Double takes Thunder's tally to five
CLASSIC-winning miler Night Of Thunder (by Dubawi) has been among the stars of the freshman sire class of 2019. He began his career at Kildangan Stud, moved to Dalham Hall Stud for his third and fourth seasons and will be back at his initial base in 2020, which is great news for Irish breeders.
He took his tally of first-crop stakes winners to five this week following an international pattern-race double.
The Simon Crisford-trained Night Colours justified favouritism with a short-head victory in the Group 2 Premio Dormello over a mile at San Siro on Sunday and then the Roger Charlton-trained Pocket Square took Wednesday's Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs over the same trip at Deauville, winning by a length and a half.
Night Colours was bred by Grenane House Stud and sold for €26,000 in Goffs as a foal. She made £38,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in Doncaster the following summer and took her earnings to over £112,000 with her second win from four starts.
The January-born bay is the best of three winners out of the former Jim Bolger-trained pattern-placed Listed Dance Design Stakes winner Many Colours (by Green Desert), a mare with contrasting siblings.
Multiple middle-distance winner Without A Trace (by Darshaan) was runner-up in the 14-furlong Group 3 Lillie Langtry Stakes and third in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay over a furlong farther, whereas Patience Alexander (by Kodiac) beat Tiggy Wiggy in the Listed Marygate Stakes and finished third in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old.
This mix of stamina and speed is no surprise given their sires and that their dam, six-furlong winner and seven-furlong placed Star Profile (by Sadler's Wells) is a half-sister to Dandy Man (by Mozart) and Anthem Alexander's (by Starspangledbanner) talented dam Lady Alexander (by Night Shift).
She won both the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes and Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at two, was runner-up in the Group 3 King George Stakes and short-headed in the Group 3 Greenlands Stakes, and is out of the smart sprinter Sandhurst Goddess (by Sandhurst Prince).
We already know that Night Colours stays a mile. It may prove to be her best trip, but it's not impossible that she'll stay a bit farther.
Pocket Square is also proven at the distance but looks the more likely of the pair to handle middle-distances at three.
The Juddmonte homebred has won two of her three starts, her half-sister Sand Share (by Oasis Dream) has been blacktype-placed at up to 10 and a half furlongs, and they are the first two foals of Shared Account, a blacktype-placed middle-distance full-sister to the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris star Zambezi Sun (by Dansili).
The mare's half-brother Kalabar (by Kahyasi) won the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano over 10 furlongs, was a half-length runner-up in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris over 12, and later a winner over two and a half miles over hurdles.
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Notable treble for Alhebayeb
TARA Stud stallion Alhebayeb (by Dark Angel) has had an excellent few days, notching up a big-race international treble.
On Sunday, Lustown Baba won the valuable Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Race Final over seven furlongs at Naas and Aurelius In Love took a listed contest over nine furlongs at San Siro in Italy. Two days later, Abama landed the Listed Prix Zeddaan over six furlongs at Deauville.
Lustown Baba, who has won two of her five starts and finished third in a Navan nursery on Wednesday, was bred by Laurence and Carla Sheedy and cost trainer Willie McCreery just €12,000 at the Goffs Sportsman's Yearling Sale.
Her five winning siblings include the stakes-placed Lady Beware (by Dragon Pulse), that one's full-sister made 27,000gns from Tattersalls' Book 3 in Newmarket last week, and they are out of the sprint winner Dancing Duchess (by Danehill Dancer).
The Luciano Vitabile-trained Aurelius In Love was bred by Thomas Lennon, made €8,000 in Goffs as a foal and just €3,000 in Fairyhouse as a yearling.
He is out of the middle-distance-placed mare Harranda (by Red Ransom), who is a half-sister to the Group 3 Curragh Cup scorer Hartani (by Shirocco) and from a branch of the family of Derby hero Harzand (by Sea The Stars) and Group 1 star Seal Of Approval (by Authorized).
Abama, on the other hand, was bred by T De La Heronniere and Sarl Jedburgh Stud in France, has won three times over six furlongs from just six starts, and is trained by Yann Barberot.
The €55,000 Arqana Deauville V2 graduate is the first foal of Iffraja (by Iffraaj), who is a half-sister to the dual stakes-winning sprinter Great Minds (by Bahamian Bounty) and from the immediate family of Group 1 ace Pipalong (by Pips Pride).
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Purple patch for Make Believe
BALLYLINCH Stud's young classic star Make Believe (by Makfi) always looked likely to get his best two-year-old results in the second half of the season and so it has not been a surprise to see him have a purple patch recently.
On Sunday, the Jean-Pierre Carvalho-trained filly Ocean Fantasy made it two wins from four starts with a short-head success in the Group 3 Preis der Winterkonigin over a mile at Baden-Baden.
This was just nine days after the notably tough Rose Of Kildare added Newmarket's Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes to her prior victory in the Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr.
Ocean Fantasy was bred by Haras du Mezeray and is out of 12-furlong winner Oceanie (by Dansili), a half-sister to the Group 2-winning stayer Watar (by Marju) and out of a half-sister to the Group 1 star Grape Tree Road (by Caerleon).
On Wednesday, the William Haggas-trained colt Tammani made all for a four-length victory in the Listed Prix Isomony over a mile on heavy ground at Deauville.
Prince Faisal's homebred has won two from five, is one of three blacktype earners out of Gentle On My Mind (by Sadler's Wells) and comes from the immediate family of the Group 1 stars Taghrooda (by Sea The Stars), Ebadiyla (by Sadler's Wells), Estimate (by Monsun), Enzeli (by Kayhasi) and Edabiya (by Rainbow Quest).