ALFRED Nobel, who has made a very promising start to his stud career with his first runners in 2014, was one of the best two-year-olds in Ireland in 2009, when he was a very impressive winner of that season’s Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. He is one of 19 Group 1 winners by his very successful sire Danehill Dancer, who also scored in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes when he was the champion two-year-old in Ireland in 1995. Alfred Nobel’s dam is out of champion filly Dazzling Park and is closely related to Group 1 stars New Approach and Park Express, from the same family as the 2012 Epsom Oaks heroine Was.

Retired to begin his stud career at Coolmore in 2011, Alfred Nobel had seven individual two-year-old winners from his first crop racing in 2014. His daughter Explosive Lady lived up to her name by scoring by four and a half lengths on her debut at Nottingham, then was second in the valuable Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes at the Curragh and third in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot and the Listed Champion Trophy, her only other starts. Run The Red Light won a maiden at the Curragh by over three lengths, while Aimee was an impressive winner in France.

Not surprisingly there were some good prices for yearlings by Alfred Nobel at the 2014 sales, notably the €47,000 paid by Karl Burke Racing for Explosive Lady’s own-brother. He is just one of 53 foals from Alfred Nobel’s second crop who are likely to be racing as two-year-olds in 2015.

Bred by Seamus Burns of Lodge Park Stud, Alfred Nobel was bought by John Magnier for 220,000 guineas at the Newmarket October Sales of 2008. In the following May, Aidan O’Brien saddled him to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs at Leopardstown, the first leg of a notable hat-trick for this smart two-year-old.

Next, Alfred Nobel appeared in the Group 2 Netjets Railway Stakes at the Curragh on Irish Derby day, this time over only six furlongs, and he scored readily by a length and a quarter from In Some Respect.

Again showing plenty of speed over six furlongs, Alfred Nobel completed his trio of wins next time out in the Group 1 Camas Park & Ashtown House Studs Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in July, finishing fast to catch his stablemate Air Chief Marshal and win by half a length, with the Anglesey Stakes heroine Walk On Bye another two and a half lengths away in third place. All the first three were sired by Danehill Dancer.

Alfred Nobel ended his first season by running fifth of 22 in the valuable Tattersalls Timeform Million at Newmarket, heading the group on the stands’ side of the course but then was out of the money in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita over eight and a half furlongs.

SEAMUS BURNS

His breeder Seamus Burns has said: “Alfred Nobel was one of the fastest horses that I’ve ever bred. Being such a fast and early maturing son of Danehill Dancer makes him an ideal stallion for the commercial market, especially as he was such a good-looking yearling.”

Inbred 3x4 to Danzig, but otherwise very much an outcross and free of Sadler’s Wells blood, Alfred Nobel joined Choisir and Mastercraftsman as three Group-1 winning sons of Danehill Dancer on the Coolmore stallion roster. One of the best sons of the mighty Danehill, Danehill Dancer has sired no less than 158 stakes winners, has been champion sire once and champion sire of two-year-olds three times.

WINNING DAM

Glinting Desert, the dam of Alfred Nobel, won at two years old and her first three foals are all winners.

Then her daughter Stellar Glow, a filly by Sea The Stars, was third in the Group 3 Park Stakes at the Curragh at two years in 2014, from only two starts. Glinting Desert is by champion Desert Prince (a son of Green Desert) out of another champion, Dazzling Park, who scored in the Matron Stakes at the Curragh and was second in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes.

The next dam Park Express was also a champion filly, winning the Group 1 Phoenix Champion Stakes, and she is dam of the dual European champion New Approach, whose successes included the Epsom Derby and the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, before becoming a leading sire, with three Group 1 winners from his first crop.

ALFRED NOBEL (IRE)

Race record: Winner of three races and £244,633, at 2 years, from 6-7 furlongs, inc Phoenix Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, and Railway Stakes, Curragh, Gr.2; 3rd in Greenlands Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3.

Stud record: Retired to stud in 2011. Sire of 7 winners of over €136,800 from his first crop racing in 2014, including Explosive Lady (3rd Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot, Gr.3, and Champion Trophy, Ripon, L), Run The Red Light (at the Curragh), Aimee (in France), etc.

Stands at: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Enquiries to 52 6131298, or visit www.coolmore.com.

Fee: €4,000 (October 1st Live Foal).