 11 furlongs and who was listed-placed at Windsor on her final start before eventually going on to produce Malabar (by Raven's Pass). That Mick Channon-trained filly won the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at two, she added a three-length score in last year's Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes over a mile at Goodwood, and missed out on additional blacktype when fourth in each of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac and Group 1 1000 Guineas. Despite all of this mile and middle-distance talent, there is another talented horse in the family who stayed two miles. His relationship to Harbour Law is remote, but his grandam is a full-sister to the younger colt's third dam. Balnaha, a full-sister to Inchmurrin, is best known as being the dam of the Group 1 Coronation Stakes heroine Balisada (by Kris) but, in addition producing the 12-furlong listed scorer Galactic Star (by Galileo), that high-class miler has given us El Salvador (by Galileo).
He was listed-placed a few times, including when beaten a nose by Tarana in the Listed Martin Molony Stakes over 12 and a half furlongs at Limerick, but he was also placed in the two-mile, five and a half-furlong Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot and finished his career with victory in the two-mile Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh in 2014.
Harbour Law is the latest high-class performer to represent a well-established blacktype-producing family, one that is usually associated with milers or middle-distance horses. It will be interesting to see how the rest of his career turns out and, eventually, what sort of opportunity he gets at stud. He is, after all, a classic-winning relation to Inchinor and represents the Green Desert sire line. Dark Angel's rise to fame has been remarkable and Yeomanstown Stud's Group 1-winning son of Acclamation (by Royal Applause) is well-established as a leading European sire. His string of stakes winners in 2016 include a filly who is putting her unbeaten record on the line at Leopardstown during the opening day of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend.
Persuasive, one of a growing number of talented horses bred by John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud, made her first public appearance when taking her place as Lot 187 in the 2014 Goffs Orby Sale in Kill. She fetched €180,000 that day and was bought by Cheveley Park Stud. The John Gosden-trained grey made her debut in a mile maiden on the polytrack at Kempton in November, making her yet another high-class graduate of the artificial surfaces. She was odds-on in a handicap at Goodwood in May, followed-up at Chelmsford 12 days later, and then extended her winning run to four in the Listed Sandringham Handicap on soft ground at Royal Ascot. Two months later she made it five-from-five when beating Blond Me by three lengths in the Group 3 Redrock Entertainment Atalanta Stakes at Sandown. It was impressive and the runner-up there advertised the form when picking up a Group 2 contest in Turkey on Sunday. It will be no easy task for her at Leopardstown as she is taking on the Group 1 stars Alice Springs, Jet Setting and Qemah, plus Group 2 scorers Devonshire and Hawksmoor and the talented duo Creggs Pipes and Now Or Never in the Group 1 Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes. A half-brother to the Ismail Mohammed-trained gelding Amazour (by Azamour), whose most recent of three wins came over six furlongs at Newcastle in late June, Persuasive is the second foal out of the high-class performer Choose Me (by Choisir), who was also bred by Owenstown Stud. The mare's third foal, Tizbutadream (by Dream Ahead), finished out of the frame in a six-furlong maiden on soft ground at Newmarket in late June, she had an Iffraaj (by Zafonic) filly in 2015 and a first-crop Slade Power (by Dutch Art) colt in April. Choose Me was trained by Kevin Prendergast and although she only won four of her 28 starts, those included the Listed Fairy Bridge Stakes over seven and a half furlongs at Tipperary and the valuable Tattersalls Ireland Sales Stakes over six at the Curragh, both in heavy ground. She stayed 10 furlongs, won over that trip on fast ground at Naas and was multiple blacktype placed at that distance too, most notably when coming off worst in a three-way photo, with Eleanora Duse and She's Our Mark, for the Group 2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh. This record ranks her as the best of several winners out of one-time scorer Hecuba (by Hector Protector) and as that