FIRST PATTERN WINNERS FOR THREE FRESHMEN
Getting a first pattern winner is a notable landmark in any stallion's career, last weekend two of the current batch of freshman achieved the feat, and on Thursday afternoon another one hit the target.
The Mark Johnston-trained Kilmah, who narrowly missed out on blacktype when a close fourth to Roly Poly in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes in early July, before getting it for chasing home Fair Eva in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot, took her record to two wins from six starts with victory in the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood.
This was a first run at seven furlongs for the daughter of Dalham Hall Stud shuttle sire Sepoy (by Elusive Quality) and she is the second stakes winner for that stallion because pattern-placed Baileys Showgirl won the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure at Chantilly in July.
Multiple Group 1 star Sepoy has got three blacktype-placed runners in the Australian half of his global first crop, and Saturday's winner, a 32,000gns Tattersalls October Yearling Sale graduate, was bred by Mildmay Bloodstock Ltd.
Kilmah is out of mile listed scorer Perfect Star (by Act One), which makes her a half-sister to the stakes-placed multiple middle-distance scorer Tears Of The Sun (by Mastercraftsman). Her dam is a half-sister to the pattern-placed 10-furlong listed race winner Rewarded (by Motivator) and her grandam, Granted (by Cadeaux Genereux), is a stakes-placed triple mile scorer out of the Group 3 Rockfel Stakes winner Germane (by Distant Relative).
The following afternoon Sea Of Grace, an €80,000 Goffs foal sale graduate, won the Group 3 Flame Of Tara European Breeders Fund Stakes over a mile at the Curragh.
The John Oxx-trained chesnut was bred by Robert Norton, who also bred Wednesday's Gowran Park juvenile scorer Forrest Prince (by Approve), and she represents the first crop of Gilltown Stud stallion Born To Sea.
That classic-placed stakes winner, who spent his first two seasons at Rathasker Stud, is one of the best-bred stallions in service as he is by the influential Invincible Spirit (by Green Desert) and out of the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Urban Sea (by Miswaki), thereby making him a half-brother to the outstanding classic duo and major sires Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) and Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross).
Sea Of Grace is a half-sister to the stakes-placed prolific winner Pepparone (by Stormy River) and her winning dam, Lady Dettoria (by Vettori), is a half-sister to multiple pattern-placed Cougar Bay (by Daylami).
Delimara (by In The Wings), the stakes-winning grandam of Sunday's rising star, is out of the talented Mariella (by Sir Gaylord), whose siblings included fellow Group 1 winner and Italian champion Scorpio (by Sir Gaylord) and the triple Group 1 Gold Cup hero Sagaro (by Espresso).
On Thursday afternoon, the Joseph Tuite-trained Madam Dancealot made it two wins from six starts when springing a 10/1 surprise in the Group 3 Bathwick Tyres Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes over six furlongs at Salisbury.
She was bred by Tally-Ho Stud, which is where her freshman sire Sir Prancealot (by Tamayuz) stands, and she is out of Sisal (by Danehill), a winning mare from the immediate family of flat Group 2-scorer and subsequent Grade 1 Champion Hurdle hero Alderbrook (by Ardross).
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QUICK INTERNATIONAL DOUBLE FOR AIRLIE STUD
The famous Airlie Stud name was carried to victory twice in just over 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon, first strike going to a Brian Meehan-trained sprinter and the second leg provided by a national hero who was venturing outside his adopted homeland for the first time.
Windfast's victory in the Listed Stobart Club and Shop Hopeful Stakes, over six furlongs at Newmarket, was his third win in 14 starts and his first at blacktype level.
He is an Exceed And Excel (by Danehill) half-brother to the multiple stakes-placed filly Montalcino (by Big Bad Bob), who was out of the frame in an eight and a half furlong allowance race at Saratoga later that evening, and he is out of Fair Sailing (by Docksider).
His dam is, in turn, out of Airlie's well-known Group 2-winning mare Fair Of The Furze (by Ela-Mana-Mou), and her offspring featured the Group 1 star White Muzzle (by Dancing Brave), Group 2 scorer Fair Question (by Rainbow Quest), and also Elfaslah (by Green Desert), the stakes-winning dam of Group 1 Dubai World Cup hero Almutawakel (by Machiavellian).
