CLASSIC PROSPECT AMONG MASTERCRAFTSMAN TRIO
Coolmore Stud's multiple Group 1 star Mastercraftsman (by Danehill Dancer) has had an eye-catching recent spell, notching up a treble of new stakes winners.
First, the John Hammond-trained filly Mint Julep ran away with the Listed Prix du Grand Camp over 12 furlongs on very soft ground at Lyon Parilly, in France, on Saturday.
The grey was bred by Team Hogdala A.B., she it out of Minted (by Mineshaft), and her dam is an unraced half-sister to Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and Group 1 Dubai World Cup runner-up Wilko (by Awesome Again).
Then the David Elsworth-trained Master The World, from his first crop, won the Listed Betway Churchill Stakes over 10 furlongs at Lingfield about 90 minutes later, a fifth win for the Anthony Hanahoe-bred gelding.
He is the second foal out of Zadalla (by Zaha), his dam is a sprint-winning half-sister to ill-fated Group 1-placed listed scorer Hearthstead Wings (by In The Wings), and his grandam is Listed Athasi Stakes heroine Inishdalla (by Green Desert), who chased home Capricciosa in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes when that top juvenile contest was run over six furlongs.
That mare's half-brother Great Lakes (by Lomond) won the Group 3 Gladness Stakes for trainer Vincent O'Brien, and they were out of the Group 2 Premio Ribot scorer Costly Wave (by Caro), a daughter of 1970's Oaks third Arctic Wave (by Arctic Slave).
The treble was completed by Wind Chimes and this Andre Fabre-trained juvenile could be a classic contender in 2018.
Three and a half-length winner of a newcomers' event over six and a half furlongs at Chantilly late last month, she took Tuesday afternoon's Listed Prix Herod by the same margin over a half-furlong farther at the same venue.
She was bred by Ecurie Des Monceaux, she is a €130,000 Arqana August Sale graduate, and this half-sister to stakes-placed Golden Fastnet (by Fastnet Rock) is out of listed-placed Militante (by Johannesburg).
That mare is a half-sister to Group 2 Champagne Stakes scorer Westphalia (by Danehill Dancer) – who was a Group 1-placed stakes winner in Hong Kong under the name Super Pistachio – to Grade 2-placed Grade 3 scorer Cliquot (by Bertrando) and to graded-placed dual stakes winner Stockholder (by Bertrando).
The names of the latter pair may not be familiar, but those who appear under the fourth generation of the pedigree – and its branches – will be as they include Group 1 winners Antheus (by Northern Dancer), Indian Danehill (by Danehill) and Poliglote (by Sadler's Wells).
If she lives up to the potential of her pedigree and of first two starts, then this filly could be a candidate for next year's Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) and Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks).
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STOWAWAY REMINDER
It is nearly three years since Whytemount Stud's excellent stallion Stowaway (by Slip Anchor) died and we got another reminder of his loss when On The Blind Side and Posh Trish scored at Cheltenham recently.
The former, a Nicky Henderson-trained gelding, was bred by Jean Corrigan, he won his sole point-to-point at Kilfeacle in January and joined his current connections a few weeks later when making £205,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sale.
He made a winning racecourse debut over two and a half miles at Aintree last month and his two and a half-length victory last Friday came in the Grade 2 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (registered as the Hyde Novices' Hurdle) over a furlong farther.
On The Blind Side is out of Such A Set Up (by Supreme Leader), an unraced half-sister to the high-class Knockara Beau (by Leading Counsel) whose most recent of 11 wins was a short-head defeat of At Fishers Cross in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle over three miles at Cheltenham almost four years ago.
His tally also includes the Grade 2 Kelso Premier Hurdle, and although he was not blacktype winner over fences, he was multiple graded-placed over the larger obstacles.
Clairabell (by Buckskin), the grandam of On The Blind Side, stayed three miles and won at around that trip over both hurdles and fences.
Third dam Orient Breeze (by Deep Run) was placed in point-to-points and that half-sister to Slaney Hurdle scorer Orient Sunset (by Menelek) was out of a bumper and hurdle-winning half-sister to Reynoldstown Novice Chase winner Orient War (by Anwar), whose overall total of wins came to 19.
On The Blind Side is clearly a young hurdler of considerable promise, but with his pedigree there is every reason to hope that what he accomplishes over the smaller obstacles will be a bonus on top of his future career as a staying chaser.
The following day, trainer Paul Nicholls sent out Posh Trish to take the Listed Experience The Theatre At The Festival Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.
She too is unbeaten in three public appearances, starting with victory in her sole point-to-point. That was a 14-length score at Lemonfield in early March.
She justified favouritism in an Aintree bumper on her racecourse debut in late October and was again favourite last weekend.
The four-year-old filly was bred by Eoghan Loughlin, she made just €1,200 when sold in Fairyhouse as a foal, but was sold for £135,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale just days after her point-to-point.
