BAKER'S DOZEN FOR ZOFFANY
Coolmore Stud's Group 1 winner and leading third crop sire Zoffany (by Dansili) took his tally of stakes winners to 13 when Afandem won the Listed Prix Ridgway over 10 furlongs at Compiegne on Monday.
A three-year-old trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, Al Shaqab Racing's colt is now unbeaten in three starts. He was bred in France by E Robin and M Robin, and he is a €130,000 graduate of the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale.
Afandem is the third foal of the French middle-distance winner Miryale (by Anabaa), he is a half-brother to the capable dual-purpose gelding Le Vagabond (by Footstepsinthesand), and his dam is a half-sister to Elliptique (by New Approach).
That horse won the Group 1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen over 10 furlongs at Munich last July and he was retired earlier this year to take up stallion duties at Haras de Cercy in France.
Others of note, farther back and in branches of the family, include Group 1 Melbourne Cup hero Americain (by Dynaformer), US Grade 1 winner Jovial (by Northern Jove), and Group 2 scorers America (by Arazi), Majorien (by Machiavellian), Guilt Trip (by Pulpit), and Silver Grecian (by Haafhd).
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NEW PATTERN WINNER FOR ACCLAMATION
Group 3-placed dual listed race winner Absolutely So enhanced his record further when beating Jallota by half a length in the Group 3 Betway John Of Gaunt Stakes over seven furlongs on soft ground at Haydock on Saturday.
Fourth in last year's Wokingham at Ascot, the Andrew Balding-trained gelding has run only at six and seven furlongs throughout his career.
He was bred by Liam Mulryan, he is a 230,000gns graduate of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, and he is a son of Rathbarry Stud's influential veteran Acclamation (by Royal Applause).
The seven-year-old is the best of several runners for Week End (by Selkirk), who is an unraced daughter of Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes heroine Tarfshi (by Mtoto).
That half-sister to Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Embassy (by Cadeaux Genereux) is out of Pass The Peace (by Alzao), winner of the 1988 edition of that same top juvenile contest and later runner-up in the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas).
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ANOTHER TALENTED DUBAWI DAUGHTER
Unraced at two and winner of her only three starts as a three-year-old, Bateel (by Dubawi) won a 12-furlong listed contest at Newmarket at four.
She moved from the David Simcock stable to that of Francis-Henri Graffard earlier this year, was runner-up in a Group 3 contest at Chantilly in late April and then beat Dubka by one and a half lengths to take the Group 3 Betway Pinnacle Stakes on soft ground at Haydock on Saturday.
She was bred by Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nayhan, she is a half-sister to the 10-furlong Chantilly listed scorer Basemah (by Lemon Drop Kid), and her dam, the Kevin Prendergast-trained Attractive Crown (by Chief's Crown), was runner-up to Group 1 star Alborada in the Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes.
Her grandam, Attirance (by Crowned Prince), won the Listed Prix des Lilas and was runner-up in the Group 3 Prix de Sandringham, and the third dam of Bateel is the Prix Messidor scorer Arosa (by Silver Shark), the mare who gave us the talented siblings Arokar (by Akarad) and La Tirana.
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FIRST-CROP BLACKTYPE DOUBLE FOR RIO
Darley's Group 1 star and Haras du Logis-based stallion Rio De La Plata (by Rahy) notched up a listed-raced double at Maisons-Laffitte on Saturday, with a pair of fillies from his first crop.
Three-year-old Thais, who has twice been Group 3-placed over seven furlongs, won the Listed Prix des Lilas over a mile. The Pascal Bary-trained bay was bred by Georges Sandor and his wife.
She is a half-sister to Trixia (by Siyouni) – winner of the Group 3 Prix de Lieurey and Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs – and out of the mile listed scorer Tianshan (by Lahint).
Half an hour later, the Andre Fabre-trained Aiming For Rio carried Godolphin's colours to a two-length victory in the Listed Prix Marchand d'Or over six and a half furlongs.
She was bred by the partnership of Haras du Logis and Julian Ince, this was her fourth win and her first piece of blacktype.
The chesnut is the second foal out of Tevara (by Compton Place), an unplaced half-sister to seven-time scorer Stellarta (by Sakhee's Secret) and out of the high-class juvenile Torgau (by Zieten).
That granddaughter of Danzig (by Northern Dancer) won the Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes, chased home Preseli in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, and then failed by just a head to beat Seazun in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.
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HELLVELYN 2YO ADDED TO GOFFS SALE
Unbeaten juvenile Ardenode, who won the Listed Prix La Fleche over five furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte on Saturday, has been added to the Goffs London Sale.