Airlie Stud also bred Va Bank (by Archipenko), who extended his unbeaten record to 12 with victory in the Group 3 Preis der Sparkassen Finanzgruppe over 10 furlongs at Baden-Baden, coming home one and a half lengths clear of odds-on favourite Potemkin, the lightly-raced gelding who was Group 1-placed to Elliptique at Munich a month before.
Many here may be unaware of his exploits, as they have taken place in a country that is not listed in Part I of the International Cataloguing Standards, but the Maciej Janikowski-trained colt is, you could say, the Frankel of Poland.
A €4,500 graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, Va Bank was a two-year-old star who went on to sweep the Polish Triple Crown and Horse of the Year honours in 2015.
He is the first foal out of Vinales (by Dilshaan), who is an unraced half-sister to the dam of dual Group 1 King's Stand Stakes hero and notably successful Newsells Park Stud stallion Equiano (by Acclamation), who had a big day of his own this week.
His string of winners included Grade 3 success for Belvoir Bay in the Torrey Pines Stakes over a mile at Del Mar on Sunday night and an impressive listed race win for two-year-old Alicante Dawn at Ripon on Monday afternoon, that colt becoming the tenth stakes winner for his sire.
Both of these blacktype scorers are out of daughters of prolific Group 1 star Rock Of Gibraltar (by Danehill).
Equiano's other notable results in 2016 include Group 2 Railway Stakes success for Group 1-placed juvenile Medicine Jack, a US Grade 3 for the filly Baciami Piccola, and both Group 3 and listed success for notable sprinter The Tin Man, one of the favourites for Saturday's Group 1 32Red Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock.
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DANSILI'S WEEKEND SPREE
Banstead Manor Stud's outstanding stallion Dansili (by Danehill), whose 113 stakes winners include 19 Group/Grade 1 stars, had a notably successful weekend with a string of big-race winners for him or his sons.
Flintshire continued his dominance of the US turf scene with an odds-on success in the Grade 1 Longines Sword Dancer Stakes over 12 furlongs at Saratoga on Saturday, the same day that Platitude (by Dansili) ran away with a listed race over a quarter-mile farther at Goodwood and that the Rail Link (by Dansili) filly Chain Of Daisies took the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes over 10 furlongs at Windsor.
The following afternoon, Mick Channon-trained three-year-old Opal Tiara won the Group 3 Doom Bar Supreme Stakes over seven furlongs at Goodwood, a second blacktype success for the daughter of Thousand Words (by Dansili).
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NOTABLE FIRST FOR OASIS DREAM SON
There are two notable aspects to the pedigree of Alpha Delphini, the Bryan Smart-trained five-year-old who won the Listed totescoop6 Beverley Bullet Stakes over five furlongs on Saturday.
As has been well-publicised, the gelding, whose record now reads five wins from 11 starts, is out of Easy To Imagine (by Cozzene), which makes him a half-brother to 2011's Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp hero Tangerine Trees (by Mind Games).
His siblings also include Masai Moon (by Lujain) and Galatian (by Traditionally), who have won 13 races between them, but it is his sire that provides the other notable aspect of the pedigree.
The Marie Matthews-bred bay is the first stakes winner for Mickley Stud stallion Captain Gerrard, making that dual pattern-winning sprinter the latest among a growing list of sons of Oasis Dream (by Green Desert) to achieve that feat.
Younger Oasis Dream stallions who are still waiting in the wings include the Irish-based pair Gale Force Ten (Irish National Stud) and Morpheus (Tally-Ho Stud), both of whom had their first foals in 2016, French duo Reply and Sri Putra (both first yearlings), and the UK-based group of Coach House (foals in 2016), Fountain Of Youth, Intrinsic and Muhaarar (all first foals in 2017).
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BIG DOUBLES FOR SIYOUNI AND PIVOTAL
Haras de Bonneval's excellent young stallion Siyouni notched up a quick pattern double at Deauville on Sunday.
