EXCITING TWO-YEAR-OLDS
There were plenty of blacktype events for two-year-olds last weekend and several of them went to progeny of Irish-based stallions.
Blue Point (by Shamardal) impressed with a three-length score in the Group 2 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes at York, earning a Timeform rating of 121p.
A 200,000gns graduate of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, this Oak Lodge Bloodstock-bred colt is trained by Charlie Appleby, he is out of Scarlett Rose (by Royal Applause) and is a half-brother to the Group 2 Railway Stakes winner Formosina (by Footstepsinthesand).
South Seas (by Lope De Vega) was also impressive and the Andrew Balding-trained chesnut extended his unbeaten run to three at Sandown. The Group 3 TCA Abu Dhabi Solario Stakes winner was bred by Stonepark Farms, he made €170,000 in Goffs as a foal and 145,000gns in Newmarket as a yearling, and he is out of Let It Be Me (by Mizzen Mast).
His dam is a half-sister to Zaidan (by Street Cry), who won the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old and later the Listed (local Group 1) Hong Kong Classic Cup at Sha Tin, and his grandam's siblings include the multiple pattern-winning miler Ramooz (by Rambo Dancer).
Hit The Bid (by Exceed And Excel), who had a wind operation after being well-beaten in his first two starts, made it third time lucky with a 50/1 success in the Group 3 Jimmy O'Neill Irish Racing Excellence Curragh Stakes over five furlongs at the Curragh.
The 40,000gns Tattersalls October Yearling Sale graduate was bred by W and R Barnett Ltd, he is trained by Darren Bunyan, and he is out of Selinka (by Selkirk). That mare is a stakes-winning daughter of listed scorer Lady Links (by Bahamian Bounty) and she comes from the immediate family of Group 1 star Bold Edge (by Beveled).
The fourth exciting juvenile on Saturday, by an Irish stallion, won the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes over five furlongs at York, breaking the two-year-old track record in the process.
Big Time Baby (by Dandy Man), who was bred by Paul and Billy McEnery, is trained by Tom Dascombe, he made €33,000 in Goffs as a foal, £45,000 in Doncaster as a yearling, and he is the second foal out of Royal Majestic (by Tobougg), who is a winning mare from the immediate family of 10-furlong Group 2 scorer Just Happy (by Night Shift) and of 1990's Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes winner Mujtahid (by Woodman).
Shamardal (by Giant's Causeway) and Exceed And Excel (by Danehill) stand at Kildangan Stud, Lope De Vega (by Shamardal) stands at Ballylinch Stud, and Dandy Man (by Mozart) stands at Ballyhane Stud.
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UNBEATEN DARK ANGEL FILLY
Cheveley Park Stud's three-year-old filly Persuasive extended her unbeaten record to five with victory in the Group 3 Redrock Entertainment Atalanta Fillies' Stakes over a mile at Sandown on Saturday.
Another talented horse bred by John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud, the daughter of Yeomanstown Stud's leading sire Dark Angel (by Acclamation) is out of listed scorer Choose Me (by Choisir).
Her dam's siblings include the pattern winners Bad Bertrich Again (by Dowsing) and Prolix (by Kris), and her grandam, Hecuba (by Hector Protector), is a grand-daughter of the Group 1 star Cairn Rouge (by Pitcairn).
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LANDMARK FOR TEOFILO
Kildangan Stud stallion Teofilo (by Galileo) hit another landmark on Saturday when Scottish won the Group 3 Betfred Mobile Strensall Stakes over nine furlongs at York.
The win came the day after Quest For More's Group 2 Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup victory at the same venue and it brought the stallion's total of pattern winners to 30. His overall tally of stakes winners, at the time of writing, is 57.
Previously a dual listed scorer, Scottish is a four-year-old gelding. He was bred by Knocktoran Stud, he is trained by Charlie Appleby, and he is out of Zeiting (by Zieten).
That makes him a full-brother to the Group 3 scorer Royal Empire and half-brother to three other blacktype horses, most notably the Group 2-winning miler Combat Zone (by Refuse To Bend).
His dam, who was a listed scorer over six furlongs, is a half-sister to the Group 3 Prix du Bois winner Dolled Up (by Whipper), a talented filly whose placed efforts feature third in both the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte.
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POTENTIAL NEW STARS FOR INVINCIBLE SPIRIT
Leading sire Invincible Spirit (by Green Desert) has 14 Group 1 stars among 97 stakes-winning progeny and the Irish National Stud stallion had two impressive juvenile debut winners at Deauville on Tuesday.
Invincible Queen, who was bred by Capital Pur Sang, is trained by Freddy Head, she won a mile newcomers' event by three lengths, and she is out of Rhythm Queen (by Danehill Dancer), a half-sister to Group 3 winner and Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) runner-up Best Name (by King's Best).
Then the Criquette Head-Maarek trained colt National Defense won the mile newcomers' event for colts and geldings by six lengths. He was bred by the partnership of Ecurie des Monceaux & Meridian International Sarl, he is a €280,000 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale graduate, and a half-brother to the stakes-placed middle-distance filly Cascading (by Teofilo).
His dam, Angel Falls (by Kingmambo), is a half-sister to the Group 3 scorer and Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Anna Salai (by Dubawi) and so comes from the family of Group 1 winners such as Epaulette (by Commands), Helmet (by Exceed And Excel), Ave (by Danehill Dancer), and Anna Monda (by Monsun).
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EUROPEAN SIRE TREBLE AT RANDWICK
The Chris Waller-trained three-year-old Omei Sword easily won the Group 2 Alpha Flight Services Silver Shadow Stakes over six furlongs at Randwick on Saturday, a first pattern success for the daughter of Coolmore Stud's late dual Derby and dual Breeders' Cup hero High Chaparral (by Sadler's Wells).