Trained by Eoin O'Neill and bred by R & M Bloodstock, the gelded son of Bucklands Farm & Stud stallion Hellvelyn (by Ishiguru) is by the sire of La Rioja and Mrs Danvers and he is the first foal out of Coconut Kisses (by Bahamian Bounty).
His winning dam is a half-sister to several successful runners and she is out of Royal Mistress (by Fasliyev), a stakes-placed half-sister to 11-time scorer Royal Amnesty (by Desert Prince).
Regal Peace (by Known Fact), the third dam of Ardenode, was third to top sprinter Handsome Sailor in the Group 3 Flying Five when she was only a juvenile.
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GROUP 3 FOR FAST COMPANY MARE
The Kevin Prendergast-trained handicapper Penny Pepper has given her paddocks value two big boosts this year, the larger one coming on Sunday when she got up on the line to take the Group 3 TRM Ballyogan Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh.
She was listed-placed at Cork on her seasonal reappearance and her racing career could be at an end as she is in foal to the Irish National Stud stallion Dragon Pulse (by Kyllachy), who has had two stakes winners and three other blacktype horses from his first crop.
A daughter of Kildangan Stud's classic sire Fast Company (by Danehill Dancer), Penny Pepper is a half-sister to four winners and out of Evening Time (by Keltos). That talented grey was a wide-margin winner of listed sprints at Leopardstown and the Curragh and she was twice Group 3-placed, all from just seven starts.
Evening Time is also the dam of the the six and a half-furlong Chantilly listed scorer Morning Frost (by Duke Of Marmalade).
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GLAMOROUS STRIKES AGAIN
Jim Bolger's homebred Glamorous Approach won the Listed TRI Equestrian Silver Stakes over 10 furlongs at the Curragh on Sunday, adding to her length and a quarter-length defeat of Landofhopeandglory in the Listed Zetland Stakes over the same trip at Newmarket as a juvenile.
The talented four-year-old also won a valuable Curragh handicap over 12 furlongs late last month, she has been listed-placed on several occasions, and has shown good form at a range of distances from seven and a half furlongs to two miles.
The chesnut is a daughter of Dalham Hall Stud stallion New Approach (by Galileo), a juvenile champion and Derby hero who was also trained by Bolger. His 30 stakes winners include six who have won at the highest level, notably the European classic stars Dawn Approach and Talent.
She is the first foal out of an unplaced mare called Maria Lee (by Rock Of Gibraltar), who is a half-sister to talented dual-purpose gelding Fiscal Focus (by Intense Focus) and from the immediate family of Group 1 star and leading sire Teofilo (by Galileo).
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GRADE 1 WINS FOR GALILEO SONS
There is already a long list of sons of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) who have at least one flat Group/Grade 1 winner to their names at stud and two of those sons added to their tallies on Sunday.
Irish Derby hero Soldier Of Fortune now stands at Beeches Stud but the former French-based horse has shuttled to Brazil and he supplied the winner, second and fourth in the Grade 1 Grande Premio Jockey Club Brasileiro at Gavea. This one-mile contest is for two-year-olds.
The top prize went to Stud Eternamente Rio's homebred colt Jadir, who won by three and three-quarter lengths, adding to his Grade 3 success of a half-furlong less in April.
He is out of Dica (by Ghadeer), who is a half-sister to the Grade 3-winning filly Experimenta (by Nedawi), and his unraced grandam Hot Fudge (by Tokatee) is a daughter of the Grade 1-placed dual Brazilian Grade 2 heroine Viuva (by Halpern Bay).
That mare's offspring also include the Grade 2 winner and blacktype producer Frairie (by Bright Again) and she is a full-sister to the Grade 1-placed Grade 2 scorer The Windower.
An hour and a half later, Voador Magee won the Grade 1 Grande Premio Brasil over 12 furlongs, also at Gavea. It is a first win at the highest level for the previously Grade 1-placed stakes winner.
He is a son of Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Roderic O'Connor, who spent four seasons at Ballyhane Stud, and, like Jadir, he is trained by Luiz Esteves. His dam, Hommage A Ro (by Trempolino), was a Grade 3 scorer over seven furlongs.
She is out of the Grade 2-placed Rose Magee (by Tumble Lark) and her siblings include Grade 3 winner Famous Magee (by Roy), two stakes-placed fillies, and also Glorious Magee (by Spend A Buck), the winning dam of Brazilian sprint champion and Grade 1 star Desejado Thunder (by Durban Thunder).