FERMOY, Co Cork breeder Denis McDonnell has an enviable record of breeding winners, many of them at the highest levels, but he will have every reason to be pleased with the result of a six-furlong maiden auction race at Ascot recently.

The winner was the Michael Bell-trained Taurean Star and he found the trip to his liking when dropped back a furlong from two placed runs over seven. The win was very significant as Taurean Star is the first foal of his dam Marhaba, a once-raced daughter of Nayef. She was seventh in a large field on her only outing in the colours of Hamdan Al Maktoum who bought her as a yearling for 160,000gns. She was sent to the December Sales at Tattersalls as part of the Shadwell consignment and snapped up for just 5,000gns and sent to Elnadim by Denis for her first covering.

The resulting offspring was Taurean Star and Denis had already justified his investment in the dam when he sold the now two-year-old in last year’s Sportsman’s Sale for €18,500. The colt reappeared in the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale this year and made profit when selling to Alex Elliott for 43,000gns.

Now Denis can look forward to more rewards as he sends a yearling out of Marhaba to the Goffs Sportsman’s Sale on October 1st. The mare’s second offspring is a colt by Casamento who has been making quite a splash already at the early yearling sales. I imagine Denis will be aiming a bit higher in the sales rankings next year when the foal on the ground, a colt by Arcano, will be offered for sale.

Marhaba is a daughter of the Group 1 Prix de Diane de Hermes winner Sil Sila, by Marju, and a half-sister to the US stakes winner Sol Mi Fa, a daughter of Distant Music. It is odds-on that the Shadwell team will have the Casamento yearling this year on their ‘to look at’ list.