mare is, in turn, out of the Listed Sandy Lane Stakes third Ajuga (by The Minstrel), that makes her a half-sister to the German Group 2 scorer Bad Bertrich Again (by Dowsing), to Group 3 Scottish Classic winner Prolix (by Kris), to the talented dual-purpose gelding Bangalore (by Sanglamore) and also to Alumni. That daughter of Selkirk (by Sharpen Up) got her only win in the Listed Cheshire Oaks but her star son is prolific, won a 10-furlong listed contest at Newbury, has useful mile form at Bratislava and in the Czech Republic, and also the speed to have won a valuable five-furlong handicap at Meydan. Indeed, Dux Scholar (by Oasis Dream) is also pattern-placed over the minimum trip, he was only beaten by three and a quarter lengths when out of the frame in a Group 1 sprint two and a half years ago, and his string of pattern placings include races over seven, eight, nine and 10 furlongs, in England, France, Germany and Dubai. A Rail Link (by Dansili) half-brother to Dux Scholar is catalogued as Lot 1211 in Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket, and Lot 434 of the Goffs Orby Sale is the Iffraaj half-sister to Persuasive. The fourth dam of Persuasive is Cairn Rouge (by Pitcairn), the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas, Group 1 Champion Stakes and Group 2 Coronation Stakes heroine of 1980, rated 127 by Timeform. Her many notable descendants include US Grade 1 star Ventura (by Chester House), Group 1-placed pattern scorers Trade Fair (by Zafonic) and Silver Touch (by Dansili), and recent Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes and Group 3 Glorious Stakes winner Kings Fete (by King's Best). Persuasive earned an official handicap mark of 112 after her latest success, so a lot more improvement is required if she is to be up to winning at the highest level, especially against a field like the one she will meet at Leopardstown. But she is talented and progressive and it would be no surprise to see her hit the top before long. She also holds an entry in next month's Group 1 Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket and it would be fascinating to see how she might get on if staying in training as a four-year-old. It will also be very interesting to follow her eventual stud career as, with her pedigree connections, she could become a broodmare of considerable note some day.
Stellar Mass was clearly held in high regard early in his career because, although placed in two maidens, he made his third start in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes over a mile at the Curragh. He finished fourth that day, but was only beaten by a short-head, a neck and half a length, which was an encouraging performance. But then he was a beaten favourite in a maiden at Leopardstown a month later.
He was runner-up in another maiden on his seasonal reappearance, then finished only fourth and fifth in a pair of them over 10 furlongs, before finally opening his winning account at the eighth attempt. That is not the sort of profile that one would expect to see on a colt who was just weeks away from making the frame in Group 1 company, but the step up to 12 furlongs has transformed him from a disappointing runner into one who is a classic-placed pattern winner whose best may still be ahead of him. The Jim Bolger-trained Stellar Mass was bred by the partnership of Tinnakill House and Alan Byrne, and he made €280,000 in Goffs as a foal. After his maiden success he took the Magners Ulster Derby, a premier handicap, over the extended 12 furlongs at Down Royal and, just one week later, he chased home Harzand and Idaho in the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh. He was an odds-on winner of the Listed Her Majesty's Plate Stakes over 14 furlongs at Down Royal in July, followed that with a half-length defeat of subsequent listed scorer Almela in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes over a mile and a half at Leopardstown, and is due to take on the classic-placed pair Bondi Beach and US Army Ranger, and the high-class filly Zhukova, in the Group 3 KPMG Enterprise Stakes over the same course and distance tomorrow.
Stellar Mass is a son of Gilltown Stud's Timeform 140-rated standout Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) and he is one of four blacktype earners out of Juno Marlowe (by Danehill), a mare who is a full-sister to three stakes winners. Her son Fairmile (by Spectrum) is a stakes-placed prolific winner, daughter Sun of Jamaica (by Cape Cross) was Group 3-placed in Germany, and the other sibling of note is Marzelline (by Barathea).
