SIX-FURLONG Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Bobby’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) has made a splendid start at stud and his first runners have shown great versatility, his debut scorers doing so over five and seven furlongs. First up was the Kirsten Rausing homebred Sands Of Time who scorched home five lengths clear of the field over the minimum trip at Lingfield.

Mark Johnston trains Sands Of Time and on Wednesday at Kempton he had to settle for second behind Bobby’s Kitten’s second winner Miami Joy in a seven-furlong maiden. The winner, a bargain £6,000 yearling buy, becomes the seventh successful offspring for his dam Red Blooded Woman (Red Ransom).

Bobby’s Kitten is not the only first-season stallion on the double this week, and Rathbarry Stud’s Kodi Bear is another. Group 1 runner-up to Belardo in the Dewhurst Stakes and winner of the Group 2 Celebration Mile at three, Kodi Bear (Kodiac) started the ball running with his son Campachoochoo winning over five furlongs at Chelmsford, The colt was bred by Stephanie von Schilcher’s Carrigbeg Stud and David Powell.

Twenty minutes later and Kodi Bear doubled up thanks to his daughter, appropriately named Follow Suit. This Tina Cox-bred battled back to beat the favourite, this time over six furlongs.

Under the radar

Among the first season sires off the mark, but under the radar somewhat, is Ajaya (Invincible Spirit). The former Rathbarry Stud resident proved to be sub-fertile and left stud after he got just one mare in foal in his second Irish season. Now his loss is felt more as his first runner, Igotatext, won snugly for trainer Archie Watson at Lingfield. Bred by Peter and Hugh McCutcheon, Igotatext was sold in Part 2 of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale for just €10,000 to Blandford Bloodstock, the same price as the sire’s fee in his first season.

The conqueror of subsequent champion Ribchester in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York, Ajaya had been beaten only a head in the Prix Robert Papin in France by the speedy Gutaifan and was also fourth in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes to Shalaa, the champion British juvenile.

Antoinette Kavanagh of Kildaragh Stud was celebrating on Tuesday when her homebred Forefront won at the second time of asking over seven furlongs at Nantes. This relation to Chesham Stakes winner Suits You (Youmzain) is out of a three-time juvenile winner in France and he had the opposition strung out behind him, winning by six and a half lengths and more. His is the first winner for Tara Stud’s Estidhkaar (Dark Angel), a Group 2 winner twice himself as a juvenile over seven furlongs.

Estidhkaar

Derek Iceton at Tara Stud was delighted on Thursday when Estidhkaar’s Richard Hannon-trained filly Risque opened her account over five furlongs at Lingfield. Bred by veterinary surgeon John Little at his family’s Ennel Lodge Stud, Risque is the fifth winner for her dam.

Belardo (Lope De Vega) beat Kodi Bear to win the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at two and was crowned champion European colt. He was also a Group 1 winning miler at four. He celebrated his first winner as a sire when the William Haggas-trained Golden Melody, an Ennistown Stud-bred 52,000gns yearling, made a successful debut in a six-furlong novice race at Kempton.

Belardo was yet another first-season stallion to welcome his second winner when Got Luck, daughter of Pastiches (Street Cry) who won over nine furlongs at the Curragh when trained by Michael Halford for Sheikh Mohammed, went in at Craon over six and a half furlongs on her debut on Thursday.

At Chantilly it was the turn of a third Darley first-season sire to get off the mark. Territories’ daughter Rougir represented the in-form stable of Cedric Rossi and ran out a length winner of the seven-furlong fillies maiden. Territories (Invincible Spirit) stands at Dalham Hall and this classic-placed, Group 1 winning miler is from the family of Victor Ludorum, Shamardal and Street Cry. He has also sired a couple of placed runners.

Deep Impact son

Martinborough (Deep Impact) is not a sire many will be hugely familiar with. A Group 3 winner from the first crop of his sire, he is closely related to a number of Group 1 winners by Japan’s multiple champion stallion. Martinborough is a half-brother to the dam of Deep Impact’s Group 1 winning fillies Verxina and Vivlos, and this is the immediate family of Cheval Grand, winner of the 2017 Group 1 Japan Cup.

Standing at Haras de Grandchamp, Martinborough’s son Central Park West scored on his debut at Dieppe on Monday over five and a half furlongs. He is from a crop of less than 50 foals.

Compas Stallions’ sire Strath Burn (Equiano) got off to a winning start with his first runner. Last Friday Speed Whay landed a maiden for newcomers over five furlongs at Naples. Runner-up in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at two, Strath Burn won the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes over six furlongs at three before going down by a short head to Twilight Son in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup.

Mention must be made of Ashford Stud’s Air Force Blue (War Front). A triple Group 1 winner at two, his first runner in the USA, Beauty Queen, was a recent winner, and then at Navan on Wednesday he had two representatives from Ballydoyle, Chief Little Hawk winning the five-furlong maiden with Hyde Park Barracks a promising third.

Russian winners

Air Force Blue is not the only US-based stallion off the mark with his first runners. Claiborne Stud’s Ironicus (Distorted Humor) had his first winner, in Russia. This was with Spanish Rider, a colt bought for $14,000 by Red Stable at the Keeneland September Sale. Also tasting success with their first two-year-olds in Russia are two well-bred stallions, Specific Person and San Francisco.

Specific Person (Sea The Stars) has sired a pair of winners, Batalist and Miss Persiya, from just three runners. He himself was sold for €150,000 as a yearling and sent to race in Russia where he was successful four times. He is a half-brother to Group 1 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa (Danehill Dancer),

The unraced San Francisco’s first winner in Russia is Rosanta. A full-brother to four winners, his siblings include the Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks winner Tapestry (Galileo) and the Group 3 juvenile winner John F Kennedy (Galileo). Their dam was the champion European two-year-old filly Rumplestiltskin (Danehill) and her juvenile victories included the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac, the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Group 2 Robert H Griffin Debutante Stakes.

The full list of first-season sires off the mark is: Adaay (Kodiac), Air Force Blue (War Front), Ajaya (Invincible Spirit), Awtaad (Cape Cross), Belardo (Lope De Vega), Bobby’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), Bow Creek (Shamardal), Dariyan (Shamardal), Estidhkaar (Dark Angel), Goken (Kendargent), Ironicus (Distorted Humor), Kodi Bear (Kodiac), Martinborough (Deep Impact), Mehmas (Acclamation), Prince Of Lir (Kodiac), San Francisco (Galileo), Shalaa (Invincible Spirit), Specific Person (Sea The Stars), Strath Burn (Equiano), Territories (Invincible Spirit) and Twilight Son (Kyllachy).