First, the four-year-old filly Siyoushake justified favouritism in the Group 3 Prix Quincey Barriere over a mile, a first pattern success for the Freddy Head-trained bay. She was bred by Aleyrion Bloodstock Ltd and is a half-sister to the lightly-raced Group 3-placed filly Pleasemetoo (by Vale Of York)
The €50,000 Arqana graduate is out of Shakeyourbody (by Giant's Causeway), who is a full-sister to the Grade 1 Suburban Handicap scorer Frost Giant, and her grandam, Takesmybreathaway (by Gone West), is a half-sister to the Group 2-placed stakes winner and leading Argentine sire Mutakddim (by Seeking The Gold).
Finsbury Square completed the double half an hour later when holding on for a short-head success in the Group 3 Prix de Meautry Barriere. Berend Van Dalfsen's homebred four-year-old is trained by Fabrice Chappet.
The dual pattern-winning gelding is out of Diamond Square (by Dyhim Diamond), who is a winning half-sister to the mile listed scorer and subsequent dual hurdles scorer King Solomon (by Simon Du Dessert).
Like leading sire Kyllachy, Siyouni is a son of Cheveley Park Stud's Group 1 sprint star Pivotal (by Polar Falcon) and that chesnut classic sire was also among the winners last week with a big double of his own.
Cheveley Park Stud's homebred gelding Certificate justified favouritism in the valuable seven-furlong Goodwood Revival Stakes (a handicap), scooping a first prize that was marginally bigger than what the Newsells Park Stud-bred entire Lightning Spear earned when taking the Group 2 Doom Bar Celebration Mile at the same venue around 70 minutes later.
The latter, who is trained by David Simcock, is the best of four blacktype horses out of Atlantic Destiny (by Royal Academy), a stakes-winning half-sister to Group 2 Royal Whip Stakes winner and Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup third Make No Mistake (by Darshaan).
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FRESHMAN UPDATE
The pattern wins of Kilmah (by Sepoy), Madam Dancealot (by Sir Prancealot) and Sea Of Grace (by Born To Sea) (see above) were not the only notable results for freshman sires recently.
Urban Fox (by Foxwedge) earned some valuable blacktype when taking third place in the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood, and the colt Private Matter (by Mayson) chased home Alicante Dawn in the listed race at Ripon on Monday.
Foxwedge (by Fastnet Rock) also struck with odds-on Beverley maiden winner Peak Princess, who is trained by Richard Hannon, and the stallion's King Of Spades was also justifying favouritism when taking a Deauville claimer.
Pellucid (by Excelebration) finished third in the Group 3 Bathwick Tyres Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes over six furlongs at Salisbury on Thursday, and the same stallion struck several days earlier when the Mick Channon-trained Tara Celeb made a winning debut over the same trip at Goodwood.
Neguev (by So You Think) was first past the post in a Deauville maiden in early August, but made no mistake on Monday when keeping the same venue's mile maiden.
The following afternoon, Seven Heavens (by Frankel) easily added a seven-furlong conditions race at Goodwood to his prior maiden success, his odds of 1/10 contrasting sharply with the 14/1 debut success of Desert Water (by Sepoy) over a mile on the same card.
The Brian Ellison-trained gelding Orewa made it three wins from five starts when easily winning the five-furlong nursery at Beverley on Sunday, Bongrace made it three from seven when she took the mile nursery at Newcastle on Monday, whereas victory for Hurricane Rush over seven at Epsom was a first one from four starts. All three are by Helmet (by Exceed And Excel).
Clive Cox-trained Graphite Storm (by Delegator) made it second time lucky when scoring over six furlongs at Windsor and Merry Banter (by Bated Breath), who has never been out of the first four in nine starts, became a dual winer following Tuesday's five-furlong nursery at Ripon.
Bated Breath (by Dansili) also struck on Wednesday with regally-related Lingfield maiden scorer Sfumato, who got off the mark at the fourth attempt. His Group 2-winning dam Modern Look (by Zamindar) is out of Group 1 scorer Prophecy (by Warning), making him related to the successful stallions Camacho (by Danehill) and Showcasing (by Oasis Dream).
Tonahutu (by Sir Prancealot) made it third time lucky when scoring at Chelmsford on Thursday evening.