GROUP 1 FOUR-TIMER FOR GALILEO
Coolmore Stud's phenomenal stallion Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) had another outstanding Irish Champions Weekend, this time supplying four of its five Group 1 winners.
His daughter Winter was expected to take her fifth Group 1 of the year in the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes at Leopardstown but was caught at the line by her stable companion and work partner Hydrangea.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained three-year-old is a full-sister to Australian Group 1 scorer The United States (by Galileo) and half-sister to Group 1-placed triple pattern scorer Fire Lily (by Dansili).
Her dam, Beauty Is Truth (by Pivotal), won the Group 2 Prix du Gros Chene and is out of Group 3 winner and Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp fourth Zelding (by Warning), a half-sister to the pattern-winning sprinters Zipping (by Zafonic) and Nipping (by Night Shift).
This is also the family of sprint star, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile hero and influential stallion Last Tycoon (by Try My Best).
Just over 70 minutes later, Decorated Knight won the Group 1 Qipco Irish Champion Stakes at a surprisingly generous 25/1.
Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar's homebred triple Group 1 star is the first foal out of Pearling (by Storm Cat), a full-sister to the ultra-tough Group 1 ace and multiple US champion sire Giant's Causeway, which augurs well for his future prospects as a stallion.
Pearling is also a full-sister to leading New York sire Freud and to Blue Hen mare You'resothrilling, the Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes winner whose first five foals – all of them by Galileo – are Marvellous, Gleneagles, Coolmore, Taj Mahal, and Happily.
Marvellous won the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas, four-time Group 1 hero Glenagles stands with his sire at Coolmore and has his first foals on the ground, Group 3 scorer Coolmore has been placed in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, Grade 1-placed Taj Mahal (who was fifth behind Decorated Knight on Saturday) is awaiting his first blacktype success, and Happily took the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
The latter shorted-headed her stable companion Magical (by Galileo) in that seven-furlong contest. She was bred by Orpendale and Chelston Ireland.
The closeness of that finish was in stark contrast to the nine-length victory of Order Of St George in the Group 1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger an hour later.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained five-year-old, who was bred by Paget Bloodstock, had won the same race by 11 lengths in 2015 and took the Group 1 Gold Cup at Ascot last year, and the Arc-placed entire and millionaire has now won 10 of his 20 starts.
He is the best of several blacktype horses out of Another Storm (by Gone West) and his grandam is the US champion Storm Song (by Summer Squall), a half-sister to Group 2 scorer Diamond Omi (by Giant's Causeway).
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VOCALISED'S FIRST GROUP 1 WINNER
Regally-related multiple pattern victor and Redmondstown Stud stallion Vocalised (by Vindication) notched up his first winner at the highest level when Verbal Dexterity came home clear of his rivals in the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
A Group 2-placed, wide-margin winner from just two previous starts, the colt is trained by Jim Bolger, who bred him in partnership with John Corcoran.
He is the second foal out of Lonrach (by Holy Roman Emperor), a placed daughter of stakes-placed Luminous One (by Galileo) and from the famous Fanghorn (by Crocket) family from which Group/Grade 1 winners Soldier Of Fortune (by Galileo), Double Form (by Habitat), Sholokhov (by Sadler's Wells), Intense Focus (by Giant's Causeway), Eva Luna (by Double Schwartz), Loch Garman (by Teofilo), and Kitten's Dumplings (by Kitten's Joy) descend.
Vocalised's offspring also include the Group 1-placed pattern winner Steip Amach, this year's listed race scorer Vociferous Marina, and Monday's premier nursery scorer and potential Group 2 Juddmonte Beresford Stakes candidate Warm The Voice.
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FRANKEL RUN CONTINUES
Frankel's (by Galileo) run of success continued recently with another impressive Group 2 victory for dual Derby-placed son Cracksman, a first stakes winner in the USA, and a second pattern race star from his second crop.
