JIM BOLGER

Historic Heart (Ire), 2015 g. by Fracas out of Irish Question, by Giant’s Causeway

KERI Brion gave the leg up to Danny Mullins on Historic Heart, and the Irish-bred eight-year-old went one better than two years ago, and this time landed the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial Hurdle at Saratoga. This victory came after a near two-year layoff, and he had Mullins in the saddle two year ago when they chased home another Irish-bred, Belfast Banter, in the same race.

This year saw the 20th year of the Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Year celebrated, and there has been just one dual winner of the main award, Jim Bolger. Now he is back with another nomination thanks to the Grade 1 win for Historic Heart. The gelding won three times over hurdles for Nigel Hawke, at Sedgefield, Wetherby and Perth, before moving to the USA. All his wins there have been in blacktype races.

Both the sire and dam of Historic Heart were trained by Jim Bolger, who has been associated with the family for perhaps half a century. Irish Question’s five winners include another top-level winner, as her son Loch Garman won the Group 1 Criterium International at two. He was trained by Bolger, as too was another high-class member of the family. Historic Heart’s third dam Guess Again was responsible for the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner Eva Luna. Willie Mullins got in on the act with the Bolger-bred Scolardy, an 11-length winner of the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham under Charlie Swan. He appears under the fourth dam.

PRINCESS ZAHRA AGA KHAN, Aga Khan Studs

Calandagan (Ire), 2021 g. by Gleneagles out of Calayana, by Sinndar

HERE is another nomination for a farm that has been a previous winner of the Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Year award, the Aga Khan Studs. Now under the stewardship of Princess Zahra Aga Khan, following her father’s death, this year is proving to be an outstanding one of success for the team.

High on the list of achievements has been Calandagan’s two Group 1 wins, in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. He has been in the money on all 12 of his lifetimes starts, winning six and finishing second five times. Calandagan was runner-up in his first four starts at Group 1 level, and now has won the other two. He is a model of consistency.

A couple of Group 3 victories in France prefaced his challenge for the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, and there he was hugely impressive, winning by six lengths. He is by some margin the biggest earner for his sire, and his fifth Group or Grade 1 winner.

The Aga Khan Studs have retained Calandagan’s dam Calayana and all but one of her offspring. Calayana put in her best performance to run second in the Group 3 Prix Minerve at Deauville. She now has three winners with her first three foals, and the good news is that she is in foal to Siyouni.

BEN SANGSTER

Minnie Hauk (Ire), 2022 f. by Frankel out of Multilingual, by Dansili

JUDDMONTE sponsored the Group 1 Irish Oaks, and while they did not have a runner themselves, the result was still a great one as the winner is from one of their families. As expected, Minnie Hauk added the Irish classic to her win in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom, and this was her fourth victory in just five starts.

Minnie Hauk represents the all-powerful teams of owners Smith/Magnier/Tabor, trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore. Bred by Ben Sangster, she is from a female line that represents the best of Juddmonte, and she provides a further boost to a family with which they have a deep association. In brief, Minnie Hauk is a daughter of Frankel out of a Dansili half-sister to Kingman, and their classic-winning dam Zenda is a half-sister to Oasis Dream.

Minnie Hauk is the latest star performer bred in Ireland by Ben Sangster. He paid $525,000 at Keeneland for Multilingual. Since then her son Tilsit was unlucky not to win a Group 1, beaten a head in the Prix d’Ispahan, but made amends when winning the Group 2 Summer Mile at Ascot. Minnie Hauk was consigned by Camas Park Stud at the 2023 Goffs Orby sale, selling for a sale-topping €1.85 million to Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier. The investment has certainly paid a handsome dividend.

Multilingual is a full-sister to the Group 3 Royal Ascot winner Remote and half-sister to Kingman. They are all out of Zenda, winner of the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas.

SHEIKH MOHAMMED, Godolphin

Tornado Alert (Ire), 2022 c. by Too Darn Hot out of Bint Almatar, by Kingmambo

FOUR sons of Dubawi were represented in the Derby with runners; New Bay, Ghaiyyath, Night Of Thunder and Too Darn Hot. The latter’s runner was the Godolphin homebred Tornado Alert. He won a maiden on the all-weather at Newcastle on his second outing at two, and surprised many when fourth on his only start this year in the Group 1 2000 Guineas, behind Ruling Court.

Tornado Alert was far from disgraced at Epsom, finishing sixth of the 18 runners, weakening inside the final furlong. He reappeared some 12 days later at Royal Ascot and beat 10 opponents in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes, but had to settle for second best behind Trinity College, fourth in the French Derby and later beaten a short head in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris. This set him up nicely for his maiden Group 1 victory, in Germany, where he beat the highly-regarded Map Of Stars.

Godolphin sold Tornado Alert’s dam to Tweenhills at Goffs for just €48,000 in 2022, and after that her son Just Fine (Sea The Stars) went on to win the 12-furlong Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick in Australia. Tweenhills sold Bint Almatar the following year for 80,000gns to Lucky Vega. A winner herself over a mile, Bint Almatar is a half-sister to the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Master Of The Seas, and to the dam of the multiple Australian Group 1 winner Cascadian. This is an outstanding female family.