It is not often that a horse is asked to make its racecourse debut in a pattern race, but an Aidan O'Brien-trained juvenile came out on top in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies' Sprint Stakes at Naas on her first start, beating Peace Charter and Celtic Beauty by half a length and the same.
One of several horses currently sporting the name Etoile, she is the one whose full name is Etoile (USA) and she should not be confused with the Japanese three-year-old Etoile (JPN) or the France-based Etoile (FR) who won this afternoon's Group 3 Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud. The Irish filly is the latest notable winner bred by Orpendale, Cheltson & Wynatt, and although the bare form of what she achived is open to question, this is a horse who is bred to show her best as a three-year-old and over a trip in excess of yesterday's six furlongs.
She is the sixth foal of her dam, her four winning siblings include Galateia (by Dansili) who was stakes-placed over seven furlongs in France and also Most Gifted, a filly who won twice for the Ballydoyle team last year, aged three. Those wins came over seven furlongs at Cork and six furlongs at Naas and she finished fourth in the Listed Cairn Rouge Stakes over a mile at Killarney, missing out on blacktype by just half a length. Gagnoa (by Sadler's Wells), their dam, won the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs over a mile at Deauville as a two-year-old, added the ten-and-a-half-furlong Group 3 Prix Penelope the following spring, failed by just three-parts of a length to beat Belle Et Celebre in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary, chased home Zarkava in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks), and then finished a two-length third to Moonstone in the Group 1 Irish Oaks. That mare's most notable siblings could be described as being three-parts ones rather than half, as both are by sons of Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer), and the ten-furlong listed scorer Kissed (by Galileo) is the lesser of the pair. That thrice-raced former Ballydoyle inmate is the dam of a dual sprint winner called Leo Minor (by War Front) and that close relation to Etoile picked up some blacktype when finishing third in a seven-furlong listed contest at Dundalk. However, Gagnoa's more notable sibling is 2011's Group 1 Investec Derby star Pour Moi (by Montjeu), the sire of Wings Of Eagles, who won the 2017 edition of that same classic. Both are members of Coolmore's National Hunt stallion division. Gwynn (by Darshaan), the grandam of Etoile, is out of a half-sister to Awaasif (by Snow Knight), the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and Group 1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club heroine whose Oaks-winning daughter Snow Bride (by Blushing Groom) gave us the Derby and Arc hero Lammtarra (by Nijinsky). One would expect that a filly with these family connections would be much better at three than as a juvenile and that she could be an eight-to-ten-furlong performer in her classic year. It will be interesting to see how her career progresses from this promising start.
European auction houses are no strangers to selling horses that go on to classic success. Usually those wins happen on this continent. but an Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale graduate has won the Group 1 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the US Triple Crown.
War Of Will is an American-born son of Claiborne Farm's outstanding stallion War Front (by Danzig) and the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was the location of his first public appearance. He failed to meet his reserve that day, led out unsold at $175,000, and although catalogued as lot 63 for the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale last year, missed that event and went to the French auction instead. It was there that Justin Casse bought him for €250,000, three months before the colt began his career with a third-place finish in a seven-furlong Woodbine maiden. He was a three-quarter-length runner-up to Fog Of War in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes over a mile on turf at the same venue three weeks later, then finished fourth in a Grade 3 contest at Keeneland before taking fifth to Line Of Duty in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Then he won his maiden, scoring by five lengths over eight and a half furlongs on dirt at Churchill Downs. A four-length win in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes over the same trip at Fair Grounds in January was followed by a two-and-a-quarter-length defeat of Country House in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes over the same course and distance a month later, but he disappointed when an odds-on favourite for the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby next time before enduring a troubled passage in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. He was one of those impacted by the move that led to Maximum Security being disqualified that day but gained some compensation with his length-and-a-quarter defeat of Everfast at Pimlico. Owendale was a nose back in third, a length and a quarter in front of his stable companion Warrior's Charge.
