Hawksmoor another reminder of Azamour's loss

HAWKSMOOR (IRE) - 2013 bay filly

Azamour (by Night Shift) was a top-class racehorse, placed in both the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and in the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh before victory in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in the first half of his three-year-old campaign. At that point he looked like a top-class miler in the making, but instead he stepped up in distance.

He won the Irish Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown, finished third behind Haafhd in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, and then returned as a four-year-old to add wins in the Prince of Wales' Stakes and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, that year run at York and Newbury respectively. All of those races are, of course, at Group 1 level.

He spent his career at Gilltown Stud, sadly died at the age of just 13, and his loss was advertised last year when Dolniya won the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Covert Love took the Group 1 Irish Oaks. His prior runners feature the ill-fated and undefeated Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) heroine Valyra, and his current crop of three-year-olds includes Hawksmoor.

Like Covert Love, she is trained by Hugo Palmer, and although she has not yet won at the highest level she has been placed twice in Group 1 events. She won the Group 3 Prestige Stakes on her third start as a juvenile, finished third in both the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes and Group 1 Fillies' Mile, and showed plenty of promise on her seasonal reappearance when, in first-time blinkers, she was third to Jemayel in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary over 10 furlongs at Deauville.

The Tenuta Genzianella-bred filly won the Group 2 German 1000 Guineas over a mile at Dusseldorf on Sunday and she holds an entry in next month's Group 2 Kilboy Estate Stakes over nine furlongs at the Curragh.

Hawksmoor is an €80,000 graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale in Fairyhouse and her two-year-old half-sister Magical Fire (by Dragon Pulse), who made €50,000 in Goffs as a foal, won a six-furlong maiden at Fairyhouse on Wednesday. That filly is trained by Michael O'Callaghan, she had been fifth behind Cuff in a listed race at Naas 10 days before, and post-race comments suggest that a possible appearance in the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes at the Irish Derby meeting has been pencilled in for her.

Hawksmoor, on the other hand, may try Group 1 company before the year is out and, in post-race comments, Palmer named the Falmouth Stakes as one possible target for her this summer.

She is the third foal out of the unplaced Bridal Dance (by Danehill Dancer), a mare whose siblings include the Grade 3 winner and Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap runner-up Millennium Dragon (by Mark Of Esteem) and also Bless The Bride (by Darshaan), a 10-furlong Bath winner who died young but left behind the mile listed scorer Meeriss (by Dubai Destination).

Bridal Dance is out of Feather Bride (by Groom Dancer) and that winning daughter of Group 3 Prix de Sandringham runner-up Bubbling Danseuse (by Arctic Tern) has two siblings who have produced blacktype winners at stud. No Frills (by Darshaan) is the dam of the Grade 2-placed dual Californian stakes winner Singalong (by Singspiel), while Bubbling Heights (by Darshaan) is responsible for J'Ray (by Distant View).

Owned and bred by Lawrence Goichman, that Todd Pletcher-trained chestnut won the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at Woodbine, the Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park, and Grade 3 handicaps at Fair Grounds and Calder – all over nine furlongs – and the races in which she was placed featured the Grade 2 La Prevoyante Handicap at that latter venue and also the Grade 2 Mrs Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs. Her son General Jack (by Giant's Causeway) won listed contests over seven and a half and eight furlongs before a tendon injury forced him into retirement.

The aforementioned Bubbling Danseuse, third dam of Hawksmoor, was among seven winners out of the pattern-placed French listed scorer Premier Danseuse (by Green Dancer), and although none was a stakes winner, one produced a multiple Grade 1 star at stud. Haute Autorite (by Elocutionist), twice successful on the track, is the dam of 1993 US Horse of the Year and Champion Turf Male Kotashaan (by Darshaan).

He won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, Grade 1 Eddie Read Handicap, Grade 1 Oak Tree Invitational Stakes, Grade 1 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap, two Grade 2 events and, in Europe, both the Group 3 Prix La Force and Listed Prix de Courcelles. He was runner-up in the Group 1 Japan Cup and retired to stud in that country, but he had limited success there and moved to Ireland.

Hawksmoor may not be in the same league as her most famous relation, but she is one of the most talented horses within the first few generations of her family and it would be no surprise to see her perform with credit whenever she steps back up to Group 1 company.