She began her career in England, trained by Walter Swinburn, and she won a 10-furlong Lingfield maiden on her second start. She was placed a couple of times after that, but it was not until she crossed the Atlantic that she hit her peak. There she won a listed handicap over 11 furlongs at Del Mar, was beaten by just a nose when runner-up in the Grade 2 San Gorgonio Handicap over nine furlongs on turf at Santa Anita, and then chased home Santa Tersita in the Grade 1 Santa Maria Handicap over a half-furlong less on the Pro-Ride surface. Another notable performance was her fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes over 10 furlongs, also at Santa Anita. Juno Marlowe got her wins over seven furlongs at Kempton and Newmarket and she achieved a career-peak handicap mark of 97. Her full-brother Leporello won the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor and Group 3 Select Stakes at Goodwood, and full-sister Calypso Grant won the Listed Masaka Stakes at Kempton. Poppy Carew, another full-sister, was runner-up in that mile listed contest but won the Listed John Musker Stakes at Yarmouth. She was also a runner-up in the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood as a juvenile, and finished third in the Group 2 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket. They have a stakes-placed half-sister called Flora Trevelyan (by Cape Cross), who is quite closely related to Stellar Mass, and of the rest of their winning siblings the one-time scorer Oh Hebe (by Night Shift) deserves a mention. That is because she has produced three blacktype horses at stud, most notably the ill-fated Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby scorer Devious Boy (by Dr Devious). Why So Silent (by Mill Reef), the unraced grandam of Stellar Mass, was out of the Group 3 Lancashire Oaks and Listed Pretty Polly Stakes winner Sing Softly (by Luthier), a filly who also performed with merit when runner-up in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and third in the Group 2 Park Hill Hill Stakes. The best of her five successful offspring was Supreme Sound (by Superlative), who won 10 times, including the Listed Winter Derby at Lingfield and the Grade 3 Hawthorne Gold Cup, and he was runner-up in the Grade 1 United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park. In addition to Why So Silent, his half-sisters included Eliza Acton (by Shirley Heights) and Rosy Lydgate (by Last Tycoon). The former won once as a two-year-old and the latter was placed just once, but they are notable because of the horses who appear under them on a catalogue page. Rosy Lydgate is the grandam of Treaty Of Paris (by Haatef), who won the 2013 edition of the Group 3 Acomb Stakes. Mile scorer Eliza Acton, on the other hand, is the dam of Stotsfold (by Barathea). He emulated his relation Leporello by taking both the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes and Group 3 Select Stakes but then improved on that by adding the Group 3 La Coupe, Listed Gala Stakes, and Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes, and he was only beaten by about one and a half lengths when third to Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Arlington Million. Sadly, he died of colic shortly after his listed-race success. These are the highlights of the first few generations of the pedigree, although if you go back farther you will find that the sixth dam of Stellar Mass is 1962's dual classic-placed Yorkshire Oaks heroine West Side Story (by Rockefella), who was a grand-daughter of 1944's 1000 Guineas winner Picture Play (by Donatello) and whose only start at two had been quite remarkable: she was runner-up in the Cheveley Park Stakes! Timeform rated West Side Story 127. This means that he represents a branch of the famous Joel family from which standouts such as Royal Palace (by Ballymoss), Welsh Pageant (by Tudor Melody), Desert Prince (by Green Desert) and Make Believe (by Makfi) emerged or descended, but his connection to them is so distant as to have no relevance to his talent or potential. It will be interesting to see how much further upwards in the rankings Stellar Mass can go, and he could be a talented stayer in 2017, perhaps even making a return visit to Irish Champions Weekend but, instead of this year's target, for the Group 1 Irish St Leger at the Curragh.
Oasis Dream was an excellent racehorse, one of the best by his sire, and he is now well-established as being one of the top stallions in all of Europe. Banstead Manor Stud's son of Green Desert (by Danzig) is also beginning to show considerable promise as a sire of successful stallion sons.
