PRIX Robert Papin winner Green Sense will be among the star attractions at Kensington Palace Gardens on Monday afternoon, as racing’s movers and shakers warm up for Royal Ascot at the Goffs London Sale.
Joseph O’Brien’s Group 1-placed Starman filly comes with the added appeal of a likely entry in Saturday’s Jersey Stakes and also currently holds an entry in the Coronation Stakes. The €90,000 yearling purchase is a half-sister to two stakes horses, including Group 3 winner K Club.
Michael O’Callaghan will offer another group-placed daughter of Starman in Sky Watch, with a probable entry in the Sandringham Stakes. The winner of a Dundalk maiden in November, she returned to finish fifth in the Athasi Stakes and went on to finish third in the Group 2 German 1000 Guineas.
O’Callaghan will also offer the lightly-raced Bamako Beach following the Sands Of Mali colt’s seventh in the Irish 2000 Guineas on his third start. Goffs have listed the Britannia Stakes and Jersey Stakes as probable entries for the 102-rated three-year-old.
O’Callaghan sold Michael Schofield to BBA Ireland for £350,000 at last year’s sale and the dual winner went on to land a valuable listed race at Riyadh in February. Sky Racing Club bought Fairy Oak from the same draft for £225,000 and the promising filly went on to finish a fine fifth in the Albany Stakes before landing a Leopardstown maiden.
Star graduate
Ghostwriter topped last year’s sale when bringing £2million from Amo Racing, but it was the underbidder – Resolute’s John Stewart – who has enjoyed the most success from last year’s sale, as his £625,000 buy Woodshauna went on to win the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat.
Francis Graffard’s colt proved that was no fluke next time out when finishing third against his elders in the Prix Maurice de Gheest.
In 2022, Andy Slattery’s Meadowview Stables offered a 96-rated three-year-old named Fian McHugh. Renamed Red Lion after arriving in Hong Kong, the Belardo gelding progressed to win the Group 1 Champions Mile last April.
Next week, Slattery will offer the three-year-old Lope De Vega gelding ambitiously named God Of Power. The chesnut is now rated 88 following his recent runner-up effort at Listowel, having won a Limerick maiden on his previous start.
Noel Meade consigns the hugely progressive Bobby McGee, who is now three from three this season, rising from a rating of 81 to 93. The Mayson gelding will aim to maintain a perfect record in the Britannia Stakes on Thursday.
Promising precocity
Three-time winner Trinquette is the sole entry at this stage from France, with Tim Donworth offering the City Light colt off the back of his fourth-placed effort in the Listed Prix de Pontarme at Longchamp.
A host of promising juveniles also feature, including two from the Robson de Aguiar yard. Your Song made her second start a winning one when making all in the Coolmore Stud Blackbeard Race, won in recent years by Royal Ascot-winning two-year-olds Charles Darwin and River Tiber.
Smart Naas winner Your Song (right) is one of two juveniles catalogued from Robson de Aguiar \ Healy Racing
She holds an entry in the Queen Mary Stakes, while stablemate Immortal Guard is entered in the Coventry Stakes. The Persian Force colt made a winning debut at the Curragh last month before finishing third to Great Barrier Reef in the Marble Hill Stakes.
Harry Eustace’s six-length Pontefract maiden winner Green Sovereign holds entries in both the Coventry Stakes and Windsor Castle Stakes, as does Ed Walker’s Thirsk winner Alfred Wallace, a Dubawi colt out of Sky Lantern.
Nigel Tinker’s Norfolk Stakes contender El Floridita will be offered alongside stablemate Ronson, a five-length winner at Beverley. Micheal Keady’s smart debut winner Dee’s Funny Girl will be offered by Consign Ltd with an entry in the Queen Mary Stakes, while GET will consign promising newcomer Kentucky Rain with entries in both juvenile fillies’ contests.
The full catalogue, race videos, conformation footage and Royal Ascot targets are available on the Goffs website. Attendance at Kensington Palace Gardens is strictly by invitation only.
FIVE supplementary entries were added to the catalogue on Thursday evening and four of them have entries at Royal Ascot.
Santa Bravado (Lot 18) joins the catalogue following an impressive victory over 10 furlongs at Navan on May 16th. Trained by Andy Oliver, the son of Iffraaj stayed on well to win and holds an entry in the Golden Gates Stakes.
Noble Horizon (Lot 19) arrives after an eye-catching five-and-a-half-length success over 10 furlongs at Leicester on June 8th. The four-year-old son of Kingman is trained by young Newmarket trainer, Oli Rix.
Ten Carat Harry (Lot 20) brings a proven record at a high level. The Jamie Osborne-trained three-year-old is a seven-time winner and rated 101, having added another success at Newmarket on his penultimate start. He is expected to target the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Classic-winning trainer George Boughey’s Baltic Fleet (Lot 21) has won or been placed on each of his last four starts and holds entries in both the King George V Stakes and Golden Gates Stakes at Royal Ascot. The son of Space Blues has established himself as a progressive middle-distance handicapper.
Trinquette (Lot 22) trained by Chantilly trainer Tim Donworth, advertised his potential with a comfortable victory over a mile on June 8th. The son of City Light holds an entry in the Britannia Stakes and looks set to continue progressing through the handicap ranks.