DUBAWI CLASSIC-TRIAL DOUBLE
Dalham Hall Stud's outstanding stallion Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) has made a quick start to the new turf season and his good recent run included a blacktype double at Newmarket on Wednesday.
Anna Nerium, who won a Group 3 contest at Salisbury last year, advertised her classic potential with an impressive three-length score in the Listed bet365 European Free Handicap over seven furlongs.
The Richard Hannon-trained chesnut was bred by Stowell Hill Ltd, she is out of Anna Oleanda (by Old Vic) and her siblings include the unbeaten but tragically ill-fated juvenile Group 3 winner Piping Rock.
Her dam's siblings feature Anno Luce, who is the pattern-winning dam of Grade 1 Champion Hurdle heroine Annie Power (by Shirocco), and they also include several mares from whom notable winners descend.
These include Anna Matrushka (by Mill Reef), the unraced ancestor of Group/Grade 1 stars Anna Monda (by Monsun), Ace (by Danehill Dancer), Epaulette (by Commands), Helmet (by Exceed And Excel), and National Defense (by Invincible Spirit).
Just over 70 minutes after Anna Nerium's win, Godolphin homebred Soliloquy made it a Dubawi double when taking the Group 3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes in promising style.
The Charlie Appleby-trained bay has won two of her three starts, she is out of Australian-bred Group 1-placed stakes winner Dysphonia (by Lonhro) and that mare's grandam, Murmurs (by Zamazaan), is an unraced half-sister to the dam of Group 1-winning miler Sir Kinloch (by Rhythm).
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FIRST STAKES WINNER FOR DAWN APPROACH
Juvenile champion, classic hero and young Kildangan Stud stallion Dawn Approach (by New Approach) reached an important career landmark on Sunday when his first-crop daughter Musis Amica won the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp.
Godolphin's homebred and unbeaten classic prospect is the first stakes winner for her sire.
She is trained by Andre Fabre, is a half-sister to Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam winner Harland (by Halling), and out of Group 2 Prix de Mallaret third White Star (by Darshaan), who is a daughter of US Grade 1 heroine White Star Line (by Northern Dancer).
This is the family of Group 1 winners Preseli (by Caerleon) and Valley Of Gold (by Shirley Heights) and also, most notably, Northern Trick (by Northern Dancer).
That Arc-placed classic heroine was a three-parts sister to White Star Line and is the mare from whom Group/Grade 1 winners Cloth Of Stars (by Sea The Stars), Light Shift (by Kingmambo), Main Sequence (by Aldebaran), Shiva (by Hector Protector) and Ulysees (by Galileo) descend.
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MASAR STARS FOR URBAN SEA FAMILY
Godolphin's homebred Masar ran away with the Group 3 bet365 Craven Stakes over a mile at Newmarket, a second pattern win for the exciting son of Dalham Hall Stud stallion New Approach (by Galileo).
The second foal of Group 2 UAE Derby and Group 3 UAE Oaks heroine Khawlah (by Cape Cross), his third dam is classic-placed stakes winner Melikah (by Lammtarra), and so he is inbred 3x4 to that mare's phenomenal dam, the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe star Urban Sea (by Miswaki).
Being from the immediate family of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells), Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross), King's Best (by Kingmambo), Tamayuz (by Nayef), Tertullian (by Miswaki) and Adlerflug (by In The Wings), Masar has obvious future appeal as a stallion should he fulfil his considerable potential and earn a place a stud when his racing days come to an end.
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FOREST RANGER STRIKES FOR LAWMAN
Ballylinch Stud's classic sire Lawman (by Invincible Spirit) added to his blacktype tally when Forest Ranger beat the Aidan O'Brien-trained top-level winner Deauville by half a length in the Group 3 bet365 Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.
Gelded after his final start of 2017, when he was a dual Group 3-placed winner, the bay was bred by Yeguada De Milagro Sa and he is trained by Richard Fahey, who snapped him up for just 26,000gns from Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Fahey also trained his stakes-placed full-sister Home Cummins, who won four times from six and a half to eight and a half furlongs, and the pair are out of Alava (by Anabaa), who won a listed contest over an extended nine furlongs in France when trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias.
Grandam Cerita (by Wolfhound) was multiple listed-placed at a mile and her string of blacktype siblings include Group 3 Prix de Flore heroine Tamise (by Time For A Change).
This is a branch of the family of Pharrell (by Manduro), who won the Group 3 Prix Noailles at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
By the sire of Vazirabad and also from a branch of the family of the family of Group 1 Prix du Cadran scorer Bannaby (by Dyhim Diamond), that Jean-Claude Rouget-trained bargain buy – he was a €15,000 Arqana yearling – could be a high-class stayer in the making.
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TEOFILO DOUBLE
Mark Johnston-trained three-year-old Mildenberger, a dual Group 2-placed stakes winner in 2017, kicked off his second campaign with victory in the Listed bet365 Feilden Stakes over nine furlongs at Newmarket on Tuesday.
The Godolphin-bred bay is a son of Kildangan Stud's leading sire Teofilo (by Danehill) and his entries include the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas.
He is the third foal out Belle Josephine (by Dubawi), who is a winning half-sister to three blacktype earners, and his grandam is Bella Lambada (by Lammtarra), a winning half-sister to Group 2 scorer and Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes runner-up Stagecraft (by Sadler's Wells).
