NEW GROUP 1 STAR FOR IFFRAAJ
Long-time Kildangan Stud resident Iffraaj (by Zafonic) is now in his third season at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket and he added to his Group 1 tally when Jon Snow won the BMW Australian Derby over 12 furlongs at Randwick on Saturday.
The New Zealand-bred colt is trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, he was bred by Richard Moore and he won a Group 2 contest over 10 furlongs on heavy ground at the same venue a week before his classic success.
He is out of the dual winner Orinda (by O'Reilly), who is a half-sister to (Mr) Ubiquitous (by Tale Of The Cat), a triple Group 3 scorer, from six to eight furlongs, in Australia and his native New Zealand.
Their dam, Zahra (by Zabeel) is a winning half-sister to the dam of Group 1 Sydney Cup scorer Gallic (by Zabeel), to the dam of Group 1-placed Group 2-winning miler Caymans (by Secret Savings), and to two stakes winners: Greig (by Grosvenor) and Lady Solvil (by Grosvenor).
They are all out of Solveig (by Imposing), the New Zealand Filly of the Year whose 14 wins included the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks, Group 1 1600 Stakes and Group 1 Avondale Cup.
She is, of course, the third dam of Jon Snow and she was out of the Group 1-winning sprinter Soliloquy (by Sobig), a hugely influential mare whose descendants also include Group 1 stars Captivate (by Stravinsky), Culminate (by Elnadim), Eileen Dubh (by Storm Creek), Fiveandahalfstar (by Hotel Grand), and Savaria (by Savabeel), plus last year's Group 1-placed New Zealand Group 2 scorer Sacred Master (by Mastercraftsman).
Iffraaj has sired 48 stakes winners, eight of whom have won at the highest level, including last year's classic-placed mile star Ribchester, Almanzor's sire Wootton Bassett, and this year's Group 1 New Zealand Derby and Group 1 Rosehill Guineas star Gingernuts.
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RUNAWAY LISTED SUCCESS FOR DOWNFORCE
The Willie McCreery-trained gelding Downforce ran away with the Listed Cork Stakes on heavy ground on Sunday, taking the six-furlong contest by 12 lengths.
The five-year-old, who was bred by Patrick Burns of Newlands House Stud and is a €62,000 Goffs Orby Sale graduate, is a son of classic sire and new Kildangan Stud recruit Fast Company (by Danehill Dancer).
He is a half-brother to the multiple winner Prince Of Burma (by Mujadil), and his winning dam, Spinning Ruby (by Pivotal) comes from a branch of the family of dual Derby hero and influental stallion Old Vic (by Sadler's Wells).
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MORE BLACKTYPE FOR MOYGLARE HOMEBRED
Moyglare Stud's homebred Rose De Pierre (by Dubawi) is now a dual stakes winner following her narrow victory in the Listed Heritage Stakes over a mile at Leopardstown on Wednesday.
The Dermot Weld-trained four-year-old is the first foal out of Group 3 winner and Group 1 Irish St Leger runner-up Profound Beauty (by Danehill), who is out of the stakes winner Diamond Trim (by Highest Honor).
That mare is a half-sister to Irresistible Jewel (by Danehill), the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner whose offspring feature Group 1 Irish St Leger scorer Royal Diamond (by King's Best), classic-placed pattern winner Mad About You (by Indian Ridge), and Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes heroine and Group 1 Irish Oaks third Princess Highway (by Street Cry).
The fourth dam of Rose De Pierre is the US Grade 1 winner Aptostar (by Fappiano).
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EASY LISTED WIN FOR TAMAYUZ SON
In addition to the feature Betway Lincoln handicap, Doncaster hosted two listed events on Saturday, one of which resulted in an easy four-length win for Tupi, a notably talented son of Derrinstown Stud stallion Tamayuz (by Nayef).
The Richard Hannon-trained five-year-old, a Group 2-placed gelding who has twice won listed races at Newmarket, took the six-furlong Betway Cammidge Trophy Stakes in style.