She is the first foal out of Moscow Demon (by Moscow Society), who was unplaced in bumpers and over hurdles, and her grandam is the chase and point-to-point scorer Dizzy Dealer (by Le Bavard), who is a half-sister to listed bumper winner The Posh Paddy (by Be My Native).
The blacktype-winning hurdlers Mr Percy (by John French) and Helenium (by Khalkis) appear much farther back on the page.
Her pedigree is a bit light in terms of blacktype, but with the promising start she has made to her career, combined with her point-to-point success and representing a Stowaway-Moscow Society cross, there is every reason to hope that she could do well over both hurdles and fences.
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HARBINGER OF A BRIGHT FUTURE
Runaway Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Harbinger (by Dansili) was the leading freshman sire in Japan in 2014 but it is only in the past few weeks that his profile as a stallion has really begun to take off.
He had sired a handful of stakes and pattern winners but then Deirdre and Mozu Katchan gave him a one-three in the Grade 1 Shuka Sho over 10 furlongs at Kyoto on 15 October – the final leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown in Japan.
A month later, the latter filly got her first top-level success when beating her elders in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth Cup II Cup over 11 furlongs at the same venue, and then, also at Kyoto, Persian Knight narrowly won the Grade 1 Mile Championship on Sunday.
A Yasutoshi Ikee-trained pattern winner who was a neck runner-up to Al Ain in the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) over 10 furlongs at Nakayama in April, the Oiwake Farm-bred colt is out of Orient Charm (by Sunday Silence), a mare who missed out on a classic placing when fourth in the 2005 edition of the Grade 1 Shuka Sho.
She is a half-sister to the Grade 1-placed Grade 3 scorer Gorski (by Neo Universe) and full-sister to triple Grade 1 star Gold Allure, who stands alongside Harbinger at Shadai Stallion Station and has four Grade 1 winners to his name, so far.
Each of Harbinger's Grade 1 stars are three-year-olds and there is every reason to hope that his top son can go on to win again at the highest level before eventually going on to a stallion career of his own.
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TALENTED STAYER FOR WINGED LOVE
Before Galileo and Montjeu, it was the top-class In The Wings who was the most successful sire son of Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer).
He supplied Group 1 and classic stars, plus top performers under National Hunt rules, but his impact pales in comparison to that of the other pair.
His late Group 1 Irish Derby winner and Tullyraine Stud-based Winged Love was among the blacktype winners recently as his son Perfect Candidate landed the Grade 3 BetVictor.com Handicap Chase over three miles, three and a half furlongs at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The Fergal O'Brien-trained 10-year-old was bred by Hugh Suffern Bloodstock Ltd, he is out of Dansana (by Insan), and his siblings include the prolific Lovey Dovey, a point-to-point scorer whose most recent of six wins under National Hunt rules came in a two and a half-mile handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter four years ago.
His grandam, bumper-placed Djenne (by Zaffaran), died quite young but she was a full-sister to the Grade 2-placed chaser The Villager and out of four-time hurdles winner Kitty Wren (by Warpath), a full-sister to County Hurdle star Path Of Peace.
That prolific gelding also won 12 times on the flat, his winning siblings include full-sister Canoodle – whose Satin Lover (by Tina's Pet) won the Grade 2 Kennel Gate Castle Novices Hurdle and finished third in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle – and also Had Enough (by Hadeer), the unraced dam of Grade 3 winner and Grade B Thyestes Chase runner-up I'vehadit (by Treasure Hunter).
Perfect Candidate's entries include the Grade 3 Coral Welsh Grand National and the Grade 3 Randox Health Becher Handicap Chase.
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YEATS SON HAS BRIGHT FUTURE
Star flat stayer and Castle Hyde Stud stallion Yeats (by Sadler's Wells) has done well with his early crops and his blacktype offspring include Thomas Campbell, winner of the Listed Regulatory Finance Solutions Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.
This was the five-year-old's fourth win from eight starts over obstacles, it came three weeks after his successful seasonal debut at the same venue, and his official handicap mark has risen to 158, which suggests that Grade 2 level, or higher, could be within his compass.
A half-brother to the successful dual-purpose geldings Coeur De Lion (by Pour Moi) and Magna Cartor (by Motivator), the Nicky Henderson-trained bay is the second foal out of Hora (by Hernando), a two-mile all-weather winner on the flat who showed talent at up to three miles over hurdles.
A blacktype-placed daughter of Group 2 Park Hill Stakes runner-up Applecross (by Glint Of Gold), Hora is a half-sister to Group 1 Prix du Cadran winner Invermark (by Machiavellian), to Group 2 scorer and successful National Hunt sire Craigsteel (by Suave Dancer) and to Inchrory (by Midyan), a prolific middle-distance flat winner and stakes winner in Scandinavia.
Thomas Campbell, who was bred by Richard and Lizzie Kelvin-Hughes, is a high-class young stayer and it will be interesting to find out just how good he will be when he reaches his peak.