WHAT a pity that Es Que Love was not given a better chance at stud. Four seasons at Rathasker Stud produced just 79 foals, 50 runners on the flat and half of them won.

His first crop included the stakes-winning filly Que Amoro, and his 2017 crop is headed by his best runner, Hong Kong Harry. A four-time winner at three and four in England for Richard Fahey in his first five starts, he was unsold at the Goffs London Sale in 2021 at £185,000.

Two more races, and two more placings, didn’t increase his value and Hong Kong Harry was sold at the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale in the autumn for 85,000gns, and headed to the USA.

Now trained by Philip D’Amato, Hong Kong Harry has been a revelation this year, winning five of his six starts, running second in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes, and posting earnings of $525,000. His wins include a pair of Grade 2 races at Del Mar, last weekend’s Seabiscuit Handicap and the Del Mar Mile, and the Grade 3 American Stakes at Santa Anita.

Richard Fahey has not severed all his connections with the family, and he trains Hong Kong Harry’s two-year-old half-sister, Singapore Sally (Bungle Inthejungle), while their yearling half-sister by Kodiac (Danehill) will be breezed in 2023 after being purchased for that purpose for €55,000 at this year’s Goffs Orby Sale.

Abama rules

Philip D’Amato also trains the four-year-old Irish-bred Prince Abama, winner of the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes at Del Mar, his third, and first stakes, win in the USA.

The son of Tamayuz (Nayef) was sent to the USA after his purchase for only €29,000 at the Goffs Sportsman’s Sale three years ago. BBA (Ireland) signed for the colt, and the same agency spent $360,000 for the colt’s dam at Keeneland 15 years ago. Named Abama Lady, this Canadian-bred daughter of Mr Greeley (Gone West) never ran, but all her five runners are winners.

While Canadian, American and Argentine suffixes abound in this female line, the best known runner thrown up is a horse who made his name in this part of the world, both on the racecourse and at stud. Prince Abama’s third dam is The Temptress (Nijinsky), and she is the dam of the Canadian Grade 1 winner La Lorgnette (Val De L’Orne). In turn, the latter mare bred Hawk Wing (Woodman), a Group 1 winner at two who later added the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes and Eclipse Stakes to his tally of victories.

They, along with the Travers Stakes winner Catholic Boy (More Than Ready), are some of the top-level winners who descend from Prince Abama’s fourth dam, La Sevillana (Court Harwell). She was the champion filly at two and three in Argentina in the late 1960s, where her wins included the 1000 Guineas and Oaks, and she later was a stakes winner in the USA, at Del Mar, where her great great grandson won at the weekend.