BOUGHT at Fasig-Tipton by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $825,000 as a yearling, the Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism (Curlin) ran three times at two, starting with a placed effort at Santa Anita in late October, followed by victory at Del Mar, and capping his juvenile year with success in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity.

Journalism has faced the starter on four occasions this year, and met with defeat just once, finishing second to Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. He prepped for the first leg of the Triple Crown with victories in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, and now has made amends for his Derby runner-up finish by landing a dramatic success in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, the 150th running of that Pimlico centrepiece.

There are plenty of Irish connections to Journalism, who in time will take up stud duties under the Coolmore banner at Ashford Stud. Sue Magnier and partners are among the colt’s owners, as is John Malone’s Bridlewood Farm. Malone owns Ballylinch and Castlemartin Studs.

Great start

What a start at stud Journalism’s dam has had. He is the first foal out of Mopotism (Uncle Mo), and while she was very useful as a racemare, she only won three times in 26 outings. Her Grade 2 Santa Anita win in the La Canada Stakes was thoroughly deserved, as she was runner-up three times in Grade 2 company, and four times placed in Grade 1 stakes races.

Mopotism’s unraced two-year-old colt by Tapit (Pulpit) sold for $1,500,000 last year and has been named Nitro Tap, while her yearling filly is by Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday).

With her first two offspring selling for more than $2.3 million, Mopotism has made some profit on the $1.05 million she cost Don Alberto Corporation back in 2019. That was her fourth time to sell at public auction, and she has increased in value with each sale. She was a $135,000 foal, $200,000 yearling, and a $300,000 breezer.

Mopotism is the best of four winners to date from the unplaced Peppy Rafaela (Bernardini), three of which are by Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie). They include Ruth, successful on her debut at two last year, but who has failed to build on that. Apart from Journalism and Mopotism, the only stakes winner in four generations of this family is Songster (Songandaprayer), a half-brother to Peppy Rafaela. He was a smart winner at Grade 2 level, with all but one of his four victories being gained in graded stakes.

Best sires

One of the best sires in the USA on a consistent basis, Curlin (Smart Strike)

is turned 21 this year, and covers at Hill ‘N’ Dale for a fee of $225,000. He has been represented by 109 stakes winners in total, numerous champions, and last year his yearlings realised up to $5 million. Twice Horse of the Year, at three and four (he did not race at two), Curlin won 11 races. In the US Triple Crown he won the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, was second in the Belmont Stakes and third in the Kentucky Derby.

At stud, Curlin’s first crop included the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice (now a Group 1 sire), and one of his more recent Grade 1 winners is the now retired Idiomatic. Curlin has sired six Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup winners, half of them winning on the one day. He achieved that feat twice!

As a winner of the Preakness Stakes, Curlin is now the sire of two winners of that middle-leg of the Triple Crown. The other was Exaggerator nine years ago. That colt, now banished to stud in Louisiana, had an identical record to Journalism, winning the Santa Anita Derby before running second at Churchill Downs, and coming back to land the Preakness.

Starman by name, and now by his results

I MAKE no apologies for writing about Tally-Ho Stud’s Starman daughter Lady Iman for a second time, as she continues to be the standard-bearer for the son of Dutch Art (Medicean).

The O’Callaghan’s homebred’s initial appearance in this column came when she got her first-season sire off the mark this year, and she could have been written about again when she won second time out, taking the Listed First Flier Stakes at the Curragh.

Now, she continues her upward trajectory with a win at Naas in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Blackbeard Fillies’ Sprint Stakes on just her third run. Recent winners of this contest include Fairy Godmother, Porta Fortuna, Meditate and Alpha Centauri.

Blacktype performer

Not only did Starman sire the winner of the Group 3 race, but he supplied the runner-up, Green Sense, for good measure. The pair are among five winners at the time of writing from the Group 1 July Cup winner’s first crop of more than 200, and his odds of being the champion at the season’s end are shortening with each passing week. He is the only one of his peers with any blacktype performer to date.

Starman was honoured with the Cartier Sprinter Award in 2021, and was rated the champion older sprinter in Europe. Unraced at two (no hindrance to siring precocious types), Starman won all but one of his four starts at three, including a listed race, and was a very much improved runner at four. That season he faced the starter four times, and his second win came when he landed the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes. Starman found one too good for him in the Group 1 Haydock Park Sprint, and was placed in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Lady Iman is the third foal and winner for Lady Aria (Kodiac) who ran for Amo Racing. A 125,000gns yearling, she earned a Group 3 placing when still a maiden, second in the Dick Poole Stakes, before winning on her final run at two. She sold to Tally-Ho at the end of her second season for 160,000gns, and was covered in her first year at stud by Showcasing (Oasis Dream). The result was the juvenile winner Succession.

Next up was West Acre (Mehmas), this year’s winner of the Group 2 Blue Point Sprint and Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint Stakes, both at Meydan. Lady Aria’s fourth produce is a yearling colt by Tally-Ho’s Persian Force (Mehmas). She and the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up Union Rose (Stimulation) are a pair of five juvenile winners out of the unraced Dot Hill (Refuse To Bend). Dot Hill has six winning siblings, the best being Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes second Taajub (Exceed And Excel).

Deserved boosts

While the siblings West Acre and Lady Iman have given this family well-deserved boosts, a half-sister to Dot Hill has played a significant role in upgrading the pedigree. She is Purplest (Iffraaj) who, in 2023, was responsible for the listed sprint winner Iconic Moment (Harry Angel), and last year her daughter Bright Thunder (Night Of Thunder) won the Listed Prix de Bagatelle at Chantilly.

Noble Rose (Caerleon) is the fourth dam of Lady Iman and she raced for Sheikh Mohammed, trained by Luca Cumani. Winner of a race in each of the three seasons she ran from two to four, Noble Rose gained her biggest win in the Group 3 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster. At three she landed the Listed Galtres Stakes at York before going down by less than a length in the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu.

Noble Rose was a success at stud with seven winning offspring. Her son Notability (King’s Best) won a Group 2 in Germany, where he was a leading miler, and was a Group 1 runner-up in the Premio Vittorio di Capua in Milan. His own-brother Simon De Montfort (King’s Best) was prolific, his six victories including the Group 3 Prix La Force.