RIBCHESTER STARS AGAIN FOR IFFRAAJ
Classic-placed Group 1 star Ribchester is now a dual winner at the highest level following his three and three-quarter-length defeat of Lightning Spear in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes over a mile at Newbury on Saturday.
Bred in Ireland by Andrew Thompson and Mike O'Brien, and a €105,000 graduate of the Goffs Orby Sale, the Richard Fahey-trained four-year-old carries the Godolphin colours.
He is a son of Dalham Hall Stud stallion and former Kildangan Stud team member Iffraaj (by Zafonic), whose eight Group 1 winners include 2017 southern hemisphere classic aces Gingernuts and Jon Snow, and he is the first foal out of Mujarah (by Marju), a grand-daughter of Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Mehthaaf (by Nureyev).
This is a branch of the famous Fall Aspen (by Pretense) family, which means that Ribchester not only comes from a family with a prolific history of producing Group/Grade 1 winners, but he will be an exciting addition to the stallion ranks whenever he retires from the track.
I reviewed Ribchester's pedigree in detail and highlighted his Group 1 potential in the 26th September 2015 edition of The Irish Field.
---
FIRST CLASSIC STAR FOR FRANKEL
Banstead Manor Stud's great champion Frankel (by Galileo) has already had eight pattern winners from his first crop and they include Shadai Farm's homebred Soul Stirring, winner of Sunday's Group 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) over 12 furlongs at Tokyo.
A Group 1 winner and juvenile filly champion in 2016, the Kazuo Fujisawa-trained bay made a winning return in a Group 3 contest in March but suffered a shock defeat when only third in last month's Group 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), also over a mile at Hanshin.
Soul Stirring is the second foal out of the classic star and six-time Group/Grade 1 winner Stacelita (by Monsun) and she comes from the family of standouts such as Sagace (by Luthier), Steinlen (by Habitat), and Zagreb (by Theatrical).
---
MORE GROUP 1 MAGIC FOR LOPE DE VEGA
Ballylinch Stud's dual classic star Lope De Vega (by Shamardal) brought his tally of stakes winners to 24 last weekend and the victory of Vega Magic in the Darley Goodwood over six furlongs at Morphettville in Australia gave him a fourth individual Group 1 scorer.
The gelding was bred by Wally Daly, who races him in partnership with his brother George. He was a dual Group 3 winner for the Sean Casey stable late last year, and his three-quarter length defeat of Missrock on Saturday came on his first outing for the training partnership of David Hayes, Ben Hayes, and Tom Dabernig.
His third dam, Starlight Express (by Century), is a blacktype-placed full-sister to Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes heroine Century Miss, a mare whose pattern-winning descendants include Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint scorer Natural Blitz (by Maroof), who was previously an Australian blacktype winner as Shout From Maroof.
---
HAWKBILL REPRESENTS SADLER'S WELLS LINE
Last year's Group 1 Eclipse Stakes winner Hawkbill got off the mark for the current season with a two-length defeat of My Dream Boat in the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes (registered as The Aston Park Stakes) over 12 furlongs on soft ground at Newbury on Saturday.
Godolphin's four-year-old is trained by Charlie Appleby, he was bred by the Helen K Groves Revokable Trust, and he is a son of leading US sire Kitten's Joy (by El Prado), the flag bearer at Ramsey Farm in Kentucky.
That prolific Grade 1 source is a grandson of Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer) and his European blacktype performers also include Bobby's Kitten, the US Grade 1 star who ran away with a listed sprint at Cork on his only start in Ireland.
That horse is currently in his first season at Lanwades Stud in Newmarket, and as a $350,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale graduate who comes from the family of Grade 1 star and leading sire Cozzene (by Caro), a stallion career surely awaits Hawkbill too.
The chesnut is the second foal out of Grade 3-placed Trensa (by Giant's Causeway), a daughter of the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes heroine Serape (by Fappiano).
---
NATHANIEL'S FIRST CROP STEPPING FORWARD
Group 1 star Nathaniel (by Galileo) has been catching the eye recently and the Newsells Park Stud stallion's first crop includes several potential classic contenders plus a colt who was runner-up in Sunday's Group 2 Derby Italiano.
The latter is Back On Board, a Stefano Botti-trained son of Holy Moon (by Hernando) and so a half-brother to the Group 1 stars Charity Line (by Manduro) and Final Score (by Dylan Thomas) and to Group 1-placed Cherry Collect (by Oratorio), each of whom have won the Group 2 Oaks d'Italia.
The John Gosden-trained Enable won the Listed Cheshire Oaks recently and is a likely contender for the Group 1 Investec Oaks, as is the Roger Charlton-trained Natavia, who easily won the Listed Haras De Bouquetot Fillies' Stakes over 10 furlongs at Newbury on Saturday.
The former is out of Concentric (by Sadler's Wells) and so comes from the immediate family of multiple Group/Grade 1 star Flintshire (by Dansili), while the latter is out of Our Queen Of Kings (by Arazi), which makes her a half-sister to runaway Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes heroine Spinning Queen (by Spinning World).