He holds an entry in next month's Group 2 Duke of York Clipper Logistics Stakes at York and he looks like one to watch in the top sprints of 2017.
Tupi is the first foal out of listed scorer Carioca (by Rakti) and he is the better of her two winners. The mare is a half-sister to the prolific Irony (by Mujadil) and she is out of Cidaris (by Persian Bold) whose winning dam, Secret Sunday (by Secreto), is a full-sister to Group 1 2000 Guineas star Mystiko.
He was bred by the partnership of Kabansk Ltd and Rathbarry Stud.
Group 1 mile ace Tamayuz represents a branch of the Mr Prospector (by Raise A Native) sire line, he comes from the famous sire-producing family of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells), Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) and King's Best (by Kingmambo), and his roll of honour is headed by Group 1 star G Force and Group 2 winners Blond Me and Sir Prancealot, the latter a leading freshman sire of 2016.
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KOOL KOMPANY WINS AGAIN
Group 1-placed dual Group 2 winner as a juvenile and successful in Group 3 company at three, Kool Kompany is back in England after an unsuccessful move to Australia.
On his third start back with the Richard Hannon team, and his first one of 2017, the distinctively marked entire won the Listed Betway Doncaster Mile Stakes, short-heading Stormy Antarctic on the line.
This was his seventh win from 23 starts and he holds an entry in next month's Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
The son of late Irish National Stud and Garryrichard Stud stallion Jeremy (by Danehill Dancer) is a half-brother to the stakes-placed prolific winner Ridge City (by Elusive City) and he is out of Absolutely Cool (by Indian Ridge).
She was only placed but her pattern-placed dam, Absolute Glee (by Kenmare) is a half-sister to the dual listed scorer and multiple Grade 3-placed Step With Style (by Gulch), a filly who went on to become the dam of Group 3 Park Express Stakes runner-up Firey Red (by Pivotal).
Absolute Glee is also a half-sister to the dams of two other stakes winners, the more notable of which is dual US Grade 2 winner Living The Life (by Footstepsinthesand), a 10-time winning daughter of the unraced Colour And Spice (by Machiavellian).
The fourth dam of Kool Kompany is the Group 3 Prix d'Arenberg scorer Glancing (by Grundy), who was a half-sister to the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes winner Bassenthwaite (by Habitat), and his fifth dam is the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes heroine Splashing (by Petingo).
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LISTED SUCCESS FOR KODIAC MARE
Tally-Ho Stud stallion Kodiac (by Danehill) reached a landmark on Saturday when Absolute Blast won the Listed Betfred Magnolia Stakes over 10 furlongs at Kempton Park because the Archie Watson-trained mare was his 30th individual stakes winner.
The five-year-old has won four of her dozen starts, all of those wins have come on the artificial tracks, and her value-enhancing listed race success came just over a month after she finished a close third to Convey in the Group 3 Winter Derby at Lingfield.
She was bred by Mrs O M E McKeever, she is out of the one-time scorer Perfect Fun (by Marju), and her siblings include the prolific pair Cool Athlete (by Bahri) and Faramir (by Celtic Swing), the latter Group 3-placed in France.
Her grandam, Most Charming (by Darshaan), was listed-placed at Saint-Cloud before going on to produce 10 winners, two of whom – the full-brothers Tian Shan (by Barathea) and Charming Prince – were pattern-placed stakes winners in France.
The next dam was unraced, but produced six winners from 11 foals, and the fourth dam of Absolute Blast is Ma Biche (by Key To The Kingdom), Europe's juvenile champion filly of 1982, when she won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and Group 1 Prix Robert Papin, and a star again at three when she took both the Group 1 1000 Guineas and Group 1 Prix de la Foret.
Ma Biche was the dam of the stakes-winning prolific sprinter-miler Kassbaan (by Alydar) and her descendants include European pattern winners Sunday's Brunch (by Indian Lodge) and Blessed Luck (by Rock Of Gibraltar) and also the Grade 1-placed US Grade 2 star Elektrum (by High Chaparral).
