THE Triple Crown is a term that will be much used during the winter, and all thanks to a horse called Darkness Falls (Camelot).

I was 13 years of age when the last horse to achieve this feat in Britain, the Vincent O’Brien-trained Nijinsky, won the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger, and he became the 15th horse in history to do so. Modern day fashions in breeding have lessened its appeal, but a potential bonus of £2 million on top of the prizemoney is surely a carrot worth trying to get your hands on. It will be interesting to see if the bonus is offered again this year.

In his post-race interviews, M.V. Magnier mentioned that the partnership in Darkness Falls would love to win The Triple Crown, ensuring for them a place in history. When you have won every race worth winning, and many of them on multiple occasions, this would be something special. Anyone suggesting that it would be damaging to a colt’s future prospects as a sire, remember that Camelot (Montjeu) came so close to being a Triple Crown winner, and look at how well he is doing at stud.

Darkness Falls has done something that Camelot never even attempted, and that was to run over seven furlongs. Camelot won the mile Group 1 Racing Post Trophy on his second start at two, and won three classics at three before he was beaten three-parts of a length by Encke in the St Leger. The career path of Darkness Falls looked to be going in a similar direction, before Aidan O’Brien produced yet another piece of training magic.

A seven-length maiden winner over a mile on his second start, Darkness Falls was upped to nine furlongs to land the first running of the Golden Fleece Stakes as a Group 1 contest, putting four and a quarter lengths and more between himself and his eight opponents. Had connections decided then to go into winter quarters as Derby favourite, it would have been understandable. Instead, Darkness Falls was dropped back to seven furlongs and beat the highly-rated Godolphin homebred Desert Castle by a neck in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

The debate is whether Darkness Falls will stay the St Leger trip, given that his dam You’resobeautiful (No Nay Never) was a five-furlong winner and narrowly beaten over six, and she was runner-up in a listed race at two. She is a daughter of Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Hula Angel (Woodman). That said, there is plenty of evidence that getting a trip is not a problem to family members. Darkness Falls’ is the second foal of his dam, her first won over six furlongs at two, and there are two sons of Camelot following on.

Strong edition

Hula Angel never raced beyond a mile, and a busy juvenile season saw her win the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes. That was a particularly strong edition of the race, as Hula Angel beat the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas winner Valentine Waltz into second place, while down the field was Wince, and she landed the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket the following May.

At stud, Hula Angel would have been marked as an average producer, given that You’resobeautiful and her half-brother The Fist Of God (Sadler’s Wells), runner-up at two in the Listed Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown over nine furlongs, were her best runners on the flat. The Fist Of Gold was later a talented hurdler, a Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed, but he died at four. He was followed by Tigris River (Montjeu), bred on a similar cross to Darkness Falls, and he gave Joseph O’Brien an early boost to his training career when finishing with a flourish to take the 2017 Galway Hurdle. He won over two and a half miles on the flat.

An unraced full-sister to Tigris River, Promise Me (Montjeu), is the dam of a popular stayer of recent years, Coltrane (Mastercraftsman). On the last of his 35 starts, Coltrane was runner-up to Caballo De Mar in the Group 1 Prix du Cadran 12 months ago. Then an eight-year-old, he was less than a length second to Courage Mon Ami in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup, while his nine wins included victories in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup and Group 2 Doncaster Cup, defeating Courage Mon Ami and Trueshan.

Leading sire

Camelot has been affirming his status as a leading sire this year, with a classic winner in Christmas Day, the hero of Epsom in June. He needs just one more pattern winner to reach 50, while his tally of blacktype winners stands at 75. Camelot’s 15 Group/Grade 1 winners include a number at two, notably Luxembourg, Los Angeles, Pierre Bonnard and Wonderment. Now we can add Darkness Falls to that list, though he is unique in being the first of that cohort to win two Group 1s as a juvenile.

Darkness Falls was bred by Paul Shanahan’s Lynch Bages Ltd. His year-older half-brother The Flying Seagull (Kodiac) is due for sale from Hugo Palmer’s Manor House Stables at the end of the month at Tattersalls. He is one of the later lots on the final day of that sale.

WHAT do Darkness Falls (Camelot) and Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Big Mojo (Mohaather) have in common? They are the two top-level winners out of mares by No Nay Never (Scat Daddy), and given that they are among just six blacktype winners for the Coolmore stallion as a damsire, it is a statistic worth noting.

The oldest mares by No Nay Never are just 10, so to have already become the damsire of two Group 1 winners will surely focus much attention on his daughters who come up for sale. There is a chance to buy five at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale later in the month.

The quintet starts with three-year-old Loquella (Lot 250), a six-furlong two-year-old winner trained by Charlie Johnston, whose half-sister Lupa (Lope De Vega) gave the filly’s sale prospects a boost last month where she won a Grade 3 at Woodbine, and looks sure to add more. She is followed the next day by the unraced two-year-old Grateful Spirit (554), the second foal of the Group 3 Athasi Stakes winner With Thanks (Camacho) who was second in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes. She is offered for sale from Karl Burke’s.

James Tate saddled the two-year-old Beautiful Rainbow (807) to win at the third time of asking in June. She is the first foal out of Rainbow Colours (Dark Angel), and that mare is a three-time winning half-sister to a pair of pattern winners at two, Amadeus Wolf (Mozart) in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and Group 3 hero Rouleau (Exceed And Excel). Highclere Thoroughbreds is selling the three-year-old Ravishing (1015). She has run twice and been placed. Bred by Paul Shanahan and a 155,000gns yearling, Ravishing is out of a Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) mare who won twice.

The final Daughter of No Nay Never on offer will be the second into the ring on the final day. No Way Hozay (1210) is out of an unraced half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer), and she is the dam of three Group 1 winners.