POWERFUL Glory’s victory in the Group 1 British Champions Sprint Stakes at 200/1 might at first sight appear to have been a freak result, achieved at the expense of 18 smart speedsters, but he was simply endorsing a family that is all about fast horses, and here is another fine advertisement for the excellence of the Marnane family at Bansha House.

Another family strongly connected to the winner is that of the O’Callaghan clan at Tally-Ho Stud. Most of the sires in the pedigree stood there, while the dam Wouldnitbelovely (Kodiac) was bred by them.

Powerful Glory was bred by Con Marnane and is the second foal of his dam, the first never having been named. Wouldnitbelovely failed to show anything in two juvenile starts in the colours of Janet Williamson, and was sent to the horses in training sale at Tattersalls, and picked up for 4,000gns by Marnane.

While she had a fine back pedigree, it was still something of a leap of faith for Con to purchase her as a breeding prospect. She was the second unsuccessful runner for her unraced dam Geht Fasteur (Chineur), through there was a yearling colt in the wings. He was Enzo’s Lad (Society Rock), who would eventually go on to be an ordinary enough runner, winning once. Geht Fasteur had one more foal, who never raced. This looked like it might become a weak branch of a fine family, but Powerful Glory brought it right back into the spotlight last year.

Sold by Con through Amy Marnane Bloodstock as a foal for 37,000gns to Tally-Ho, Powerful Glory was kept until he reappeared as a breezer, realising £190,000 to Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum. He was sent to Richard Fahey, and it was that trainer who saddled another Bansha House graduate, Sands Of Mali (Panis), to win the Group 1 British Champions Sprint Stakes in 2018. Little did we know history would repeat itself.

When he won his maiden on debut at Pontefract by more than five lengths, Powerful Glory beat a daughter of Sands Of Mali. A month later the colt was back out again, this time having to work harder to land the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury by a neck, though he did so on ground he hated, the heavy going that day forcing the withdrawal of four intended starters, including Shadow Of Light.

High hopes

There were doubtless high hopes for Powerful Glory at three, but it proved to be a season of disappointments, until last weekend. Beating a single horse home in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes, after which Oisin Orr stated that the colt stopped quickly, resulted in immediate wind surgery. In late September Powerful Glory resurfaced in a five-furlong, five-runner conditions race at Beverley and finished last. The race comments were ominous – “raced in last, hung right and struggling two furlongs out; never dangerous”.

For these reasons the colt was sent off at generous odds on Saturday, but connections were not surprised with the result, believing that he benefitted from the comeback run. Powerful Glory again displayed admirable battling qualities to come from the rear to deny the favourite, dual Group 1 winner Lazzat, in the final strides. Now, 2026 beckons with hopes that Powerful Glory will establish himself among the best sprinters around.

The timing of Powerful Glory’s win was a little unfortunate, as it came just after his yearling half-brother by Minzaal (Mehmas) sold in Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Sale to Roger Marley’s Church Farm for 105,000gns, the aim being to reoffer him as a breeze-up horse in the spring. With the huge popularity of that Derrinstown Stud sire’s first crop, and the huge pedigree boost of Powerful Glory’s win, that colt will surely be a must-see offering.

Huge Expectation

Also in the spring, there will be huge expectation about the next offspring for Wouldnitbelovely, as she is in foal to yet another Tally-Ho based sire, Big Evs (Blue Point). This is a real case of speed on speed, Big Evs having gained his biggest win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at two, and beating Asfoora in the Group 2 King George Stakes at three.

Powerful Glory’s third dam is Geht Schnell (Fairy King), and she placed a couple of times when trained by Joanna Morgan. She went on to become a very successful broodmare, producing nine winners from 10 runners, and is the grandam of a Group 1-winning sprinter, and a smart young stallion.

Three of Geht Schnell’s nine winners were successful at listed level, but I will give the main attention to a filly who won twice at that level, Ruby Rocket (Indian Rocket).

The Listed Firth of Clyde Stakes at two was one of those wins for Ruby Rocket, who sold at the end of her racing career for 340,000gns. She went on to make her mark at stud, her winning offspring led by 14-time winner Maarek (Pivotal) whose biggest success was in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp. Ruby Rocket is also grandam of the New Zealand dual listed winner Pivotal Ten (Ten Sovereigns)

Alexander Alliance

The other stakes winners out of Geht Schnell are Inzar’s Best (Inzar) in Germany, and the juvenile Listed Flame Of Tara Stakes winner Alexander Alliance (Danetime). The latter’s son Mystery Smiles (Mehmas) was placed in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, while her grandson, the three-year-old Powerful Nation (Sioux Nation), won the Listed Midsummer Sprint Stakes this year for the Andrew Slattery father and son team.

The Tally-Ho connection with this family continues through a daughter of Geht Schnell who was unplaced in three starts. Good Clodora (Red Clubs) cost them 7,000gns to buy a year after they sold ger for €48,000 as a yearling. She clicked with Kodiac (Danehill) and produced Ardad.

He won both the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes and the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at two, and is the sire of Perfect Power, who carried the colours of Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, and now stands at Dalham Hall Stud.

Skip back two more generations, and under the fifth dam of Powerful Glory you will find Anita’s Prince (Stravinsky). His three victories included the Group 3 King George Stakes and a listed race, but he was placed at the highest level in both the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes and the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp. He was moderately successful at stud.

Cotai Glory

Cotai Glory covered this year at a career high fee of €15,000, attracting nearly 120 mares. Powerful Glory is from his fourth crop, is his third top-flight winner, and is out of a mare by Kodiac, just as one of his other stars, The Platinum Queen. She won the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp at two, trained by Richard Fahey, and sold that December for 1,200,000gns. The sire’s other top-level winner is Excellent Truth, from his first crop, and she sold last December for €1,600,000 at Arqana. In July, in the colours of John Stewart’s Resolute Racing, she made amends for two close runner-up finishes in Grade 1 company by winning the Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga. They are all among 19 stakes winners for Cotai Glory.

A precocious two-year-old, Cotai Glory numbered the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood among his wins, and at three he was too speedy for Kingsgate Native in the Listed Scarborough Stakes at Doncaster. Moving up a gear at four, he beat Group 1 star Alpha Delphini a Group 3 at Newbury, again over five furlongs, and was beaten a neck by Profitable in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. At five, Cotai Glory was third to Marsha and Lady Aurelia in the Nunthorpe.