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HARZAND RELATION STRIKES IN AUSTRALIA
Former Michael Wigham-trained gelding Big Duke ran only four times when based in Newmarket, making the frame every time and racing as Swashbuckling, but he is now a member of the Darren Weir stable in Australia and repeatedly hitting the target in group race company.
In February the son of Kildangan Stud stallion Raven's Pass (by Elusive Quality) won a Group 3 contest over 12 furlongs at Launceston, he followed that with a Group 3 win at Rosehill in March, and then beat Aloft by two lengths to take the Group 2 Schweppes Chairmans' Handicap over a furlong farther at Randwick on Saturday.
The Irish-born five-year-old was bred by the partnership of Mount Coote Stud and Richard Pegum, and he is the fourth foal of Hazarayna (by Polish Precedent), a mare whose siblings include Hazariya (by Xaar), the Group 3-winning dam of last year's dual Derby hero and new Gilltown Stud stallion Harzand (by Sea The Stars).
That classic star is a half-brother to the Group 3 winner and Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes third Harasiya (by Pivotal), to the listed scorer Hazarafa (by Daylami) and to Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes runner-up Haziyna (by Halling).
Big Duke's dam is also a half-sister to the dam of last year's listed scorer and Derby fifth Humphrey Bogart (by Tagula) and to Handaza (by Be My Guest), who is the dam of Group 3 winner Hamairi (by Spectrum) and of Group 3-placed stakes winner Hanabad (by Cadeaux Genereux) and grandam of Group 1 star Seal Of Approval (by Authorized).
At the time of writing, Big Duke was declared to run in Saturday's Group 1 Schweppes Sydney Cup over two miles at Randwick.
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NEW GROUP WINNER FOR AUTHORIZED
Derby hero and Haras du Logis stallion Authorized (by Montjeu) added another pattern winner to his tally when Waking Moment narrowly won the Group 3 TAB Adrian Knox Stakes over 10 furlongs at Randwick on Saturday.
The John Thompson-trained three-year-old, who is engaged in Saturday's Group 1 James Boag's Premium Australian Oaks, is out of dual winner Try This (by Dangerous) and is inbred 3x4 to Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer).
Her unraced grandam is a daughter of Runyon (by Sadler's Wells), who won the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown, when trained by Tommy Stack, before going on to Group 1 success in Australia.
He stood in Australia and later at Scarvagh House Stud.
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JIMMY WINS AGAIN
Talented French colt Jimmy Two Times beat classic-placed Dicton by three and a half lengths to take the Group 3 Prix Edmond Blanc over a mile at Saint-Cloud on Sunday, a second pattern success for the Andre Fabre-trained grey.
He is a son of Haras de Colleville's rising star Kendargent (by Kendor), he was bred by Francis Teboul and Jean Boniche, and he is an €85,000 Deauville October Sale graduate.
He is the third foal out of one-time scorer Steel Woman (by Anabaa) and his grandam is the Group 3 winner and prolific Saperlipoupette (by Highest Honor). This makes the colt inbred 3x4 to Kenmare (by Kalamoun) and 4x4 to Gay Mecene (by Vaguely Noble).
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REGALLY RELATED FILLY WINS PRIX ZARKAVA
Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd's homebred four-year-old That Which Is Not (by Elusive Quality) gave her future paddocks value a tremendous boost when winning the Listed Prix Zarkava – Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage over 10 and a half furlongs at Saint-Cloud on Sunday.
The Francis-Henri Graffard-trained bay is out of Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup heroine Shiva (by Hector Protector) who is a full-sister to Group 2 scorer Limnos and half-sister to Group 1 Oaks star Light Shift (by Kingmambo).
The latter was represented last year by Ulysees (by Galileo) who, after finishing down the field in the Derby, won the Group 3 Gordon Stakes and finished fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf.
Burning Sunset (by Caerleon), who is another of Shiva's siblings, is the stakes-winning dam of Group 2 winner Smoking Sun (by Smart Strike) and she is the grandam of Derby runner-up, US champion and multiple Grade 1 ace Main Sequence (by Aldebaran).