WHEN it comes to training two-year-olds, there are few better than Eve Johnson Houghton. With relatively inexpensive yearling purchases and with horses she bred herself, Eve has produced lots of group and listed winners at two, and a number who have taken home big purses in sales races.

At Royal Ascot this year, Havana Hurricane (cost 9,000gns) won the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes, and on Thursday at Newmarket, Zavateri (Without Parole) kept his unbeaten status when readily landing the Group 2 July Stakes, a race won in the past decade by such as Mehmas, Advertise, Persian Force and, last year, by Whistlejacket. Johnson Houghton previously won the Windsor Castle Stakes with Chipotle, a 10,000gns yearling purchase.

Last year Johnson Houghton’s homebred Betty Clover took the Listed Marygate Stakes, while the previous year she had two significant juvenile winners in Group 3 winner Juniper Berries (cost 28,000gns), while Indian Run landed the Group 3 Acomb Stakes. He was an ‘expensive’ buy at 75,000gns. Bred by her mother, the Group 1 winner Accidental Agent was unsold as a yearling at 8,000gns, and wound up with winnings of £750,000.

Zavateri, who sold to Highflyer Bloodstock and Johnson Houghton for 35,000gns, was providing a significant win for her sire Without Parole (Frankel), delivering for that Newsells Park Stud sire a first stakes winner. This is Without Parole’s second crop, and his first included Fiery Lucy who got to within a neck of Heaven’s Gate in the Group 3 Park Stakes, having finished second to her also in the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes at Naas. Sea To Sky was also stakes-placed at two last year, when Without Parole’s tally of juvenile first crop winners came to a dozen.

This week has been good for Without Parole. At Naas over the weekend, Ger Lyons saddled Genchev to make his debut in the inaugural Listed Irish EBF Pat Smullen Stakes, and while he was no match for the first two, he was an admirable third.

Zavateri was bred by John Gunther in partnership, and he is the first foal out of the unraced Zeroua (Siyouni), purchased by Mark McStay’s Avenue Bloodstock at Arqana for €90,000 with the specific aim of being bred to Without Parole.

Meteoric rise

Without Parole was a six-length winner over a mile at Newcastle on his only start at two, trounced Ostilio by the same margin at Yarmouth, and then landed a listed contest at Sandown, all at odds-on. He was also favourite when winning the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he beat classic-placed Gustav Klimt by half a length, the pair over three lengths clear of the rest. They included Tip Two Win who had been runner-up in the 2000 Guineas, Irish classic winner Romanised, and star juvenile and future sprint ace U S Navy Flag.

Without Parole’s time in the USA yielded a trio of Grade 1 thirds, including the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Some thought him unlucky the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland, his strong late finish from a difficult position carrying him into fourth, only beaten by a total of three-parts of a length by the previous year’s Preakness Stakes winner, War Of Will.

There will be few juvenile pattern winners in 2025 with a better back pedigree than that of the July Stakes winner. Zavateri has a yearling half-sister by Ghaiyyath (Dubawi), and their dam is a half-sister to the Australian dual Group 3 winner Zeyrek (Sea The Stars). He was placed in a Group 2. Their dam, the unraced Zerkaza (Dalakhani), is a daughter of the brilliant Zarkava (Zamindar).

Described by the late Aga Khan IV as one of the greatest racemares ever, Zarkava went through two seasons unbeaten, and was twice accorded the title of champion filly in Europe.

Six of her seven starts were in pattern company, five times at Group 1 level, and she recorded victories in the Prix Marcel Boussac at two, the two French classics for her sex, and the Prix Vermeille. She ended her perfect racing career with success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

At stud, Zarkava is still exerting a huge influence, Her son Zarak (Sea The Stars) won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and was classic-placed, but now he is excelling in his second career as a stallion.

One of Zarkava’s two stakes-winning daughters has put the family firmly back centre-stage this year, being responsible for Zarigana (Siyouni), winner of the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas.

My coffee connection to the German Derby winner

I LOVE my coffee, and believe me I have tasted a lot of different beans.

One of my absolute favourites is that sold by Lucy and James O’Keeffe at the Curragh’s Orby’s By Lucy. Many readers will have visited this great place, renowned for its food and welcome.

Eighty9 is the brand of the coffee bean they serve, roasted in Dun Laoghaire by J.J. Darboven. It is a staple in my home, and always meets with approval. What I have only come to realise is that the owner of the company is the Hamburg resident Albert Darboven, and for some 16 years he and his family’s coffee business have sponsored the Group 1 Deutsches (German) Derby.

His connection with the race goes deeper, as Darboven won the contest more than three decades ago with his homebred Pik Koenig, while last Sunday’s winner is by a sire he stands at his Gestüt Idee, Polish Vulcano. This son of Lomitas (Niniski) raced for five seasons, had his most prolific year at three when he won four times, though he gained his biggest win at five in the 10-furlong Group 3 Preis der Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe.

Retired to Idee where he has been based since 2016 as a stallion, Polish Vulcano has never enjoyed great support, and his book numbers of mares has ranged from single figures to about 15. Maybe breeders will appreciate his talent a little more now. Prior to last weekend’s German Derby win, Polish Vulcano’s best runner was the dual Group 3 St Leger Italiano hero Sir Polski from his first crop, and not surprisingly that classic winner was bred and raced by Darboven.

What about the latest Deutsches Derby hero? Well, his name is Hochkonig, he was the first winner of the classic ridden by a female, and furthermore she is still an amateur rider, This was just a second win for the colt, though he was fancied having run second in the Group 2 Union-Rennan at Koln (Cologne). Bred by Marc and Gabi Ruehl, revered as outstanding racing photographers in Germany, Hochkonig is one of two winners for her dam Halinara (Kallisto) who won three times.

The other winner is Halima (Tertullian). Gabi and Marc Ruehl intend sending Halima and her dam to Polish Vulcano next year. They may well have a few extra breeders using the sire. All five successful runners out of Halinara’s dam won more than once, the most prolific being eight-time Italian winner Hamun (Monsun), and Heluan (Sillery) who landed seven victories in Germany.