Just over a week ago, for example, the pattern-winning sprinter Captain Gerrard added his name to Oasis Dream's growing list of sons with at least one blacktype winner among their offspring when his son Alpha Delphini took a listed contest in England. And on Saturday the feature race in that country went to a daughter of Showcasing. A lightly-raced sprinter who won the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, was second in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes and third in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, Showcasing (by Oasis Dream) stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud, his oldest progeny are four-year-olds, and such is the success he has enjoyed so far, he is becoming one of the most sought-after young stallions in England. His current total is 13 individual stakes winners. In addition to three pattern winners, a listed scorer and a classic-placed stakes winner from his New Zealand-born progeny, he has supplied the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Toocoolforschool, Grade 1-placed dual US Grade 2 scorer Prize Exhibit, this year's Group 3 Greenham Stakes winner Tasleet and Group 3 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas) scorer Conselice, and, of course, Quiet Reflection. The Karl Burke-trained three-year-old is a leading candidate for championship honours in the sprinters' division as she has won both the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Ascot and Group 1 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock. The former was, of course, against her own age group, she was then third to Limato in the Group 1 July Cup on her first attempt against the older horses, and while it was a pity that the rain-softened ground led to him being withdrawn on Saturday, she was impressive in beating The Tin Man by one and three-quarter lengths. Quiet Reflection began her career at Hamilton in mid-July of last year, winning a five-furlong maiden by five lengths. She was only fifth behind Besharah in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes next time – one of only two defeats in her career to date – but then won the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes by four lengths at Ayr and followed that with a two and a half length score in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot. She kicked off her current campaign with a head defeat of Jimmy Two Times in the Group 3 Prix Sigy over six furlongs at Chantilly in April and then beat Donjuan Triumphant by three and three-quarter lengths in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock before her one-length Group 1 defeat of Kachy at the royal meeting.
Quiet Reflection was bred by Springcombe Park Stud and she was sold for £32,000 in Doncaster as a yearling. She returned to that venue for their breeze-up sale the following April and it was there that Burke secured her for £44,000. Her own-brother Full Intention, who made £54,000 at last year's Premier Yearling Sale in Doncaster, is winless in five starts. That said, he is rated 88, down from a peak of 93.
The colt was short-headed when favourite for a Windsor maiden in April, finished third to Mehmas at Chester the following month and was then fourth behind Ardad in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was odds-on in his two subsequent starts but had to settle for second both times, first at Chester and then at Thirsk, and all over the minimum trip. The pair are the two foals out of the six-furlong juvenile scorer My Delirium (by Haafhd) and she, in turn, is one of two foals and two winners out of the Listed Hilary Needler Trophy winner Clare Hills (by Orpen). The other is the four-times scorer Finesse (by Shamardal) whose first-born is a yearling colt that has already been named Nine Below Zero (by Showcasing). That close relation to Quiet Reflection was followed by a Foxwedge (by Fastnet Rock) filly born in March.
Morale (by Bluebird), the third dam of Saturday's Group 1 star, was unplaced in France and produced just four winners from nine foals, but that was a better strike-rate than that of her dam Shebasis (by General Holme). That unraced mare was responsible for the the listed scorer and prolific Scandinavian winner Bluebeard (by Bluebird), and for the stakes-placed dual US winner Busheto (by Be My Guest), but that pair were among just four winners from the mare's 14 progeny.
Their siblings also include Zing Ping (by Thatching) who, although only placed, became the dam and grandam of a string of winners, the best of whom is the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes runner-up Fear And Greed (by Brief Truce). That one-time scorer is, in turn, the grandam of the ill-fated Listed Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up and Group 2 Prix Robert Papin third Areen (by Kodiac). These are the highlights of the first four generations of the pedigree, but Quiet Reflection is not the first Group 1 star for her family. The relationship is distant, because he was a half-brother to her fifth dam, Annie Aaron (by Buffalo Lark), but Alysheba (by Alydar) was the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Preakness Stakes hero of 1987, when he was champion three-year-old in the USA, and at four he was crowned US Horse of the Year. His 11 wins also included the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic, Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, Grade 1 Woodward Handicap, Grade 1 Meadowlands Cup, Grade 1 Super Derby, and Grade 1 Strub Stakes and he stood as a stallion in the US and in Saudi Arabia. His progeny included the Canadian Horse of the Year Alywow and, in Europe, the high-class Bright Moon, who won the Group 2 Grand Prix d'Evry, Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville, and two editions of the Group 2 Prix de Pomone. Quiet Reflection, who is one of the ante-post favourites for next month's Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot, is related to an outstanding colt but she is easily the best horse to emerge from the family's most recent generations, and that suggests that a large part of the credit for her talent may go to Showcasing. She is unlikely to remain his only Group 1 star for long. |
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