The third dam of this promising colt is, therefore, classic-placed pattern winner Bella Colora (by Bellypha) and that half-sister to Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes star Cezanne (by Ajdal) is a daughter of the hugely influential mare Reprocolor (by Jimmy Reppin).
Mildenberger's win made it a blacktype double for Teofilo as, at Cork on Sunday, his lightly-raced four-year-old Bloomfield outstayed Glamorous Approach to take the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Noblesse Stakes.
John Connaughton's homebred is trained by Willie McCreery, she has won two of her four starts, and her only defeats have been second-place finished in blacktype company.
She is out of Ramona (by Desert King), which makes her a half-sister to Group 3 Athasi Stakes winner Prima Luce (by Galileo), and her dam's siblings feature Verglas (by Highest Honor) and Cassandra Go (by Indian Ridge).
In addition to being a Group 2 sprint winner, the latter's offspring feature Group 1 ace Halfway To Heaven (by Pivotal) and her granddaughters include Group/Grade 1 stars Rhododendron (by Galileo) and Photo Call (by Galileo) and also last year's Group 1-placed juvenile Group 2 scorer Magical (by Galileo).
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SECOND PATTERN WIN FOR CHOISIR SON
Ger Lyons-trained chesnut Psychedelic Funk (by Choisir) started his four-year-old campaign as his three-year-old one finished, with a defeat of Downforce in a Group 3 contest.
He beat that gelding by half a length in the Concorde Stakes at Tipperary in October but by two and a quarter lengths in last Friday's Gladness Stakes at Naas.
He was bred by Joanna Imray of Eildon Hill Stables in the Scottish Borders, is inbred 4x4 to Danzig (by Northern Dancer), and is a £30,000 graduate of the Premier Yearling Sale in Doncaster.
His lightly-raced dam Parabola (by Galileo) was placed at up to 10 and a half furlongs, his grandam is the dual mile listed scorer Zietory (by Zieten), and he shares a connection a Derby winner.
That link is through Psychedelic Funk's fourth dam Certain Story (by Known Fact) as she is an unraced half-sister to Shomoose (by Habitat), the mare who gave us 1996's Epsom hero Shaamit (by Mtoto) – the sire of St Leger winner Bollin Eric.
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PIVOTAL'S BRANDO WINS AGAIN
Group 1-winning sprinter Brando (by Pivotal) scored a repeat success in the Group 3 Connaught Access Flooring Abernant Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket, an eight career win for the Kevin Ryan-trained gelding.
The half-brother to US Grade 1 heroine Ticker Tape (by Royal Applause) was bred by Car Colston Hall Stud, he is a 115,000gns graduate of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, and his siblings also include Sant Elena (by Efisio), the winning dam of juvenile Group 1 star Reckless Abandon (by Exchange Rate).
His dam, Argent Du Bois (by Silver Hawk), is a half-sister to Group 1 Racing Post Trophy scorer Crowded House (by Rainbow Quest), and his third dam is Chapel Of Dreams (by Northern Dancer), the Grade 2-winning half-sister to Grade 1 winner and hugely influential stallion Storm Cat (by Storm Bird).
If you go back another generation then you will find that Brando's fourth dam is Terlingua (by Secretariat), the Grade 2-winning half-sister to Group 1 sprint star, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile hero and leading international sire Royal Academy (by Nijinsky).
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FRESHMAN UPDATE
There have been very few two-year-old races so far this year but already three freshman sires are off the mark.
Rathasker Stud's Bungle Inthejungle (by Exceed And Excel) made the quickest start, his first winner coming at the end of March.
That was €15,000 Goffs Orby Sale graduate Jungle Jane, a Willie McCreery-trained Dundalk debut winner. She is out of Funcheon Vale (by Acclamation), who is a half-sister to mile Grade 3 winner Miss Vegas (by Efisio).
A few days later, Jungle Inthebungle made a winning debut at Lingfield. The Mick Channon-trained colt, who was runner-up at Kempton on Wednesday, is an €8,000 Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale graduate and he comes from the family of notable sprinter Tina's Pet (by Mummy's Pet).
Talented Australian sprinter Kuroshio (by Exceed And Excel), who spent one season at Overbury Stud in Gloucestershire, got off the mark when his Henry Spiller-trained daughter Daphinia made a winning debut on the tapeta track at Wolverhampton on Saturday evening.
The first foal of non-winning mare Phantom Spirit (by Invincible Spirit), the early-March-born bay is inbred 4x4 to Danzig.
Her dam is a half-sister to the stakes-placed, seven-furlong juvenile winner Glisten (by Oasis Dream), her grandam Jackie's Opera (by Indian Ridge) is a half-sister to several blacktype earners, and her third dam is the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) heroine Escaline (by Arctic Tern).
Kildangan Stud's dual Group 1 sprint star Slade Power (by Dutch Art) struck at Newmarket on Wednesday when his Charlie Appleby-trained daughter Strings Of Life made a winning debut.
Godolphin's homebred bay is out Nashama (by Pivotal), who is a half-sister to Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes winner Centennial (by Dalakhani), and she may be Royal Ascot-bound.
She represents a branch of the family of 1000 Guineas heroine Sleepytime (by Royal Academy).