THIS is always a fascinating time of year for the three-year-olds, with classic trials appearing every couple of days. Not all can go on to become stars, but that doesn’t stop the guessing game from being played out day after day.

Arrest (Frankel) has been one of the most impressive of the potential Derby winners on show recently, and he and Savethelastdance (Galileo) are reviewed elsewhere in this week’s column.

I will take a quick run through some of the others to emerge, and they are listed alphabetically rather than in any order of preference.

Eternal Hope, a daughter of Teofilo (Galileo), won the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial Stakes on her third start, and this Godolphin homebred is out of the wining Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) mare Voice Of Truth. That half-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Rio De La Plata (Rahy) was sold for €35,000 to Gary Mullins at Goffs in 2021, carrying what is now a yearling full-sister to Eternal Hope.

Military Order

Another Godolphin homebred is Military Order (Frankel), and, like Eternal Hope, he too is out of a Dubawi mare, Anna Salai. That Group 3 winner and Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up should be well-known to all as she is already the dam of a classic winner, the 2021 Group 1 Derby her Adayar (Frankel). Could Military Order double up and match the achievement of his own-brother? Connections believe he can. Victory for Military Order in the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes was his third in four starts, so he will go to Epsom with plenty of experience.

Coolmore’s Peking Opera (Galileo) won the Listed Yeats Stakes at Navan and could be an early choice for a possible St Leger challenge later this year. Bred by Premier Bloodstock, he is out of the dual US winner Bugle (War Front), and she is a full-sister to Air Force Blue who won the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and Group 1 National Stakes in 2015.

The Coolmore-bred San Antonio (Dubawi) won the Listed Dee Stakes at Chester and he looks to have many options, including the possibility of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby. He is the second winner for Rain Goddess (Galileo), and that Group 3 winner was runner-up in a pair of Group 1 races, the Darley Irish Oaks and the Pretty Polly Stakes. Rain Goddess is a granddaughter of the Group 1 1000 Guineas winner Virginia Waters (Kingmambo).

Soul Sister

Lady Bamford owns and bred Soul Sister (Frankel), whose second win was gained in the Group 3 Musidora Stakes at York. She is the second Group 3 winner out of Dream Peace (Dansili) who was purchased for 2,700,000gns a decade ago. The other was Soul Sister’s full-brother Dreamflight (Frankel).

The Foxes, a son of Churchill (Galileo) added the Group 2 Dante Stakes to his juvenile win in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes.

Sold by his breeder, Barronstown Stud, for 440,000gns as a yearling to SackvilleDonald, he is the sixth stakes winner among 11 successful offspring of the stakes-placed Tanaghum (Darshaan). The others include Group 1 winner Matterhorn (Raven’s Pass), and Group 2 winner Bangkok (Australia). Their unplaced half-sister Mujarah (Marju) is the dam of Ribchester (Iffraaj).

Finally, while he cannot be a classic contender as a gelding, a mention for the three-year-old Great State. A member of the sophomore class, he is a pure sprinter, and his fourth success came in the Listed Westow Stakes at York. From the first crop of Havana Grey (Havana Gold), he is the eighth stakes winner from the sire’s first crop.

Ocean Vision doubles up for Ryan

OCEAN Vison’s win in the Listed Prix de la Vallee d’Auge at Deauville last year was a milestone on a number of fronts.

He was a first stakes winner for U S Navy Flag (War Front) in his first crop, and also credited trainer Tim Donworth with his first stakes winner in his first full season training.

Owned by Jonathon Kirkland and Milltown Stud’s Geraldine Ryan, Ocean Vision doubled up on his stakes score, and brought his winning total to four, when he added the Listed Prix de Pontarme at ParisLongchamp to his roll of honour on Thursday. The colt was also placed last year in the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte.

Geraldine Ryan’s husband Jim bought the dam of Ocean Vision, the Mr Greeley (Gone West) mare Balaagha, for 55,000gns nine years ago, a lot less than the $750,000 she cost Shadwell as a yearling. She was a winner, been second at Ascot in a listed contest, and when she was sold her first foal was a winner at two. Now she is dam of three winners from her first six named foals, and another two have been placed. Her seventh is a two-year-old colt by El Kabeir (Scat Daddy), named Ocean Force.

Much better

Balaagha’s Grade 2 winning half-sister Letgomyecho (Menifee) is the dam of the 2021 champion juvenile filly in the USA, Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), her dam’s third stakes winner, and the second to win at Grade 1 level. Echo Town (Speightstown) won the H Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga in 2020, but Echo Zulu’s performances trump that and she won three Grade 1s, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Spinaway Stakes and the Frizette Stakes, while last year she was runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Mullins get a fine tune out of Scaramanga

SCARAMANGA was formerly trained by Paul Nicholls, but switched last year to join Willie Mullins. He made two starts on the flat, performing well without troubling the judge, and then went to Cheltenham after a four-month break and ran fourth in the Coral Cup.

Last weekend be made his fourth appearance for owner Malcolm Denmark and Mullins, in his third country, and won the £100,000 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Hurdle at Percy Warner. Known there as a Grade 1 race, this was the biggest success to date for the eight-year-old son of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer), though he did win the Listed Sodexo Handicap Hurdle at Ascot when trained in England.

Sold as a yearling at Arqana for €105,000 to Crispin de Moubray, Scaramanga is the best of the six winners from the Hernando (Niniski) mare Herboriste. A winner in France, she blossomed when sent to the USA and won the Grade 2 La Prevoyante Stakes at Calder and was placed many times at graded stakes level. Herboriste was one of 10 winners out of Helvellyn (Gone West), the best of the rest being the French stakes winner Fast And Furious (Singspiel), and he was beaten just half a length by Good Reward in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.

A number of Helvellyn’s daughters bred blacktype winners, and notable from a jumping perspective was the unraced Serrenia (High Chaparral). The star performer among her winners was another Willie Mullins-trained gelding, Penhill (Mount Nelson). Successful a dozen times in all, he won twice at Grade 1 level at the Cheltenham Festival, including the Stayers’ World Hurdle.

Shecouldbeanything

The well-named Malinas (Lomitas) six-year-old Shecouldbeanything has been something of a revelation of late, and she captured her second win in a blacktype race when adding the Listed Easyclean Tourist Attraction Mares Hurdle at Killarney to her Punchestown win in the Listed Shawiya Mares Novice Hurdle.

Bred by Damien Duncan, Shecouldbeanything sold as a foal to Timmy Love for a mere €1,400, and was again a bargain buy at three when costing €5,000. After winning her only start in a point-to-point, she left plenty of profit when Aidan O’Ryan and Gordon Elliott spent £68,000 on her in April of last year.

A sixth-place finish at Cheltenham has been the only time she was out of the money in seven starts now from Cullentra, and she won her only bumper start, has now won three times over hurdles, and her placed efforts include running third in a Grade 2 at Punchestown. Clearly a mare on the upgrade, she is one to watch for in the future. She is the 22nd blacktype winner for her sire who moved to Coolagown Stud last year, his fourth home after spells in France, England and at Glenview Stud.