H H the Aga Khan's Hazapour won last year's Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes before appearing to run out of stamina at Epsom, coming home fifth behind Masar in the Investec Derby. He dropped back to a mile at Leopardstown this afternoon, won the Group 3 Comer Group International Amethyst Stakes and could appear next in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot.
This was the shortest race in which he has run since finishing unplaced on his debut in a seven-furlong Curragh maiden as a two-year-old, a month before he beat Hunting Horn in an eight-and-a-half-furlong maiden at Galway. It was his third run since Epsom, and his second of those to see him finish in the frame. Last month he finished a well-beaten fifth behind Magical in the Group 3 Alleged Stakes over 10 furlongs at Naas, and although his entries include the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, trainer Dermot Weld indicated at Leopardstown that the colt would now seek Group 2 or Group 1 prizes at a mile. He is engaged in next month's Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes over that trip. Today's win was achieved by a margin of two and a half lengths from Verbal Dexterity, with Zihba a half-length back in third, the same distance back to Dunkirk Harbour in fourth, and the another half-length to Zuenoon – a stablemate of the winner – in fifth. Oisin Orr was the successful jockey.
Hazapour is a son of the dual classic star and outstanding Kildangan Stud stallion Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway) and of Listed Finale Stakes winner Hazarafa (by Daylami). With her having been a middle-distance stakes winner and half-sister to dual Derby hero Harzand (by Sea The Stars) it was reasonable to hope that her colt might also prove to be a capable middle-distance horse. However, the mare's siblings also include the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes winner and Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes third Harasiya (by Pivotal), and she is out of the Group 3 Athasi Stakes winner Hazariya (by Xaar), so there was always a chance that she could get one more suited to a mile, especially if by a stallion like Shamardal. Hazapour's three-parts brother Haripour (by Shamardal) has won a listed contest over that trip in Australia, although he has also landed one over 12 furlongs and came within a neck of taking a Group 3 contest there over ten. Hazariya is a half-sister to Hazarista (by Barathea), who won the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes and picked up third in both the Group 1 Irish Oaks and Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks, but the mix of stakes winners who descend from her dam, Hazaradjat (by Darshaan), also include seven-furlong Group 3 scorer Hamairi (by Spectrum) and his stakes-winning sprint half-brother Hanabad (by Cadeaux Genereux), and Group 1 British Champions Fillies & Mare Stakes heroine Seal Of Approval (by Authorized). There is a similar mixture of speed and stamina to be found under Hazapour's fourth dam too. She is Hazy Idea (by Hethersett), who won the March Stakes, was runner-up in the Prix de Royallieu and fourth in the Prix Royal-Oak. She was the dam of the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and Group 1 Flying Childers Stakes star Hittite Glory (by Habitat), and her descendants include Group 1 AJC Oaks winner Streama (by Stratum). It will be interesting to see how far up the rankings Hazapour can go now that his apparently ideal distance has been found. His relationship to Harzand could make him an eye-catching stallion prospect – should he go on to earn that role – as would his being by the sire of Lope De Vega, although he would surely need to become at least a Group 1-placed Group 2 winner first, if not a winner at the highest level.
Godolphin's homebred Castle Lady became the latest Group 1 star for Kildangan Stud's outstanding stallion Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway) when landing the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches on heavy ground at ParisLongchamp. The Henri-Alex Pantall-trained bay won the mile classic by a nose from Commes, with East a length-and-a-half back in third ahead of Imperial Charm and Matematica.
She began her career in mid-March when easily winning a mile newcomers' race on the Polytrack at Chantilly, making her yet another top-level winner who got an early start on the artificial tracks. She followed that with a one-and-three-quarter-length defeat of Imperial Charm in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte over today's course and distance, on good ground. Mickael Barzalona was in the saddle for both of her pattern wins. Castle Lady is not entered in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks), which is a bit of a surprise, but does have an entry in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Ascot. She is a half-sister to a seven-furlong listed scorer but is out of a full-sister to a Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic hero, so on pedigree ten furlongs should be within her compass.
