Harbour Law a second classic star for Lawman

HARBOUR LAW (GB) - 2013 bay colt

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.