ITALY is the first of the major European countries to have held classics already in 2015 and the colt who won the Group 3 Premio Paroli (Italian 2000 Guineas) at Capannelle on Sunday is not just an Irish-bred son of an exciting Ballylinch Stud stallion, but he comes from the same family as a colt due to line-up in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs tonight.

Hero Look is trained by Stefano Botti, he was bred by Kilfrush Stud, and he made £62,000 at the Doncaster two-year-old breeze-up sale 12 months ago.

In mid-October he advertised his classic potential with a length and a half victory in the Group 2 Gran Criterium over seven and a half furlongs on soft ground at San Siro, Italy’s equivalent of the Dewhurst or National Stakes, and it was by that same margin that he scored on Sunday.

He is one of six stakes winners to emerge from the first crop of the dual classic hero Lope De Vega (by Shamardal), up to Tuesday evening, and that sextet also includes the recent French listed scorer Mojo Risin, the classic-entered Group 3 Prix Djebel scorer Ride Like The Wind, and last season’s Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes hero Belardo.

It is early days yet, but it is fair to say that Lope De Vega has made one of the most promising starts to a stallion career that any young European sire has done in recent years.

Hero Look is a half-brother to a winner and he is the third foal out of the stakes placed Roscoff (by Daylami). His grandam Traou Mad (by Barathea) was a speedy pattern placed stakes winner in France, and his third dam is the classic placed, pattern winning sprinter Pont-Aven (by Try My Best).

That mare is also responsible for the top French sprinter Saint Marine (by Kenmare) and the juvenile Group 2 scorer Josr Algarhoud (by Darshaan), and her siblings include the non-winning dam of the Group 2 scorer and current freshman sire Shakespearean (by Shamardal).

The fourth dam of Hero Look is Basilea (by Frere Basile), and although she did not win, she was a half-sister to the pattern-winning sprinters Bold Apparel (by Bold Forbes) and Conte Grimaldi (by Astronef) and also to Gale Warning (by Last Tycoon), a one-time scorer whose grandson Mubtaahij (by Dubawi) is the one running ‘for the roses’ in Kentucky.

He won the Group 2 UAE Derby is great style on his most recent outing, his half-brother Calbuco (by Kendor) has included some listed sprints among a career total of 19 wins, and his half-sister Lily Of The Valley (by Galileo) got her best win in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera five years ago.

It remains to be seen just how good Hero Look is, and if he will take on the best of his generation outside of his adopted home, but he is a well-bred dual pattern scorer from the first crop of an exciting stallion, and he is a colt who has probably done enough already to ensure his own eventual future at stud.