As noted here before, Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred Cracksman is out of Rhadegunda (by Pivotal) and he is a great-grandson of Group 1 1000 Guineas and Group 1 Sussex Stakes heroine On The House (by Be My Guest).
He ran away with the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last month and followed that with an easy victory in the Group 2 Qatar Prix Niel over the same trip at Chantilly on Sunday, with pattern winner Finche (by Frankel) third.
This came a couple of days after Don Alberto Stable's homebred Rubilinda gave the stallion his first US stakes winner.
The three-year-old, who has now won two of her three starts, came from last to first to take the Listed Christiecat Stakes over six furlongs on turf at Belmont Park.
She is out of Rubina (by Invincible Spirit), a stakes-placed daughter of listed race scorer Rifaya (by Kahyasi) and from the family of Group 1 winners Ridasiyna (by Motivator) and Kinnaird (by Dr Devious).
On Saturday, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Nelson was a three-length winner of the Group 3 Willis Towers Watson Champions Juvenile Stakes over a mile at Leopardstown, bringing Frankel's overall blacktype tally to 16, 14 of whom have won at pattern level.
This colt was bred by the partnership of Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt, he is the sixth foal of Group 1 Irish Oaks heroine Moonstone (by Dalakhani), and he is a half-brother to listed scorers Nevis (by Dansili) and Stubbs (by Danehill Dancer), to Group 3 Munster Oaks winner Words (by Dansili), and to Derby-placed pattern scorer US Army Ranger (by Galileo).
Moonstone is a daughter of Solo De Lune (by Law Society) and that makes her a half-sister to Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Cerulean Sky (by Darshaan; dam of classic-placed Group 2 scorer Honolulu, by Montjeu), and to classic-placed stakes winner and champion L'Ancresse (by Darshaan), among others of note.
That same day, the William Haggas-trained Learn By Heart was runner-up in the Listed 32Red Casino Ascendant Stakes at Haydock, and on Sunday, Nelson's stable companion Rostropovich, a Group 2 scorer on his previous start, finished third in the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh.
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NEW INVINCIBLE JUVENILE
The Irish National Stud's flag bearer Invincible Spirit (by Green Desert) added to his triple-digit tally of stakes winners when the James Tate-trained juvenile Invincible Army justified favouritism in the Group 3 totepool Sirenia Stakes over six furlongs on the polytrack at Kempton on Saturday.
A five-length maiden winner at Newmarket in July, the colt had been fourth in the Group 2 July Stakes and then runner-up in both the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes and Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes before this length and a half success.
He was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd, he is out of the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes heroine Rajeem (by Diktat) and that mare is, in turn, out of a full-sister to Group 1 Prix Morny winner and Group 1 July Cup third Hoh Magic (by Cadeaux Genereux).
His entries include the Group 1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes, Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes, and next year's Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas.
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ANOTHER PATTERN WINNER FOR SEA THE STARS
Gilltown Stud's Timeform 140-rated standout Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross), whose 45 stakes winners include eight that won at least once at the highest level, struck at Kempton on Saturday when Chemical Charge took the Group 3 toteplacepot September Stakes over 12 furlongs on polytrack.
Qatar Racing Ltd's five-year-old, who was blacktype placed in all three starts for Ger Lyons in 2016, is back with Ralph Beckett, who sent him out to win both his starts as a juvenile.
He was third to Idaho in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and his latest victory, a fifth from 13 starts, was his first blacktype success.
The chesnut was bred by Viktor Timoshenko, he is a €95,000 Arqana August Sale graduate, and he is the first foal of Jakonda (by Kingmambo), a stakes-placed granddaughter of Weekend Surprise (by Secretariat).
That famously-related multiple graded stakes winner was US Broodmare of the Year in 1992 and her offspring include the classic heroes and classic sires Summer Squall (by Storm Bird) and A.P. Indy (by Seattle Slew), the latter a founder of one of the most powerful dynasties in North America.