Nathaniel's first crop also includes the dual pattern-placed German colts Enjoy Vijay and Kastano, French listed second Falcon Wings, as well as Glencadam Glory, who was runner-up in the Listed Derby Trial Stakes at Lingfield.
---
GOLDIKOVA'S EXCITING DAUGHTER
The great racemare Goldikova (by Anabaa) is now the producer of a pattern winner as her daughter Terrakova (by Galileo) took the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre over 10 and a half furlongs at Saint-Cloud on Tuesday.
The Freddy Head-trained bay is the second foal of her dam, she is, of course, a Wertheimer brothers homebred, and her only prior outing was over nine furlongs on the polytrack at Chantilly in November, which she won by three and a half lengths.
Goldikova's Group 1-placed, pattern-winning full-brother Anodin stands at Haras du Quesney and has yearlings, and her string of blacktype siblings also include classic-placed, Group 1-winning half-sister Galikova (by Galileo).
Born Gold (by Blushing Groom), the dam of Goldikova, is a full-sister to the classic-placed mile Group 1 winner Gold Splash and they are out of classic-placed Group 1 star Riviere d'Or (by Lyphard).
The next dam is the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Gold River (by Riverman).
---
GROUP 2 FOR STARS FILLY
Gilltown Stud's Timeform 140-rated champion Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) added to his tally this week when Armande won the Group 2 Prix Corrida over 10 and a half furlongs at Saint-Cloud.
The Andre Fabre-trained four-year-old, who was bred by the partnership of Petra Bloodstock and Ecurie De Meautry, is out of Alpine Snow (by Verglas) and as that pattern-placed stakes winner is a daughter of Altruiste (by Diesis), it makes Tuesday's pattern star inbred 3x3 to Allegretta (by Lombard).
That mare is the dam of Group 1 2000 Guineas winner and classic sire King's Best (by Kingmambo) and of Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Urban Sea (by Miswaki), the blue hen mare whose offspring include Galileo (by Sadler's Wells), My Typhoon (by Giant's Causeway), Black Sam Bellamy (by Sadler's Wells) and, of course, Sea The Stars.
---
GRADE 3 WIN FOR KODIAC FILLY
Last year Grizzel was a busy member of the Richard Hannon team, winning two of her eight starts and earning blacktype when third in a listed contest over seven furlongs at Sandown.
The three-year-old is now with Michael Doyle in Canada and she found a step up in trip no problem at Woodbine on Sunday, taking the Grade 3 Selene Stakes over eight and a half furlongs on the tapeta surface.
She was bred by Martin Butler, the first of her three appearances in the sales ring was when making €28,000 in Goffs as a foal, and this daughter of Tally-Ho Stud stallion Kodiac (by Danehill) is out of the dual winner Milana (by Mark Of Esteem).
Her grandam, Malatesta (by Persian Heights), was stakes-placed in Germany, that mare's offspring include the listed scorer Mistic Lioness (by Lion Cavern), and if you go farther back you will find Group 3 Prix de Pomone winner Moquerie (by Beaugency; fourth dam) and a branch that leads to Group 1 National Stakes scorer Mus-If (by Lahib).
---
HELMET ADDS TO HIS TALLY
Dalham Hall Stud's shuttle stallion Helmet (by Exceed And Excel) added to his blacktype tally when his first-crop son Taamol narrowly beat Larchmont Lad in the Listed Betway King Charles II Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket on Saturday.
Hamdan Al Maktoum's three-year-old is trained by Sir Michael Stoute, he was bred by the partnership of Derek Gibbons, Tomas Kerin, and Ann Gibbons, and he is out of Supreme Seductress (by Montjeu).
The colt is a 140,000gns graduate of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and his dam is a half-sister to the Group 1 Oaks d'Italia winner Menhoubah (by Dixieland Band).
The northern hemisphere half of Helmet's global first crop includes Group 1 star Thunder Snow and also Anda Muchacho, who won last month's Group 3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) and finished third in Sunday's Group 2 Derby Italiano.
---
ANOTHER NICE ONE FOR FASTNET ROCK
Coolmore Stud's shuttle stallion Fastnet Rock (by Danehill) has another potential Group 1 contender to his name now that Newtown Anner Stud's homebred Naughty Or Nice maintained her unbeaten record with victory in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Yeats Stakes over 13 furlongs at Navan on Saturday.
The John Oxx-trained three-year-old, who beat subsequent pattern scorer Bean Feasa easily on her debut at Gowran Park last month, holds entries in the Group 3 Munster Oaks Stakes, Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, and Group 1 Darley Irish Oaks.
She is a half-sister to the Group 3-placed Melrose Stakes (handicap) winner Dark Crusader (by Cape Cross) and her dam, the unraced Monty's Girl (by High Chaparral), is a half-sister to the Grade 1 scorer Subtle Power (by Sadler's Wells).
Indeed, Monty's Girl could be described as being a three-parts sister to that top-level winner, and her siblings also include the tragically ill-fated Mutahadee (by Encosta De Lago) who chased home Cityscape in the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free at Meydan five years ago.