War Of Will was bred by the Niarchos family's Flaxman Holdings Ltd and represents one of their most successful families. The half-brother to Group 1 National Stakes winner and successful young South African blacktype sire Pathfork (by Distorted Humor) is out of the French listed scorer Visions Of Clarity (by Sadler's Wells). War Front's previous top-level winners out of Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer) mares are the siblings Brave Anna and Hit It A Bomb, whereas Roly Poly, U S Navy Flag and the aforementioned Fog Of War are out of daughters of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells). It may appear to carry significance, but results from just four mares with a partial connection don't necessarily reflect anything more than coincidence coming from having sent well-bred individuals to a top sire. There are no magic formulae when it comes to breeding racehorses. Visions Of Clarity is a half-sister to the classic and Breeders' Cup-winning miler Spinning World (by Nureyev) – who was a notably successful stallion – and she is out of Imperfect Circle (by Riverman), a Listed Firth of Clyde Stakes winner who was runner-up in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and who has several siblings of note. That mare's winning half-sister Remote Romance (by Irish River) is the dam of the middle-distance Group 1 scorer Saddex (by Sadler's Wells), her half-brother Denon (by Pleasant Colony) was a multiple winner at the highest level but a disappointing stallion, and her half-sister Chimes Of Freedom (by Private Account) won both the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Group 1 Coronation Stakes before going on to a notable career at stud. That star gave us the Grade 1 Atto mile winner Good Journey (by Nureyev) and US champion Aldebaran (by Mr Prospector) whose wins featured the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, Grade 1 Forego Handicap, and Grade 1 San Carlos Handicap. She is also the dam of a listed scorer and the ancestor of several others who have won in blacktype company. Aviance (by Northfields), who won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes a juvenile, is the third dam of Will Of War, and that half-sister to Group 1 Prix du Cadran scorer Chief Contender (by Sadler's Wells) is a granddaughter of the Grade 3 winner and hugely influential mare Best In Show (by Traffic Judge). War Of Will is a classic winner with an outstanding pedigree, one that will also make him an exciting prospect when the time comes for him to go to stud. Before then, however, there should be plenty more good prizes to be won with him. It would be great to see him take on Maximum Security again soon and, of course, the best of the older horses.
Happen came from a seemingly impossible position to grab the Group 3 Coolmore Gleneagles Irish EBF Athasi Stakes on the line at the Curragh. The Aidan O'Brien had little apparent chance of victory with even a half-furlong to travel but stayed on strongly to sweep past her rivals. Four-year-olds Dan's Dream and Rionach were second and third, beaten by a short-head and a neck.
This was her second win from five starts, it followed her two-and-a-quarter-length second to Lady Kaya in the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud "Priory Belle" 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown last month - also over seven furlongs - and it is clear that this daughter of outstanding Claiborne Farm sire War Front (by Danzig) is ready to step up in trip. Her entries include the Group 1 Coronation Stakes over a mile, the ten-furlong Group 1 Juddmonte Pretty Polly Stakes, and both the Group 1 Investec Oaks and Group 1 Darley Irish Oaks over 12 furlongs.
Her dam won that pair of classics by a combined margin of ten lengths then followed-up with a three-and-a-half-length score in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks, but it is not guaranteed that Happen will stay that trip. The best by her sire tend to be effective in the seven-to-ten-and-a-half-furlong range, and although her siblings include the pattern-winning stayer Alex My Boy (by Dalakhani), they also include Somehow (by Fastnet Rock). That unfortunate filly won the Listed Cheshire Oaks, was narrowly beaten in the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes, but was well-beaten in both the Oaks and Irish Oaks. Her best form was from a mile to ten and a half furlongs and included a seven-length win in the Group 3 Snow Fairy Stakes over nine, a three-and-a-quarter-length score in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes over the same trip, and on her final run before an untimely death, she chased home Decorated Knight in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. Happen could prove to be best in a similar range of distances, even if she does possess the stamina to perform well over the full Oaks trip. Alexandrova's full-brother Masterofthehorse finished third to Sea The Stars at Epsom but their half-sister Magical Romance (by Barathea) – she could be described as being a three-parts sister – won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs as a juvenile and was well-beaten when tried over eight, ten and 12 furlongs at three. Her speed was an exception to the general rule of the first few generations of the family, her blacktype-placed son Tall Ship (by Sea The Stars) stayed 12 furlongs, and her dam's siblings include the Group 2 Goodwood Cup runner-up Golden Quest (by Rainbow Quest), Group 3 Park Hill Stakes third Puce (by Darshaan), and also Sitara (by Salse), the 12-furlong-winning dam of Group 1 Melbourne Cup star Rekindling (by High Chaparral). There are, of course, many other notable horses to be found in the first few generations of this well-known family. Happen clearly has plenty of ability but her ideal distance range may come down to what her sire has contributed to her genetic mix. |
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