CLASSIC STAR FOR CAMELOT
Coolmore Stud's champion and triple classic hero Camelot (by Montjeu) has made a highly promising start to his stallion career and his first crop now includes seven stakes winners following the victory of Latrobe in the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Saturday.
They also include last year's juvenile Group 2 scorer Fighting Irish and recent Group 3 winners Hunting Horn, Pollara and Wait Forever, and the seven from that crop who have 'merely' been blacktype placed include Sunday's Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes third Athena.
His second crop are also off the mark in blacktype company following the recent Listed Chesham Stakes victory of Arthur Kitt, bringing the stallion's overall total to eight stakes winners, and counting.
Latrobe, who was bred by Sweetmans Bloodstock and is trained by Joseph O'Brien, was runner-up in his only start at two, narrowly beaten by Hunting Horn first time out at three, then chased home Platinum Warrior in the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes before running away with a 12-furlong Curragh maiden in early June.
Then be beat Rostropovich and Saxon Warrior by a half-length and a neck to take the country's premier classic.
Latrobe made €88,000 in Goffs as a foal and was snapped up by O'Brien for just 65,000gns in Newmarket the following October, from Book 1 of Tattersalls' flagship yearling sale.
His siblings include Diamond Fields (by Fastnet Rock), who was Grade 2 placed in the USA as a three-year-old and achieved a career-high mark of 106 despite the impressive-sounding feat of having beaten Alice Springs by half a length in the Group 3 Gladness Stakes at Naas first time out at four.
Their dam, Question Times (by Shamardal), easily won a six-furlong polytrack maiden at Wolverhampton at three, having been a half-length runner-up in a listed contest at Newmarket 11 months before, and she is a half-sister to Sunday Times (by Holy Roman Emperor).
That filly was trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, she was a half-length runner-up to Lightening Pearl in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at two and took the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes over seven furlongs at Doncaster the following year.
Classical Times (by Lawman), a four-year-old daughter of Sunday Times and also trained by Chapple-Hyam, won the Listed Cecil Frail Stakes at Haydock in late May and was third in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle on Saturday.
Forever Times (by So Factual), the grandam of Latrobe, won six of her 51 starts – those wins coming from five to seven furlongs – and she is a half-sister to three horses of note, all of them also quick.
Majestic Times (by Bluebird) won a listed sprint, Brave Prospector (by Oasis Dream) is a pattern-placed heritage handicap winner, and 13-time scorer Welsh Emperor (by Emperor Jones), who was trained by Tom Tate, won the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes.
That gelding also won the Group 3 Bentinck Stakes, listed races at Maisons-Laffitte and Haydock, and his many pattern placings included chasing home Toylsome in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret, failing by a neck to beat Caradak in another edition of that same seven-furlong contest, and a short-head second to Red Evie when bidding for a repeat success in the Hungerford.
Latrobe does not show the speed of his better-known relations – probably getting his stamina from the combination of Camelot and broodmare sire Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway) – but he is now a classic winner who appears open to improvement, and he is a flag bearer for his sire's first crop.
The aforementioned Wait Forever, by the way, took the Group 3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) in April and added Sunday's Group 3 Premio del Giubileo over nine furlongs at San Siro on Sunday.
---
GROUP 1 WIN FOR FOXWEDGE FILLY
Group 1-winning Australian sprinter Foxwedge (by Fastnet Rock) spent four seasons at Whitsbury Manor Stud and the northern hemisphere half of his global first crop now contains a top-level winner.
The William Haggas-trained Urban Fox, who was raised to 102 after a handicap success over the straight mile at Ascot in May and to 104 after finishing fourth to Aljazzi in a Group 2 over that course and distance recently, was an easy winner of the Group 1 Juddmonte Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
She was bred by Mascalls Stud, is a half-sister to the Grade 2-placed chaser Hollow Penny (by Beat Hollow) and also to Getaway Car (by Medicean) who won four times in England at up to 14 furlongs, three of them on polytrack.
They are out of 10-furlong winner Lomapamar (by Nashwan), a mare who has four blacktype siblings.
Dual Group 1-placed Mons (by Deploy) won the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, his full-sister Inforapenny was third, at 100/1, in the Group 1 Irish Oaks of 2000, Funday (by Daylami) picked up a listed placing in England, and the prolific Pigeon Island (by Daylami) took the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices' Hurdle and Grade 3 Grand Annual Chase.
Foxwedge's offspring also include Australian mile Group 1 heroine Foxplay and New Zealand Group 1 scorer Volpe Veloce. He stands at Newgate Stud in New South Wales.
---
EXCITING FILLY EXCELS
The Ed Walker-trained Royal Intervention put up one of most visually impressive recent displays by a two-year-old when easily winning the Listed Betway Empress Fillies' Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
A neck runner-up on the polytrack at Lingfield on her only previous outing – also over six furlongs – the chesnut powered clear of her rivals to score by four and a half lengths.
Timeform have rated the performance 102p, and she looks a potential pattern winner in the making.
The early May-born filly is a daughter of Darley's leading international shuttle stallion Exceed And Excel (by Danehill), the Kildangan Stud resident whose tally of 146 stakes winners (to Wednesday night) includes 11 who have won at the highest level.
