THEY’RE off. The European turf season is underway, in France and Ireland, and a whole lot of race watchers will emerge from hibernation to follow classic hopes, promising maiden winners from last year, and welcome with great expectations the first runners from our racing heroes of just a few seasons ago.

In Ireland, the Curragh was the setting on Sunday for the first meeting of the 2026 season, and it was a warm-up act for me because at dawn the following day I was on my way to just outside Rosegreen, near Cashel, to see some of the bluest-bloods put through gentle paces at Aidan O’Brien’s famous yard, the splendid Ballydoyle. A couple of hours after arriving at the front gates for a 7am start, I left with so many indelible pictures in my head.

I suppose two horses stand out. Albert Einstein and Minnie Hauk are the immediate pair on just about everyone’s lips when you mention the potential Ballydoyle stars of 2026. The parade of talent on Monday morning was nothing short of exceptional. Like others at the gallops, I was keen to try to ‘read between the lines’ when listening to the maestro run through maybe 40 of the horses in his care. Could I discern a little more enthusiasm for one over another among the ‘dark horses’?

When I headed for home, there was one name that kept coming to the fore. Montreal. The three-year-old son of Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) holds all the classic entries, but he could be one for the Derby in due course. His debut last July seemed unexceptional and he had to play third fiddle to a pair of colts trained by Aidan’s two sons, though significantly he had his stablemate Pierre Bonnard, winner of his next three starts including a French Group 1, back in fourth.

The slow start made by Montreal on that Leopardstown debut was forgotten two weeks later when he raced for the second time, again at the Co Dublin venue. No chances were taken and no mistakes were made when the colt broke well, made all, and ran out an eight-length winner. The manner of his win was more visually impressive than about anything he beat, and we did not see him again. He is certainly one to keep on the right side of this year.

Eighth winner

If any horse in Ballydoyle has Epsom Derby written all over him, Montreal has to be on the shortlist.

His sire won the Derby and has sired a winner of the race, and Montreal comes from the family of his sire on the dam side. The eighth winner for his dam Muwakaba (Elusive Quality), one of which was the Group 2 Blandford Stakes winner and Group 1 Irish Oaks second Cayenne Pepper (Australia), Montreal would seem to have it all. Tom Magnier spent 2,000,000gns to acquire Cayenne Pepper in 2021.

Montreal’s grandam Saleela (Nureyev) is a half-sister to Urban Sea (Miswaki), the Arc winner who went on to become one of the most influential mares of the last 50 years. She is dam of Sea The Stars and his Derby-winning half-brother Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), while another Epsom hero in the family is Masar (New Approach). You can’t say I didn’t tell you.

Byrne sisters start with a win

WHAT a record the opening two-year-old race of the 2026 flat season in Ireland has compiled in the past three years. It has been farmed in that period by Amo Racing, and each year it was won by a colt who went on to win at Group 1 level.

In 2023, Bucanero Fuerte (Wootton Bassett) scored, starting the winning sequence, and he later took the honours back at the Curragh in the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes. Twelve months later and it was the turn of the subsequent Group 1 Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev) to win, and he has commenced stallion duties at the Irish National Stud.

Last year it was Power Blue, a first crop son of Space Blues (Dubawi), to bring up the Amo treble, and he followed the path of Bucanero Fuerte and added the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes to his roll of honour. This year the team in purple and yellow was double-handed in the race, sponsored by Capital Stud in honour of their new sire Topgear, but they had to settle for minor places behind the Jack Foley-trained Ruler’s Control.

Ruler’s Control, a son of Territories (Invincible Spirit), is the fourth winner out of Reinette (Dansili), and that mare was purchased by Harriet Byrne carrying the weekend winner for just €7,000 at Goffs from Ringfort Stud. That price was a long way from the 155,000gns Reinette cost as a filly out of training from Juddmonte in 2015, after she had been placed in France. Having foaled Ruler’s Control, the sisters Harriet and Jenny Byrne sent Reinette to St Mark’s Basilica (Siyouni), and sold the filly she had last year for €98,000.

Juddmonte bloodline

As you might expect from a Juddmonte bloodline, Reinette’s family is not lacking in class. She has just two winning siblings, but one of these was the Grade 2 winner Starformer (Dynaformer), and she in turn is responsible for the Irish and US listed winner Flavius (War Front). Starformer is the best offspring of the Group 1 Prix de la Foret winner Etoile Montante (Miswaki) who won at up to Grade 2 level in the USA. Three times Etoile Montante was runner-up in Group/Grade 1 races, and she placed in the French 1000 Guineas.

Four of Etoile Montante’s siblings bred stakes winners. Her half-sister Uno Duo (Macho Uno), a minor stakes winner in the USA, produced the Grade 1-winning mare Obligatory (Curlin). Their twice-raced half-sister Prima Centauri (Distant View) is the grandam of Country Grammer (Tonalist), and he won the Group 1 Dubai World Cup.

Back under the fourth dam, Nijinsky Star (Nijinsky), there is an explosion of blacktype. Group and Grade 1 winners abound, in the USA, France, England and Australia, and some of the familiar names include champion juvenile and dual classic winner Special Duty (Hennessy), seven-time US Grade 1 winner Sightseek (Distant View), dual Grade 1 winner Tates Creek (Rahy), and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye (Acclamation).

Final season

Territories final European crop are yearlings this year, the result of his eighth and final season at Dalham Hall Stud. He covered 85 mares that year, fuelled by the successes of such as Regional in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup, and Rougir in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera and Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes. Rougir sold for €3 million as a three-year-old. However, these successes were not enough to keep Territories under the Darley banner, and he sold to stand at Poonawalla Stud Farms where he is embarking on his second season.

Then along comes his best runner, Lazzat, who has won eight times, been runner-up four times from 15 starts, and is a Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot and in France. He has won almost £2.5 million, and is sure to add substantially to that haul in the years to come for Wathnan Racing and trainer Jerome Reynier.