BEACON Rock has a variety of pattern race entries, including, at the time of writing, the Group 1 Investec Derby and Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, and his candidacy for them became more interesting after his victory at the Curragh on Sunday.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained son of prolific champion sire Galileo (by Sadler’s Wells) had run six times previously and was without a blacktype success, but he had repeatedly shown himself to have plenty of talent.

His maiden success came on his second start as a juvenile, a mile contest on an easy surface at the Curragh in late August, and that was a month before he finished a half-length third to Port Douglas and True Solitaire in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes over the same course and distance.

He was beaten by the same margin when runner-up to Gifted Master in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket, also over a mile, and finished third behind the impressive Harzand in the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown on his seasonal reappearance.

That 10 furlong contest was run in heavy ground, underfoot conditions were described as good when he returned to the venue for the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, and it was only in the final strides that he dropped from second to fourth behind Moonlight Magic.

He made all to beat the filly Santa Monica by two lengths in Sunday’s Group 3 Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes, and although that form falls some way short of what would be required in a classic, he could be an ideal type of horse for something like the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.

Beacon Rock was bred by the Remember When Syndicate and he is the second foal out of his dam. She was without a win from six starts, but she was only beaten by a neck when runner-up to Snow Fairy in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom, she was also listed placed at Gowran Park, and although missing out on blacktype in Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas, she was fourth of five in a blanket photo finish for that classic.

Remember When (by Danehill Dancer) has produced four registered foals, all by Galileo, Beacon Rock is her second, and his older sister is Wedding Vow.

Her only win came in the Group 2 Kilboy Estate Stakes over nine furlongs at the Curragh, she chased home Legatissimo in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes over 10 at Goodwood, and she was twice placed in listed company, all from a total of eight starts.

Their two-year-old sister has been named Bound and the mare had another filly in 2015.

There are no guarantees that any mare will be successful at stud, but with the family connections that Remember When has it must have been a shade of odds-on that she would come up with at least one talented son or daughter.

ELITE BROODMARES

She is one of five blacktype horses out of Lagrion (by Diesis), Group 2 Blandford Stakes third Love To Dance (by Sadler’s Wells) is one of them, but the other three all won at the highest level, thereby placing their dam among an elite category of broodmares.

Queen’s Logic (by Grand Lodge) came first, a juvenile star who took the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes by seven lengths, also won the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes and the Group 2 Lowther Stakes that season, and extended her unbeaten record to five in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury, on what turned out to be her final start.

The best of her offspring is Lady Of The Desert (by Rahy) who won the Group 2 Diadem Stakes, Group 2 Lowther Stakes and Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes, was third in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, chased home Markab in the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock, and was only beaten by a length when runner-up to Gilt Edge Girl in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp on her final start.

Her first foal is a Richard Fahey-trained juvenile named Queen Kindly (by Frankel) and she was entered in Thursday’s six furlong maiden at Haydock.

Queen’s Logic was followed by six-times Group 1 star Dylan Thomas (by Danehill), winner of the Irish Derby, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Prix Ganay, and two editions of the Irish Champion Stakes.

He stands at Castle Hyde Stud, his progeny include the Group/Grade 1 winners Pether’s Moon, Dylan Mouth, Tannery, Nymphea and Blazing Speed, the latter a multi-millionaire who narrowly won the Grade 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup over 12 furlongs at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Lagrion added her name to the list of mares with three or more top-level winning progeny when her daughter Homecoming Queen (by Holy Roman Emperor) put up a performance-of-a-lifetime effort to storm home by nine lengths in the Group 1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2012.

That 25/1 surprise came on the filly’s 14th start, she was well-beaten on her only subsequent outings, and the best she had achieved previously were Group 3 and listed wins at Leopardstown and the Curragh.

Homecoming Queen is a young broodmare of considerable promise, especially given what her close relatives have achieved at stud, and her two-year-old daughter First of Spring (by Galileo) is followed by a full-brother who arrived 15 months ago.

Lagrion is a full-sister to the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes runner-up Pure Genius and her progeny also include Chatifa (by Titus Livius), a seven-length winner over a mile at Salisbury on her third of four starts, but significant here because she is the grandam of 2014’s Group 3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) winner Salford Secret (by Sakhee’s Secret).

THIRD DAM

The third dam of Beacon Rock is Wrap It Up (by Mount Hagen), who was placed once as a two-year-old, and she, in turn, is out of the blacktype-placed 10 times US scorer Doc Nan (by Francis S.), which makes her a half-sister to the Group 3 Oaks Trial winner Gift Wrapped (by Wolver Hollow).

That filly also earned blacktype when runner-up in the Group 3 Musidora Stakes, third in the Group 2 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and third in the Group 2 Sun Chariot Stakes, her best son was the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes scorer Reach (by Kris), and the best of her daughters was Group 1 Oaks d’Italia runner-up Wrapping (by Kris).

That one, in turn, became the dam of the Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Papering (by Shaadi), who was runner-up in both the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and Group 1 Prix Vermeille, and she is the grandam of the Group 3 St Leger Italiano scorer Donn Halling (by Halling).

Gift Wrapped’s half-sister Amatrice (by Appiani) took her branch of the family in a speedier direction as her Group 3 North Ridge 1000 Guineas Trial-winning daughter Soluce (by Junius) became the dam of stakes-winning sprinter Splice (by Sharpo) and grandam of both the Group 2 Lowther Stakes heroine Soar (by Danzeno) and Group 2-placed speedy dual stakes winner Feet So Fast (by Pivotal).

This family has a well-established tradition of producing talented horses. Lagrion took that to a higher level, and now her classic-placed daughter Remember When has made the perfect start to her own stud career, with two pattern winners from her first two foals.