She was bred by Katom and she is out of Irish Lights (by Fastnet Rock), who won the Group 1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas over a mile at Caulfield seven years ago.
This success followed just after Divine Prophet won a Group 3 handicap over six and a half furlongs at the same card and it preceded the Group 3 handicap success of Pearls by two hours.
Divine Prophet, who was bred by T Falcone, was Group 1-placed over a mile in April, he is a son of Coolmore Stud's sprint ace Choisir (by Danehill Dancer), our of Prophet Jewel (by Encosta De Lago), and he is a full-brother to the mile Group 3 winner Proisir, who was narrowly beaten by It's A Dundeel in both the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes and Group 1 Randwick Guineas.
The Darley-bred filly Pearls is by their shuttle sire Exceed And Excel (by Danehill), she is out of Accessories (by Singspiel) and so is a full-sister to Group 1 star and successful freshman sire Helmet and a half-sister to Group 1 winner and shuttle sire Epaulette (by Commands), whose first crop are yearlings.
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BIG JUVENILE DOUBLE FOR GALILEO
Coolmore Stud's prolific champion sire Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) notched up a big juvenile double at the Curragh on Sunday.
First the 1/4 favourite Churchill beat three rivals in the Group 2 Galileo European Breeders Fund Futurity Stakes over seven furlongs. Winner of three of his four starts and trained by Aidan O'Brien, the Liberty Bloodstock-bred colt is out of Meow (by Storm Cat).
The mare won the Listed Grangecon Stud Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, both over five furlongs, she is a half-sister to the nine and a half furlong Group 3 scorer Aloof (by Galileo) and to mile listed scorer Orator (by Galileo), and her dam is the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Airwave (by Air Express).
That mare also won the Group 2 Ridgewood Pearl Stakes over a mile and her siblings include the ill-fated Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes heroine Jwala (by Oasis Dream).
Two and a half hours later, Rhododendron and Hydrangea gave Galileo and Aiden O'Brien a one-two in the Group 2 Breast Cancer Research Debutante Stakes, also over seven furlongs.
The winner was bred by Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt, she is a full-sister to the 10-furlong Group 3 scorer Flying The Flag, and her dam is Halfway To Heaven (by Pivotal), the triple Group 1 star out of Group 2 King's Stand Stakes scorer Cassandra Go (by Indian Ridge).
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FRESHMAN SIRES UPDATE
It has been another good week for freshman sires, with a mixture of blacktype placings, promising maiden winners, repeat successes and, in the case of Sir Prancealot, another long list of winners.
Dalham Hall Stud's shuttle sire Helmet (by Exceed And Excel) had a blacktype double, albeit with placed horses and not winners.
The Richard Hannon-trained Eqtiraan was third in the Group 3 TCA Abu Dhabi Solario Stakes at Sandown about 15 minutes before the Michael O'Callaghan-trained Mur Hiba was only beaten by half a length when runner-up in the Group 3 Jimmy O'Neill Irish Racing Excellence Curragh Stakes on Saturday.
Then Helmet's Hugo Palmer-trained daughter Kind Of Beauty, who was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd, made a winning debut over a mile at Yarmouth on Tuesday.
Between those two pattern races on Saturday, Baileys Showgirl (by Sepoy) earned her blacktype with third place in the Group 3 Prix du Calvados – Association des Jockeys over seven furlongs at Deauville.
Brametot (by Rajsaman) lost his unbeaten record when suffering a shock three-length defeat in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage over a mile at Deauville that same day, whereas Peace Envoy (by Power) put up one of his best performances yet when third to Lady Aurelia in the Group 1 Darley Prix Morny at that venue on Sunday.
Banstead Manor Stud stallion Bated Breath (by Dansili) continued his good run with another string of recent winners.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Partitia made it two from three with victory over six furlongs at Chester on Saturday, whereas Red Sabor was getting off the mark when taking the nursery at the Curragh on Sunday.
Facilitate, who was runner-up on her two previous starts, opened her winning account over six furlongs at Deauville on Sunday and, like Partitia, she is a Juddmonte Farms homebred.
Bated Breath's dual Group 2-placed daughter Al Johrah was out of luck in the Group 1 Darley Prix Morny, just missing out on some more blacktype when a close fourth behind Lady Aurelia.
Novoman made it third time lucky when scoring over seven furlongs at Brighton, Drop Kick Murphi took his record to two wins from five starts when taking the six-furlong nursery at the same venue, and Sir Dreamalot made it two from six when taking the nursery at Tipperary on Thursday.
All three are sons of Tally-Ho Stud's Sir Prancealot (by Tamayuz), who is also the sire of Wednesday's seven-furlong Lingfield nursery scorer Madam Prancealot, a filly from the family of classic star Doyoun (by Mill Reef), and of Thursday's Musselburgh scorer Yorkshiredebut.
The Jamie Osborne-trained Harbour Master (by Harbour Watch), who won at Lingfield last month, followed-up with a two and a half lenth success in the nursery over seven furlongs at Sandown on Saturday.
He is now two from five, as is Cheveley Park Stud's homebred filly Rosebride (by Mayson), who was an easy winner of the nursery at Leicester on Thursday. Mayson (by Invincible Spirit) also struck at Wolverhampton that same evening when White Chin took the nursery.
Foxy Boy (by Foxwedge) got off the mark in the five-furlong nursery at Carlisle on Monday, just minutes before Parnassian (by Elzaam) maintained his unbeaten record in the six-furlong race.
The well-related Ocean Air (by Rio De La Plata) made a winning debut over seven furlongs at Leicester on Thursday.