BACIO stamped himself as a world-class sprinting star at York when he took his race record to five wins in six starts, and his Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes victory was especially sweet for Wesley Ward who came close previously to landing the feature.

The winner, a son of Maclean’s Music (Distorted Humor), has only once had his colours lowered, finishing half a length second to the Irish-bred Later Than Planned in the Listed Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita last year on his second start, two months after he won a seven-runner maiden special on his debut at Monmouth Park. That first start was his only run on dirt. Regaining the winning thread a month after being stakes-placed, Bacio was then off the track until late April when he was a convincing winner over the minimum trip at Churchill Downs.

The colt travelled to Royal Ascot for the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap. Bacio made all the running to win unchallenged, and now repeated the feat and took the Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes.

He looks to be a monster over five furlongs, and trainer Ward will now aim him at the Breeders’ Cup and then Australia. Maclean’s Music has four Grade 1 winning sons at stud, and Bacio will surely join that group in due course. Maclean’s Music went to stand at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Kentucky after a single run. That was over six furlongs at Santa Anita at three when he posted a sensational time to win by more than seven lengths. He went to stud on the back of that, being the son of a successful sire and out of a smart racemare, Forest Music (Unbridled’s Song). She won at Grade 2 level, placed twice in Grade 1 races, and went on to breed a trio of Grade 3 winners.

Next Danzig

At the time of his retirement, John G. Sikura, the president of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms, said: “My strong belief in this stallion’s prospect as a leading sire are reminiscent of feelings I had when we started the stallion careers of Candy Ride, Medaglia D’Oro, and Stormy Atlantic. I believe Maclean’s Music can be the next Danzig.” That was a big claim, which didn’t materialise, but the sire has enjoyed success.

Maclean’s Music is best known as the sire of the Eclipse champion sprinter and five-time Grade 1 winner Jackie’s Warrior, while his first crop included classic winner Cloud Computing, successful in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes and a Group 1 sire.

Sire focus: Bayside Boy’s great run continues

I ALWAYS start this section with a warning. Due to the time delay between writing and being seen in print, these statistics are subject to change. That said, nothing can take away from the excellent start at stud made by Ballylinch’s Bayside Boy (New Bay), and his 41% winners to runners strike rate is the best by a stallion with their first runners this year, and with six or more starters.

He also leads when it comes to stakes winners (three), and stakes horses (five), and only lags behind Persian Force when it comes to the number of individual winners, 14 against 17. That said, they are level on wins with 23 apiece. Less than €25,000 separates them in winnings, with Persian Force the first to go through the €600,000 mark. Blackbeard (13) and Minzaal (12) are the other sires in double figures with winners.

One very interesting trend is already evident among three of the five stakes horses sired by Bayside Boy. His newest stakes winner Sale Shark is out of a Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat) mare, the stakes-placed Bayside View is out of a mare by the Iron Horse’s son Shamardal, and the latter’s son Lope De Vega is the damsire of the Group 3 Acomb Stakes-placed Trean. Watch for this cross at the upcoming sales.

I wrote in some detail about the family of Arapaho Gold when he extended his unbeaten season to three wins with victory in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury. That run now stretches to four after he claimed success in the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes. Winners of this race in the past decade include Sands Of Mali, Threat, Minzaal and Lusail, but the gelded Arapaho Gold will not be following a similar path and going on to enjoy a stud career.

Arapaho Gold was bred by Patrick and Ann Marie Burns at Newlands House Stud, and his grandam Changari (Gulch) cost them 30,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale 22 years ago. She was a Juddmonte homebred whose grandam Dangora (Sovereign Dancer) was runner-up in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes and a dual winner from four starts. She was a half-sister to the dams of two-time European champion Zafonic (Gone West), Group 1 Eclipse Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes winner Elmaamul (Diesis), and Group 1 Fillies’ Mile and Oaks winner Reams Of Verse (Nureyev).

Rathasker Stud

Changari did well at stud, all but two of her 13 foals being sired by stallions standing at his brother Maurice’s Rathasker Stud. Seven of her offspring won, and her sole stakes winner was Company Asset (Fast Company). Changari had two foals by Dandy Man (Mozart), one a winner and the other raced without placing. The second of these, Jackie Sparrow, made her way back to Newlands House and bred Funny Money Honey (Bungle Inthejungle) who won the Listed Legacy Stakes at Dundalk.

Changari’s daughter Call Of The Jungle (Bungle Inthejungle), full-sister to the listed-placed and seven-time winner Lost My Sock, was kept and put her in training with Willie McCreery. She won a three-year-old maiden at the Curragh, and two of her first three foals are winners. The Gimcrack win is a great boost to the sale prospects of Arapaho Gold’s half-sister by Coulsty (Kodiac) who is in Book 1 of the Goffs Orby Sale.

Bred by Ballylinch and sold for €52,000 at Tattersalls Ireland’s September Sale last year, Sale Shark looked smart when he won first time out at Hamilton. He headed to Royal Ascot, was fifth of 23 in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes, fifth behind Arapaho Gold in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes, and fourth in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes. His day came at York where he won the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes.

Equally pleased

This win was greeted with delight at Ballylinch, no doubt, but equally pleased will be Grangemore Stud’s Guy O’Callaghan. Back in February he spent €33,000 on Sale Shark’s newly-turned yearling half-brother from the first crop by Shaquille (Charm Spirit). He is to be reoffered in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale with a most attractive update. The dam, Bayja (Giant’s Causeway), has 10 foals of racing age, all have run – a good omen – and eight are winners. New Providence (Bahamian Bounty) is among them and was a Group 3 winner at two.

Bayja was not covered in 2026, but has a good colt on the ground by Starman (Dutch Art).

Bayside Boy was a high-class juvenile who went on to become a Group 1 winning miler. He achieved the latter when beating Modern Games and Inspiral in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. At two he won Doncaster’s Group 2 Champagne Stakes, was third in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and in the Group 1 Vertem Trophy.