GRANGEMORE Stud’s Guy O’Callaghan might not be one of the biggest owners in racing, but he has to be one of the luckiest at present. In the space of three days, both of his only runners this year won, Lola De Valence (Havana Grey) in England and Layla Belle (Supremacy) in Ireland. Both are two-year-old fillies, and each would be a lovely addition to his and wife Serena’s broodmare band in due course.
Lola De Valence (also an 1862 oil painting by French artist Édouard Manet depicting the Spanish dancer Lola Melea which is housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris) is a homebred, and she was never catalogued for sale. Now she is a dual winner, over six furlongs at Nottingham, and over seven at Newmarket. Having travelled to Ireland to contest a listed race at Fairyhouse in search of blacktype on her penultimate outing (she was fourth), she was sent off at 40/1 for the Group 3 Godolphin-backed Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket.
Facing 13 opponents in what was an open contest, Saffie Osborne worked the oracle on Lola De Valance, trained by Rod Millman, and she won by a neck. The seven-furlong trip suited her style of running, finishing well, and everything she does after this will be a bonus. She is the third foal and third winner for her dam Sacred Dance (Sea The Stars), and that mare’s first filly. This year Guy and Serena welcomed another filly, this time by Charyn (Dark Angel).
A no-brainer
Going to Charyn was a no-brainer. Bred at Grangemore, this triple Group 1 winner at four was very popular in his first season at stud, covering 177 mares. Sacred Dance’s first two foals are multiple winners by Charyn’s sire Dark Angel (Acclamation), both trained by James Fanshawe for owner Noel Wilson. Back In Black won at two and three, and on his latest start was beaten a head for third place in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes. The three-year-old Mr Writer has won three times this season.
Sacred Dance won on her second start at two, and only raced once more. O’Callaghan gave 95,000gns for her at three, but this was some write-down from her yearling value of 650,000gns. One of five winners from Janey Muddles (Lawman), also a juvenile winner, Sacred Dance is a half-sister to the dual listed winner Awesometank (Intense Focus), who found only the seven-time Grade 1 winner Sistercharlie too good for her in the Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes.
Lola De Valence is the 22nd group winner and 38th stakes winner for Havana Grey (Havana Gold). He does especially well with his juveniles, and they feature Group 1 winners Vandeek and Orthodox, Group 2 winners Arabian Dusk and Jasour, and Group 3 winners Rumstar, Elite Status, Lola De Valence, Havana Anna, Black Caviar Gold, Eddie’s Boy and Lady Hollywood.
Layla Belle
Victory for Lola De Valence was last Friday, while on Wednesday at Navan, Layla Belle, trained by Daniel McLoughlin, got up by a short head to win a 21-runner maiden. She was running for the second time. Another who was never catalogued for sale, Layla Belle is the sixth winner for her dam Layla Jamil (Exceed And Excel), and the others are all by Dark Angel. The best of these was her first foal, Birchwood.
Initially raced by David Armstrong, by the time Birchwood won the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at two he was carrying the colours of Godolphin. He was placed in the Group 1 National Stakes and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland.
ELEANORA Kenndy is one of the most enthusiastic owners about, and she spends her summers in Ireland, her second home. She recently was interviewed on RTE radio by Miriam O’Callaghan and what an interesting life she has lived, and continues to have. It is certainly worth a listen and, should you use Instagram, Eleanora is also very active there (@contessaek).
Now, to the latest winner she has had, which came at Naas on Sunday. Formous’s win in the six-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden was a marked improvement from her debut over the same course and distance in August. She can improve further, and a step up to group class would not be out of the question. Time will certainly see her get better.
Bred by Tally-Ho Stud, Formous is from the second crop by Starman (Dutch Art), and the grey topped the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale back in May. A full-sister to last year’s two-year-old winner Smartman, she cost Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman €360,000, the third highest price for a filly ever at the sale. The agent stood alone and took instructions on the telephone throughout. There was spirited bidding for the sale’s best.
Surprised
After the purchase Boman said: “It slightly surprised me that we were pushed that far, but she is the one filly who really got my imagination going. Certain horses really capture your attention, and she was one from the moment I saw her in the pre-breeze. She is pretty hard to miss due to her colour and has those lovely big ears.
“She is a quality filly, she had a good look at everything, takes it all in, has a massive stride, and is from great vendors and breeders.
“We bought Dream Ahead before [from the same family]. The mare has done a very good job, and is unlucky not to have a stakes winner, Starman is going from strength to strength and the Tally-Ho stallion machine is flying! Her owner is to be decided, but Joseph O’Brien will train her. Her stride length is very good, and her time was too. I reckon she will stay seven furlongs.”
Originally registered in the name of Annemarie O’Brien, this changed in advance of her debut to that of Eleanora Kennedy and Ronan Hurley. Smartman won in Qatar, while an earlier produce of the mare, I Am Invictus (Cotai Glory), was trained by Michael O’Callaghan. Patently talented, he only ran three times; third to Coventry Stakes winner River Tiber on debut, beaten a neck by Group 1 runner-up Pearls And Rubies next time out, and fourth in the Group 2 Railway Stakes on his only other run.
Evie Stockwell
Formous is out of an unraced half-sister to Fairyland (Kodiac), successful in Evie Stockwell’s silks in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and the following year’s Group 1 Flying Five Stakes, more than justifying her 925,000gbs yearling sale price. She and the Australian Group 2 winner and Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas-third Now Or Never (Bushranger) are daughters of a half-sister to the brilliant sprinter, dual European champion, four-time Gr.1 winner and Group 1 sire Dream Ahead (Diktat).
The family received yet another major boost this year, when the unraced Manaajim (Muhaarar) bred the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Almeraq (Dark Angel). Manaajim is a half-sister to the dam of Formous. This is a family on the up and up, and hopefully Formous (which is a rarely used adjective that means beautiful) add her own piece to the story.