Royal Intervention was bred by the Exciting Times Partnership and she is the latest blacktype earner out of Exciting Times (by Jeunne Homme).
Her star half-sister Gorella (by Grape Tree Road) won the Grade 1 Beverley D Stakes, was runner-up to Starcraft in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, and third to Artie Schiller in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile, among other top-level placings.
Half-brother Porto Santo (by Kingmambo) is a Group 1-placed stakes winner, and the siblings also include pattern-placed Stars Over The Sea (by Sea The Stars) and listed-placed Thanks Again (by Anabaa Blue).
Exceed And Excel's recent blacktype winners also include Julio, narrow winner of a six-furlong Group 3 contest at Hamburg on Saturday.
---
GARSWOOD'S FIRST
Cheveley Park Stud's Group 1 winner and freshman sire Garswood (by Dutch Art) got his first stakes winner when the Karl Burke-trained Little Kim won the Group 3 Prix du Bois over five furlongs at Deauville on Tuesday.
The filly was bred by Gary Hodson and Peter Moule, she is a half-sister to last year's Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes third Out Of The Flames (by Showcasing), and she is out of Primo Lady (by Lucky Story).
That mare won the Listed Marygate Stakes at York as a two-year-old and she is a half-sister to several winners out of six-furlong Wolverhampton scorer Lady Natilda (by First Trump), who is a half-sister to nine-time sprint winner Diane's Choice (by Komaite).
Little Kim is a 45,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 graduate.
---
PATTERN WIN FOR DANCEALOT
Group 2-placed stakes winner Sir Dancealot notched up a deserved pattern success when beating So Beloved by a length in the Group 3 Betway Criterion Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket on Saturday.
The David Elsworth-trained gelding is a first-crop son of Sir Prancealot (by Tamayuz), who spent five seasons at Tally-Ho Stud, and he was bred by Vincent Duignan, who sold him for €15,000 in Goffs as a foal.
The bay returned to that venue the following autumn and made €30,000 at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale.
His siblings include the eight-time five-furlong winner Dancing Freddy (by Chineur) and his dam is Majesty's Dancer (by Danehill Dancer), who showed little aptitude for racing in 10 starts over a variety of distances, including two tries over hurdles.
Her dam, however, won over five furlongs at Laytown and Bellewstown and over six at Leopardstown and she, Majesty's Nurse (by Indian King), was also responsible for the blacktype filly Dancal (by Mujadil).
That Irish-born bay won over eight and nine furlongs in South Africa, she was a half-length runner-up in a Grade 2 contest there over 10 furlongs, and later won at Nad Al Sheba before joining the US stable of Todd Pletcher, retiring a dual listed-race scorer with a total of 11 wins to her name.
Sir Dancealot, who was gelded in November and finished third to Harry Angel in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes in May, holds entries in the Group 1 Darley July Cup and Group 2 Qatar Lennox Stakes.
Sir Prancealot, who is about to start his second season at Cornerstone Stud in South Australia, has also been represented this year by US Grade 1-placed Grade 2 heroine Madam Dancealot and by Grade 2 scorer Beau Recall – both of whom also come from his first crop.
---
DOUBLE FOR SCAT DADDY
The final crop of leading international sire Scat Daddy (by Johannesburg) are now two-year-olds and the late Ashford Stud stallion notched up a pattern race double with that age group last weekend, both of them trained by Aidan O'Brien.
The first leg went to Van Beethoven who took the Group 2 GAIN Railway Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh.
This was his second win from five starts, he was runner-up in a listed contest at the venue in May and fourth (no blacktype) in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Ascot, and it will be interesting to see where he ranks among the Ballydoyle juveniles at the end of the year.
He was bred by the Ballycroy Training Centre, born in Canada, and is out of My Sister Sandy (by Montbrook). That mile winner is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Sea Tobe (by Concerto) – who stayed 12 furlongs – and a full-sister to Grade 3-placed stakes winner Exotic Bloom.
The latter is more notable as being the dam of the Todd Pletcher-trained star Stopchargingmaria (by Tale Of The Cat), the seven-figure earner whose Grade 1 wins came in the Coaching Club American Oaks, Alabama Stakes, and Breeders' Cup Distaff.
So Perfect completed the big-race double for the Scat Daddy two-year-olds when taking the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes over the same course and distance on Sunday.
She made a winning debut at Navan in April, was fourth in a listed contest at Naas and in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Ascot, so this half-length success has given the bay her first blacktype.
She was bred by Machmer Hall, she is out of Hopeoverexperience (by Songandaprayer), and she's a $400,000 graduate of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Her dam was a sprint winner and is out of Tom's Cat (by Storm Cat), which makes the mare a half-sister to Grade 2 Illinois Derby and Grade 3 Gotham Stakes scorer Cowtown Cat (by Distorted Humor).
It also makes So Perfect inbred 4x3 to Storm Cat (by Storm Bird), in addition to being inbred 5x3 to Mr Prospector (by Raise a Native) and 5x5 to Northern Dancer (by Nearctic).