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QUICK DOUBLE FOR DUBAWI
Dalham Hall Stud's outstanding stallion Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) recorded a notable international double in the space of around 45 minutes on Sunday, with the first leg provided by H H the Aga Khan's homebred Shamreen at the Curragh.
The Dermot Weld-trained four-year-old is now a dual winner of the Group 2 Moyglare 'Jewels' Blandford Stakes and this time around she landed the spoils by three lengths.
She is the second foal out of Gowran Park Group 3 scorer Shareen (by Bahri), a mare whose third dam, Sharenara (by Vaguely Noble), was a half-sister to dual Derby hero Shahrastani (by Nijinsky).
The double was completed when Bateel took the Group 1 Qatar Prix Vermeille in good style on soft ground at Chantilly, beating Journey and Left Hand – both also by Dubawi – by two and a half lengths and three lengths.
This was a first win at the highest level for the previous Group 2 scorer, and the five-year-old has now won seven of her 12 starts.
She was bred by Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nayhan, she moved from the David Simcock stable to join Francis-Henri Graffard earlier this year, and she is a half-sister to 10-furlong listed scorer Basemah (by Lemon Drop Kid).
Her dam, Attractive Crown (by Chief's Crown), was runner-up in the Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes and is out of the pattern-placed stakes winner Attirance (by Crowned Prince).
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EQUIANO FILLY'S BOOST
Clive Cox-trained four-year-old Lady Macapa gave her future paddocks value a tremendous boost when taking the Group 3 Qatar Prix du Petit Couvert over five furlongs at Chantilly on Sunday.
This was a first blacktype success for the daughter of Newsells Park Stud's Group 1 sprint star and sire Equiano (by Acclamation).
She was bred by Peter Winkworth, she is the best of several winners out of Brazilian Style (by Exit To Nowhere) and that mare is, in turn, out of Cosmic Star (by Siberian Express), a half-sister to the blacktype-placed pair Band On The Run (by Song) and Shark Song (by Song).
The latter is the grandam of Group 2-winning sprinters Millyant (by Primo Dominie) and Prince Sabo (by Young Generation) and so is the ancestor of talented speedsters such as Mirza (by Oasis Dream), Abou Zouz (by Miswaki), and Birchwood (by Dark Angel).
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CAMELOT AND INTELLO'S FIRST
Classic heroes Camelot (by Montjeu) and Intello (by Galileo) have added their names to the growing list of current freshman sires with at least one stakes winner on their roll of honour.
Triple classic star Camelot stands at Coolmore Stud and his French-bred son Alounak narrowly won the Listed Grosser Preis von Engel & Volkers Dusseldorf – 93rd Junioren-Preis over a mile in Germany on Sunday.
The colt is trained by Jean-Pierre Carvalho, he was bred by the partnership of Framont Ltd and SCEA Des Prairies, and he was a €120,000 private transaction at last year's Arqana August Yearling Sale.
He is the first foal out of Awe Struck (by Rail Link), who could be described as being a three-parts sister to Group 1 Matron Stakes heroine Emulous (by Dansili), to last month's Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron scorer First Sitting (by Dansili), and to Daring Diva (by Dansili).
The latter is the stakes-winning dam of the smart Dermot Weld-trained trio of Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes heroine Brooch (by Empire Maker), listed scorer Caponata (by Selkirk), and dual Group 3-placed Raymonda (by Lonhro).
Intello is returning to Cheveley Park Stud in 2018 following two seasons at Haras du Quesnay and his first stakes winner is the Christophe Ferland-trained Sonjeu who won the Listed Prix Saraca over six and a half furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte on Monday.
The Wertheimer brothers' filly was bred by Sydney Vidal, she made €75,000 at the Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale, and she is the third foal out of pattern-placed Wait And See (by Montjeu).
The mare is a half-sister (could be described as three-parts) to Group 3 Prix Allez France winner Daksha (by Authorized) and she is a granddaughter of Group 1 Coronation Stakes heroine and Group 1 July Cup second Golden Opinion (by Slew O'Gold).