That talented half-brother is the Saeed bin Suroor-trained gelding Top Score (by Hard Spun), and he has some good form over six furlongs in addition to that listed success. Their dam is the unraced Windsor County (by Elusive Quality), a full-sister to Raven's Pass. That Kildangan Stud stallion won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile before his historic Breeders' Cup success. His 31 stakes-winning offspring include last year's Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Royal Marine plus the Group 1-placed Group 2 scorers Tower Of London and Swashbuckling, Group 2-winning sprinter Raven's Lady, and the tragically ill-fated Via Ravenna who was a pattern winner and narrowly beaten in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild before her untimely death. Windsor County is also a half-sister to the mile Grade 3 winner Gigawatt (by Wild Again), her dam Ascutney (by Lord At War) was a mile Grade 3 winner as a two-year-old and that mare is a full-sister to Words Of War, the multiple stakes-winning dam of Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks heroine No Matter What (by Nureyev). That top-level winner is, in turn, the dam of European juvenile filly champion Rainbow View (by Dynaformer), a Group 1 Fillies' Mile star who went on to add the Group 1 Matron Stakes. No Matter What is also responsible for US Grade 2 scorer Utley (by Smart Strike), Grade 1-placed Grade 3 winner Just As Well (by A.P. Indy), dual Grade 3 scorer Winter View (by Thunder Gulch), and the notably talented Wissahickon (by Tapit). That John Gosden-trained colt looked a potential star in the making when taking the notably tough Cambridgeshire Handicap in style at Newmarket last year, followed that with a pair of listed race wins over ten furlongs on the Polytrack at Lingfield and then easily won the Group 3 Winter Derby Stakes over that same course and distance in February. He suffered a shock defeat to Matterhorn on All-Weather Championships Day but holds entries in the Group 1 Investec Coronation Cup, Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes, and Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes. There are many other talented horses in the family including No Matter What's half-brother E Dubai (by Mr Prospector), who won the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap and Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes, was runner-up in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes and Grade 1 Super Derby, and enjoyed some success at stud. All of this combines to make Castle Lady a very well-bred filly, one for whom classic victory could be the launching pad to a notable career on the track and eventually at stud.
Talented four-year-old Who's Steph was an odds-on favourite for the Group 3 Irish National Stud Racing Irish EBF Blue Wind Stakes at Naas following her recent runaway listed success at Gowran Park, but the Ger Lyons-trained grey was caught near the line by Tarnawa, who won by a neck. That Dermot Weld-trained three-year-old could now head for the Group 1 Investec Oaks at Epsom.
The Ballydoyle three-year-olds Delphinia and Peach Tree were another three-quarters of a length and short-head back in third and fourth. The winner was partnered by Chris Hayes. Tarnawa was placed in each of her three outings as a two-year-old, the final one being in a mile listed contest at Navan in which she chased home Peach Tree, who won by one and three-quarter lengths. The chestnut stepped up to ten furlongs on her seasonal reappearance at Leopardstown in early April, won that maiden, then finished third to Pink Dogwood in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes over the same trip at Navan 25 days later.
The daughter of Kildangan Stud's outstanding stallion Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway) is the first foal of Tarana (by Cape Cross). That mare won a mile maiden at two, was runner-up in the Listed Trigo Stakes over ten furlongs at Leopardstown at three and had a notably good season at the age of four. She won the Listed Martin Molony Stakes at Limerick and Listed Oyster Stakes at Galway, both over 12 furlongs, and her four other pieces of blacktype that year included third place in the Group 3 Curragh Cup over 14 furlongs. Her only other foal is a Fastnet Rock (by Danehill) colt born in mid-May of last year. Tarana is a daughter of the Group 3-placed Listed Galtres Stakes winner Tarakala (by Dr Fong) and granddaughter of the dual stakes-placed Tarakala (by Shahrastani), and so she represents a branch of the family whose many blacktype winners include Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak scorer Tiraaz (by Lear Fan) and Group 1 Phoenix Stakes heroine Damson (by Entrepreneur). In addition to the Epsom classic, Tarnawa holds entries in the Group 1 Juddmonte Pretty Polly Stakes and Group 1 Darley Irish Oaks. She needs to make further improvement to be up to winning at the highest level, but it would not be a surprise to see her make such progress.
Ballydoyle sent out an odds-on favourite for the Listed First Flier Stakes at the Curragh, the first juvenile blacktype event of the year, but that War Front colt had to settle for minor honours as the Willie McCreery-trained filly cruised to victory. The daughter of Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway) won by two and a quarter lengths in the hands of Billy Lee and looks a leading contender for next month's Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Third place went to the Jessica Harrington-trained filly In The Present, who represents the first crop of mile star Karakontie (by Bernstein), and she was a short-head in front of the Fozzy Stack-trained American Lady (by Starspangledbanner).
Ickworth is owned and bred by Godolphin and her only prior start was a winning debut over the minimum trip at Dundalk in late March. Her siblings include the stakes-placed sprinter White Witch (by Invincible Spirit) and her dam was a wide-margin Grade 1 star over seven and seven-and-a-half furlongs in Argentina as a two-year-old. That mare is called Ishitaki (by Interprate) and she is out of Nice Watch (by The Watcher), a winning half-sister to the Argentine Grade 1 winners New Dandy (by New Noble), Nice Bijou (by Search Tradition), and Nice Tradition (by Search Tradition). Their race records suggest that Ickworth could stay a mile in time. |
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