THERE will have been lots of celebrations throughout the Darley group after the Dalham Hall Stud shuttler, Harry Angel (Dark Angel), sired his first Group 1 winner on Saturday. His three-year-old son Tom Kitten demolished his rivals at Randwick to capture the Spring Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs.

Twice successful at two, the colt won the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes at Rosehill in August, but suffered a number of defeats when placed in races such as the Group 3 Ming Dynasty Stakes and Gloaming Stakes. The colt, out of the Street Cry (Machiavellian) mare Transfers, scored by almost four lengths, and in a time only a second outside the track record.

Trained by James Cummings, Tom Kitten is now the winner of three stakes races and could be a runner this weekend in the Group 1 Victoria Derby at Flemington. He is one of nine stakes winners for the former champion sprinter, but getting a Group 1 son who stretches to 10 furlongs is no surprise to Godolphin Australia bloodstock manager Jason Walsh.

After the race at the weekend, Walsh said: “The good thing about our system is it allows horses to show their aptitude, and James identified this race a long time ago, which is a great training effort in itself. On paper, there’s little to suggest he’d be a mile-and-a-quarter winner at Group 1 level, but we just saw how dominant he was, and it’s a great credit to James and his team.

“Yes, a hugely important result for the whole organisation. He’s a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed, so to put [Harry Angel] on the map with his first Group 1 winner is hugely exciting. The horse has been hugely popular at stud and if he can continue to produce horses of that quality he will be for years to come.”

The dam of Tom Kitten, four-time winner Transfers, got off to the best start at stud when her first foal, Promotions (Exceed And Excel) won the Listed Canberra Guineas. After missing a year, she had a winning full-brother to Promotions, then a four-time winning half-sister, Va Via (Astern), before she had her fourth offspring, Tom Kitten. Since then she has had two colts in three years, but both of them have died.

Transfers is one of five winners from Movin’ Out, a winning daughter of Encosta De Lago (Fairy King), and she comes from a deep family of high-class winners. A half-sister to Group 3 winner Murjana (Giant’s Causeway), Movin’ Out’s half-sister Celebria (Peintre Celebre) bred the Group 1 winner Gathering (Tale Of The Cat), and she is the grandam of the current US star in Italian (Dubawi), winner of four Grade 1 races.

Equinox confirms that he is the world’s best

VICTORY for Equinox in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn Emperor’s Cup), his fifth consecutive win at this level, has confirmed his status as the best racehorse in the world on official ratings. He also took nearly a second off the course record and set a new Japanese record for 10 furlongs,

This was his seventh win in nine starts, and his other Group 1 victories have seen him first past the post in the Dubai Sheema Classic, Arima Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen, while last year he was runner-up in both the Group 1 Japanese Derby and 2000 Guineas.

The Northern Farm-bred Equinox (Kitasan Black) has now won almost €12 million for Silk Racing Company, and should he win the Group 1 Japan Cup, he will become the biggest earning racehorse in Japanese history.

Equinox is the third foal, and one of four winners for his dam, the King Halo (Dancing Brave) mare Chateau Blanche. She won the Group 3 Mermaid Stakes, one of her four successes, and she was runner-up in a Group 2 race, both at Hanshin. This year she foaled a full-sister to Equinox by Kitasan Black, himself a son of Black Tide (Sunday Silence). Her other winners are Weiss Meteor (King Kamehameha), a Group 3 winner, Miss Bianca (Lord Kanaloa) and this year’s winning juvenile Garza Blanca (Kizuna).

Tony Bin

Twice successful at three, Chateau Blanche’s dam Blancherie (Tony Bin), daughter of a Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner, bred four winners. Blancherie is a half-sister to the Japanese champion steeplechaser Blandices (Sakura Bakushin O), winner of the Nakayama Grand Steeplechase in 2004. Their dam was the Japanese stakes-placed Maison Blanche (Alleged), though her half-brother Balleroy (Kaldoun) won a Group 3 in France from Tel Quel and was second to Sillery in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat.

Kitasan Black raced 20 times from three to five, was twice the champion older horse in Japan, and was successful over distances ranging from nine furlongs to two miles. He won the Group 1 Japanese St Leger at three, the Group 1 Japan Cup at four, and brought his Group 1 tally of victories to seven at five.

The four-year-old Equinox is from his first crop, as is Group 2 winner Gala Force, and a pair of listed winners, while this year’s Group 1 Japanese 2000 Guineas winner Sol Oriens is in his second crop, along with a pair of group winners. He is also responsible for this year’s Group 1 Japanese 1000 Guineas runner-up Kona Coast.

Jeremy reaches another milestone

IT has taken a little time for Jetoile to nab a big race win that his form over hurdles, running second but easily beaten by Constitution Hill in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle among them, would have suggested he was capable of doing.

That big race win came in the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase at Aintree, and the fact that six of the 16 fences had to be omitted will take nothing from the victory. The success also marked the 25th individual blacktype winner over jumps for the deceased Jeremy (Danehill Dancer), and they are in addition to seven stakes winners on the flat.

Little wonder that Jeremy’s son Success Days is proving popular with National Hunt breeders.

One of Jeremy’s best known sons Corach Rambler, the winner of this year’s Randox Grand National, was out at the weekend also, while the likes of Sir Gerhard, Appreciate It, Belfast Banter and more are household names.

Bred by Patricia Prenderville, Jetoile was sold to Mount Eaton Stud as a foal in 2015 for €16,500, and resold at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for €72,000 at three. Placed once in a point-to-point, he moved to trainer Ryan Potter and has now won a total of five times over hurdles and fences.

A half-brother to a couple of placed horses, Jetoile is out of an unraced own-sister to Accordion Etoile and French Accordion, both sons of the unraced Accordion (Sadler’s Wells).

Accordion Etoile won the Grade 1 Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival, while French Accordion’s biggest win was in the Grade 2 Fortria Chase at Navan.