JUVENILE star and high-class sprinter No Nay Never (by Scat Daddy) became the first freshman sire of 2018 to get a stakes winner in Europe when Servalan took the Listed Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies’ Sprint Stakes over six furlongs at Naas on Sunday.
A member of that race sponsor’s powerful team, the stallion’s first crop made up to 850,000gns at auction last year, and four of his other runners are winners (up to Wednesday night), including US scorer Mae Never No and the Aidan O’Brien-trained The Irish Rover.
The latter got off the mark at the third attempt by winning a valuable conditions event in good style over six furlongs at Newbury last Saturday.
Servalan, on the other hand, is trained by Jessica Harrington, and she had been runner-up on her debut at Dundalk a fortnight before.
She was bred by Noeleen McCreevy, she is a €50,000 Goffs Orby Sale graduate, and she is the second winner from the first four foals out of Catch The Eye (by Oratorio), a McCreevy homebred who was listed-placed at Leopardstown and won at up to eight and a half furlongs.
Her grandam, Lexy May (by Lear Fan), is a winning half-sister to Group 3 Musidora Stakes winner Secret History (by Bahri) and to three other blacktype earners, and the fourth dam is dual Grade 1-placed Lake Valley (by Mr Prospector) whose six wins in the USA included one listed contest.
No Nay Never has made a promising start to his stallion career.
Two other blacktype contests on the card both went to sons of the late and much lamented Ashford Stud sire Scat Daddy (by Johannesburg).
Noted here largely for his sprinters - plus Mendelssohn, of course - and in the USA for his sprinters, milers and 10-furlong runners - headed by dual classic hero Justify - in South America he was a premier source of classic horses up to 12 furlongs, which offers hope that his exciting US son could complete the Triple Crown at Belmont Park next month.
His two Naas winners, however, are typical of what many have come to expect of him in Europe - sprinters.
Sergei Prokofiev confirmed his status as the best juvenile seen out so far this year with a four-length score in the Listed Coolmore War Command Rochestown Stakes over five furlongs.
Bred in Canada by Anderson Farms (Ontario) Inc, the early February-born bay made $1,100,000 from Book 2 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and he is out of Orchard Beach (by Tapit), who is a half-sister to six-furlong Grade 3 scorer Necessary Evil (by Harlan’s Holiday).
The other Scat Daddy winner was Sioux Nation, who won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes and Group 2 Norfolk Stakes last year and added Sunday’s six-furlong, Group 3 Goffs Lacken Stakes.
He is the second foal out of Dream The Blues (by Oasis Dream) who is a winning daughter of Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes heroine and Group 1 Sprint Cup third Catch The Blues (by Bluebird).
GILLTOWN Stud’s Timeform 140-rated champion Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) is well-established as one of Europe’s leading sires and his excellent start to 2018 includes a recent blacktype treble.
Stradivarius got the ball rolling with an impressive odds-on success in the Group 2 Mansionbet Yorkshire Cup over 14 furlongs at York, taking the John Gosden-trained chesnut’s record to five wins from 10 starts.
Winner of the Group 1 Goodwood Cup and third in the Group 1 St Leger last year, Bjorn Nielsen’s homebred is out of Private Life (by Bering). That makes him a half-brother to the pattern-placed 105-rated handicapper Rembrandt Van Rijn (by Peintre Celebre) and to dual 10-furlong German Group 3 scorer Persian Storm (by Monsun).
His dam was stakes placed over middle-distances in France, and as she is out of Poughkeepsie (by Sadler’s Wells), she is a half-sister to 15-furlong listed winner Pretty Tough (by Desert King).
More notable, however, is his the identity of his third dam as she is the brilliant Pawneese (by Carvin). She won six of her 10 starts, including the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom in 1976, and earned a Timeform rating of 131.
TWO-FOR-TWO
Crystal Ocean split Capri and Stradivarius in the St Leger at Doncaster, he won the Group 3 Gordon Stakes easily on his previous start, and he is now two-for-two this year.
He took the Group 3 Gordon Richard Stakes over 10 furlongs at Sandown on his seasonal reappearance and then trounced Second Step by six lengths in the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes (registered as the Aston Park Stakes) over 12 furlongs at Newbury on Saturday.
Sir Evelyn De Rothschild’s homebred is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner and young Garryrichard Stud stallion Hillstar (by Danehill Dancer), to triple Group 2 heroine Crystal Capalla (by Cape Cross), and to listed scorer Crystal Zvezda (by Dubawi).
His dam, Crystal Star (by Mark Of Esteem), won the Listed Radley Stakes at two and was runner-up in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes at three, and that half-sister to listed scorer Waila (by Notnowcato) is out of a half-sister to Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Rose Gypsy (by Green Desert).
Third dam Krisalya (by Kris) is a half-sister to Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan winner Sasuru (by Most Welcome), to ill-fated Group 2 heroine Sally Rous (by Rousillon), to listed scorers Little Bean (by Ajdal) and Sossus Vlei (by Inchinor), and also to The Faraway Tree (by Suave Dancer).
She was not a blacktype winner but was only beaten a neck by Book At Bedtime when runner-up in the Group 3 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster before going on to produce ill-fated Grade 1 Gamely Stakes star Tuscan Evening (by Oasis Dream).
Sea Of Class brought up the treble for Sea The Stars when taking the Listed Haras De Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial Stakes over 10 furlongs on that same Newbury card.
This eye-catching performance – her first win in two starts – saw her ante-post odds for the Group 1 Investec Oaks drop to 10/1.
LEVEL
It remains to be seen if she’s up to winning at the highest level, but as she won this well and is a daughter of 11-furlong listed race winner Holy Moon (by Hernando), it will be a somewhat of a surprise if she fails to score in pattern company.
Her half-sisters Final Score (by Dylan Thomas) and Charity Line (by Manduro) are Group 1 winners in Italy, Cherry Collect (by Oratorio) is a Group 1-placed Group 2 winner there, and all three of those fillies are classic heroines in that country.
Half-brother Back On Board (by Nathaniel) was runner-up in last year’s Group 2 Derby Italiano, and Wordless (by Rock Of Gibraltar) has both Group 3 and listed success to her name.
The grandam of Sea Of Class is Centinela (by Caerleon) and she is a half-sister to Group 1 Oaks d’Italia heroine and Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes runner-up Bright Generation (by Rainbow Quest).
VEGA SON WINS SECOND GROUP 1
Australian-bred five-year-old Santa Ana Lane sprang a surprise in the Group 1 Darley Goodwood over six furlongs at Morphettville on Saturday, just as he did when landing a Group 1 handicap over a furlong farther at Caulfield in early October.
The Anthony Freedman-trained gelding was bred by Patinack Farm, he is out of Fast Fleet (by Fastnet Rock), and his winning dam comes from the family of Group/Grade 1 stars such as Sacahuista (by Raja Baba), Ekraar (by Red Ransom), Geri (by Theatrical), Raging Fever (by Storm Cat) and, considerably more remote, Levee (by Hill Prince), Shuvee (by Nashua), Spain (by Thunder Gulch) and Pleascach (by Teofilo).
Dual classic star Lope De Vega (by Shamardal) stands at Ballylinch Stud and his 39 stakes winners (up to Wednesday night) include five others who have scored at the highest level, notably young Kildangan Stud stallion Belardo and last year’s juvenile Grade 1 scorer Capla Temptress who, on her seasonal debut, just missed out on a classic placing when fourth in the four-way photo for the recent Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas).