Blue Point | Horse Racing Free Tips

Seven Days: La Vie En Rose

Thank goodness for France. While Britain and Ireland mostly pause the serious Flat action in Grand National week, the French Classic trials rolled on with the return of racing at Longchamp on Sunday, which will be backed up by another strong card this coming Sunday.

It was hard not to be impressed by the seasonal debut of Jannah Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who has raced only twice for two wins, and looked a proper Classic prospect for Al Shira'aa Farms and Carlos Laffon-Parias when winning the G3 Prix Vanteaux.

When TDN spoke to Al Shira'aa's manager Kieran Lalor back in February, the regard in which he held this three-parts-sister to the Group 2 winner Creggs Pipes (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) was clear and he recalled her purchase at the Goffs Orby Sale for €650,000.

“Jannah Rose was quite possibly one of the nicest yearlings I've ever seen at a sale,” he said. “She was a fantastic-looking individual, and she moved great. She was one horse I said to the boss, 'We just have to own her, whatever it takes.'”

Lalor added, “She's one we'll be very excited about.”

The excitement levels have undoubtedly moved up a level following Sunday's black-type victory, both for the Al Shira'aa team and for breeder John Hayes, who was in Paris to cheer on the daughter of his broodmare Sophie Germain (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}).

On Monday, Lalor confirmed that Jannah Rose had come out of the race in good order and will now be aimed at the G1 Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary, which is run on the same card as both French Guineas on May 14, en route to the G1 Prix de Diane. While her dam Sophie Germain was unraced, as explained in a TDN feature of 2021, there are plenty of Classic heroes to be found deep in this family, which pedigree expert Hayes will no doubt have ascertained before purchasing the daughter of Indian Ridge as a foal in 2007. Jannah Rose's grand-dam Nydrion (Critique) won the Oaks d'Italia, and the extended dynasty also includes Derby winners Never Say Die and High Chaparral (Ire), Kentucky Derby winners Swale and Genuine Risk, as well as Ravinella, who won the 1,000 Guineas and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches for Alec Head, the grandfather of Patricia Laffon-Parias, who is married to Jannah Rose's trainer.

All of those named, along with many more horses of note, trace back to Lord Rosebery's 1,000 Guineas winner and Oaks runner-up Chelandry (GB). Foaled in 1894, the influential mare was a member of the sole British crop of Goldfinch (GB), a son of the Triple Crown winner Ormonde (GB) who continued his stud career at Rancho del Paso in California and Kentucky's Elmendorf Stud.

Rock On

A member of the Head dynasty also featured in the success of the other Classic trial winner on Sunday, when Christopher Head saddled Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) to land the G3 Prix la Force in gutsy fashion.

Big Rock continues the burgeoning partnership between Head and owner-breeder Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals of Yeguada Centurion, who struck at the highest level last season with G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}).

With Big Rock on course for the Prix du Jockey Club, Blue Rose Cen looks set to have her Classic aspirations put on trial in Sunday's G3 Prix de la Grotte.

Big Rock's unraced dam Hardiyna (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was bought for €72,000 at Goffs when carrying him and, as her name implies, the fourth-generation Aga Khan-bred mare hails from the family which is also responsible for dual Derby winner Harzand (Ire), who is by the same sire as Hardiyna and is a half-brother to her Group 3-winning dam Harasiya (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}).

Yeguada Centurion is listed as the biggest owner in Head's stable, with 10 horses in training there, including recent Chantilly winner Mr Melbourne Cen (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}) and Sabio Cen (Fr) (ZaraK {Fr}), who won last week's Prix Tourbillon.

Chappet Eyes Classic Prize

Fabrice Chappet generally has his horses pretty forward and he has made another good start to the season, saddling two stakes winners in the last week.

Good Guess (GB) (Kodiac {GB}), singled out by the trainer as a juvenile to follow last season, duly won his first two starts at two and was later Listed-placed at Deauville. The Cheveley Park Stud-bred colt, who races for Hisaaki Saito, stepped up another level when landing last Thursday's G3 Prix Djebel, with the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) behind him in third.

The grandson of 1,000 Guineas winner Russian Rhythm (Kingmambo) and relation to Irish Oaks winner Alydaress (Alydar) will now have his own shot at a Classic in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains.

On Sunday, Plesant Jane (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) landed the biggest win of her career on the same turf that one of her most celebrated relatives, Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}), won last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The 4-year-old's victory in the EBF-sponsored Listed Prix Zarkava brought her tally of wins to three, and she is the sole winner so far for her dam Jane The Star (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), both of whom were bred by and race for Rashit Shaykhutdinov. Grand-dam Jane Eyre (GB) (Sadler's Wells), a half-sister to Alpinista's dam Alwilda (GB) (Hernando {Fr}) raced just once for Aidan O'Brien after topping the Goffs Orby Sale of 2007 at €2.4 million when sold by her breeders Kirsten Rausing and Sonia Rogers.

Honour and Glory

While we await the Craven meeting, William Haggas and his team have been keeping us entertained with further Group 1 exploits in Sydney. This has given rise to the trainer considering operating a satellite yard in Australia.

The very idea should make local trainers quake, for Haggas has targeted The Championships is Sydney with a sniper's precision. Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) followed Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) in landing the Group 1 double of the Ranvet S. and the Longines Queen Elizabeth S., and the 5-year-old looks likely to take in the G1 QEII Cup in Hong Kong at the end of the month on his way home. Protagonist (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) have also landed Australian group races for Haggas.

There has been only disappointment so far this year for the former Haggas trainee Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who won last year's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh and left Newmarket for Mike Moroney's stable following a ninth-place finish in the Arc. The 5-year-old has finished last in both his Australian starts to date, including behind his former stable-mate Dubai Honour on Saturday.

Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), who topped last year's Tattersalls December Sale at 5.4 million gns when sold to Yulong Investments, was also underwhelming in her Australian debut when tenth in the G1 Sydney Queen of the Turf S. for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. A Group 1 winner at two, three and four for Andrew Balding, Alcohol Free 'won' her barrier trial at Randwick on 21 March after arriving in Australia, having spent the winter in light exercise in Newmarket.

It was good to see New Zealand breeding to the fore on the second day of Sydney's Championships with the G1 Sydney Cup going to the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Explosive Jack (NZ). The winner two years ago of both the Australian Derby and South Australian Derby, the 5-year-old Explosive Jack is by the globetrotting Jakkalberry (Ire), who was trained by Marco Botti to win the American St Leger and G2 Dubai City of Gold. The son of Storming Home (GB) was also third in the G1 Melbourne Cup and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic before standing at Novara Park Stud in New Zealand, where he died in 2018 from a gut infection.

Pennyweka (NZ) and her Rich Hill Stud-based sire Satono Aladdin (Jpn) were previously mentioned in a recent instalment of Seven Days, and since then Jim Wallace's homebred stable star has added victory in G1 Australian Oaks to her G1 New Zealand Oaks victory. That notable double was most recently achieved by NZ Horse of the Year Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) in 2017.

Calyx and Blue Point Off The Mark

In France last week Calyx (GB) joined his stud-mate Magna Grecia (Ire) as another of this year's freshmen to have notched their first winner. His daughter Classic Flower (GB), bred by Petches Farm, is one of three runners for the son of Kingman (GB) and scored on debut for trainer Patrice Cottier at Salon-Provence.

Joining the party at Kempton on Monday was Darley's Blue Point (Ire), whose son Action Point (Ire), trained by Archie Watson, became his first winner from two runners to date.

An Extra Special Coronation?

As most people who followed the racing interests of Queen Elizabeth II will recall, the Derby loomed large in the preparations for her coronation in 1953, with Aureole (GB), bred by her father King George VI, one of the leading fancies for Epsom that same week and ultimately finishing second to Pinza (GB).

Now the prospect of the King and Queen Consort having a runner in a Classic on their coronation day edged a step closer on Monday when Slipofthepen (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) remained unbeaten in two starts.

It is a long shot, but not impossible, that he will head to Newmarket for the 2,000 Guineas, with co-trainer John Gosden appearing to prefer the option of the Heron S. on May 16 before a possible tilt at the St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot. Either way, on the available evidence, Slipofthepen looks a special colt.

For those hoping to see the Royal Studs continue to in the long term, it was encouraging to read the comments of the King and Queen Consort's racing manager John Warren after Slipofthepen won at Kempton.
He said of a possible Guineas run, “As far as the owners are concerned they won't be able to think of anything else but the coronation but they would never prevent the horse participating if we recommended that is where he ought to go.

“It would be an added bonus and they would watch after the event. The King has had very good osmosis in tuning into the bloodstock side of The Queen's life.

“He has always said when he had the responsibility of taking the bloodstock portfolio on he would take it seriously and he has, wonderfully supported by the Queen Consort at the same time. It is a wonderful thing for racing they have both taken such an interest.”

The post Seven Days: La Vie En Rose appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Charlie Johnston: ‘You Can Still Get Value On Horses With Great Pages’

The Johnston approach to sourcing talent sounds terribly simplistic and there's no doubting that it has appeared that way through the oodles of success the Middleham men have had on the racecourse.
But this year was an important one for the Johnstons with Charlie taking over from his father Mark, the winningmost trainer of all time in Britain, who opened up on how he tackles the yearling sales to TDN Europe last year.
Given the importance of Charlie enjoying a productive debut season as a full-fledged trainer and the need to get numbers through the door, was there a temptation to change tack and deviate from a criteria that has served the Johnstons so well for so long given the strength of the trade in 2022? Not in the slightest.
As Charlie reveals in the latest two-year-old tour below, the team added 67 yearlings to the team last autumn, the majority of which were bought for less than a hundred grand and hail from black-type winners or producers of black-type winners.
Johnston commented, “I found this quite an enjoyable exercise, pulling this list of two-year-olds together, because it reminded me of the good pedigrees that we have to work with. We have siblings to some top-class racehorses and the bulk of our two-year-olds have been bought at a hundred grand or less. There are some pretty sexy pedigrees in there for what we paid for them-it looks a strong bunch but the proof will be in the eating.”
He added, “In its simplest form, we look for progeny out of mares who have achieved black-type themselves or from mares who have produced black-type horses. But we have moved away from black-type a little bit in recent years and concentrate more on the ratings of these horses because there will be some very good horses who don't get black-type and some pretty moderate ones who do. The official ratings can often be a more accurate reflection of ability and a rating of 90 is seen as a cut-off point for us.
“There are more nuances to it, for example how frequently the mare is producing good horses and winners, and what sort of stallions the previous horses are by versus what stallion the yearling we are looking at is by, and of course we always have a tendency to go for the horse who is by the middle-distance stallion. I think a mare with a slightly lower pedigree might get away with it if she's by Teofilo (Ire) or something like that rather than being by a sharp and precocious stallion. But in its simplest form, we like to see a horse rated 90 or more in that first dam.”
Johnston has already made a productive start to the year and has sent out 17 winners from 117 runners which equates to a 15 per cent strike-rate. But Saturday marks the beginning of the new season proper and he is approaching the campaign with predictable fire in his belly.
He said, “There is certainly a little bit more accountability and the results are going to be recorded in my name and my name only now. The production of the horses and the team behind that remains the same as it has been for the past few years but, ultimately, the book will stop with me when it comes to the results. There is a little bit more pressure in that sense but, at the same time, it's something I'm relishing rather than worrying about, that's for sure.”
Johnston prepared for his breakout season by shopping in one of toughest yearling markets for some time but explained that, by staying true to the criteria and philosophies that served his father and the rest of the Kingsley Park team well, he was able to fill his orders without reverting from the plan.
He said, “We are different from most other outfits in that we buy the vast majority of horses ourselves on spec. Because I was taking over the licence this year, we couldn't take a backwards step this year and, to ensure that, we had to make sure we had the numbers. We were always going to be pretty aggressive at the yearling sales and set out with a target of buying 70.
“We ended up buying 67 so got pretty close to what we were aiming for. We always say in these situations, we're not always buying the horses we want, but the ones we can afford. But, flicking through these pedigrees, it shows that you can still get value on horses with great pages.”

Charlie and Mark Johnston | Racingfotos.com

Name: Unnamed
Pedigree: Sea The Stars (Ire) colt out of Kitcara (GB) (Shamardal)
Bought for 100,000gns from Castlebridge at Tattersalls Book 1
Owner: Tony Farmer
He's a brother to Al Aasy (Ire) and is a huge, big horse-absolutely ginormous. I wonder if that is what put other people off him at Book 1. It certainly didn't put us off. He's one for his three-year-old year but will make up into a lovely horse in time. He is quite a late foal and I would be surprised if we saw him before September or October this year. He will need a mile as a minimum, even this year, and is going to be one for next year over a-mile-and-a-half. That's when he is going to come into his own. He has the frame to fill into an absolutely gorgeous horse. Obviously Al Aasy was a very talented horse, was second in a Coronation Cup, and all his form was over middle-distances. There will be no real rush with this lad.

Arch Legend
Camelot (GB) colt out of Nakuti (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire})
Cost 82,000gns from Newsells Park Stud at Tattersalls Book 2
Barbara and Alick Richmond
He is owned by Barbara and Alick Richmond, who have had a huge amount of success with another Camelot (GB), Living Legend (Ire). He has been a great horse for us over the years and this horse is in a similar mould–a very big and quite a heavy colt. I think he will need some time and his half-sister Heredia (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) did well last year so it's a strong page. He will need a minimum of seven furlongs this year and was bought as a replacement for Living Legend. They are big shoes to fill but he is a lovely individual.

Unnamed
Lope De Vega (Ire) filly out of Ceisteach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire})
Bought from Newsells Park Stud at Book 2 for 55,000gns
Ballylinch Stud
Nice filly. One thing we've learned over the years with Lope De Vega is that giving them time as two-year-olds is pretty crucial. We won't be seeing this filly until the seven furlong races start in the middle of the year but she is very nice. It's another good owner and stallion to have in the yard, that's for sure. The dam started off with Jim Bolger and ended up going to America where she did well in stakes races. She was a winner over ten furlongs and upwards and is by New Approach so there's plenty of stamina in the pedigree on that side.

Unnamed
Too Darn Hot (GB) colt out of Reckoning (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire})
A 110,000gns purchase off Mascalls Stud from New England Stud at Tattersalls Book 1
Dr Jim Walker
This pedigree has gone in a slightly different direction with Too Darn Hot. Obviously it's a family we know very well and it's one that is very special to us given the mare has produced Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}). Subjectivist obviously ran really well at Meydan last Saturday and it was great to see him back near his best. I think we have had five out of the last six foals out of this mare but we don't have the three-year-old by Roaring Lion out of her. The four-year-old, World Without Love (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), is still in training with us as well, but obviously the two that were most successful were by Teofilo and Australia, who are out and out middle-distance stallions. This is a different avenue for the mare with Too Darn Hot but he is a lovely individual who has already done one slightly faster piece of work where he went very nicely. The rest of the family got dramatically better at three and again at four but we are hoping that we might see a little more from this guy at two. He is owned by Dr Jim Walker who has been a big supporter of this family since Subjectivist came along. Physically, he is quite similar to Subjectivist and Sir Ron in that he is quite a tall and lengthy horse. He is built in the mould of a middle-distance horse and, to be fair, Subjectivist ran the seven-furlong maiden at Haydock in the beginning of June that we usually target with our Chesham horses, so he was obviously showing us a good bit at two as well. As is often the case, no matter what stamina they have in the pedigree and even if they are going to need a trip in time, the ones who are top class will still show you that ability quite early in their careers. Hopefully this colt will be in that bracket.

Unnamed
Footstepsinthesand (GB) filly out of Crystal Valkyrie (Ire) (Danehill)
Cost €36,000 from Castledillon Stud At Tattersalls Ireland
GPS Bloodstock
Crystal Valkyrie is a very old mare, is 24 now, but I couldn't help myself going in once more to buy this Footstepsinthesand filly because the family has been very good to us. This filly's half-sister Freyja (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) was black-type for us and her brother State Of Bliss (Ire) was another frequent winner. Out of their sibling, Sent From Heaven (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand), we've a nice three-year-old for this year called Benacre–he could be quite a useful colt. It's a family we know well and the combination of that and Footstepsinthesand, who is a stallion we have done very well with, it was enough of a draw for me to forgive the fact that the mare is quite old. I'd say she will want seven furlongs this year and she is a little hot, as they often can be by this stallion, but she is a nice filly.

Love Safari
Galileo (Ire) colt out of Just Pretending (Giant's Causeway)
Cost 57,000gns from Baroda Stud at Tattersalls Book 2
Crone Stud Farms Ltd
There will be a little bit of a theme here because I have put forward three Galileos, all of which were bought relatively cheaply. We expected people to be clamouring over them but we found it easier to buy his offspring last year than at any other time, really. This was the cheapest of the three and he has a very strong pedigree with the dam placing in an Irish Guineas and an Irish Oaks. There are two full siblings who got black-type as well. He is a pretty backward colt and I think he will need a lot of time–he'll be one for the autumn. It's an unbelievably-strong pedigree for the money and hopefully he'll be a nice colt in time. Just looking at my notes from when we bought him as a yearling, the main things that people may have cribbed him for was that he was weak, narrow and light of bone. He is just a backward colt who needs time and we are more than prepared to give it to him.

Madame Sans Gene
Study Of Man (Ire) filly out of Lady Jane Digby (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB})
Homebred
Kirsten Rausing
Miss Rausing has sent us two homebreds, both of which are by Study Of Man and this one is out of Lady Jane Digby, who we trained to win a Group 1. I think this is the eighth foal we've had out of the mare and all seven before her have won. They've all been like their Mum, in that they improved at three and when stepped up to middle-distances. I would expect this filly to follow a similar theme. She's from a lovely family and we trained Gateman (GB) (Owington {GB}) out of the second dam as well. It's a family we know inside out.

Marhaba Million
Galileo colt out of Kheleyf's Silver (Ire) (Kheleyf)
Bought at Goffs Orby from Castlehyde Stud for €82,000
Ahmad Al Shaikh
As I said about the previous Galileos, he's got such such a strong pedigree that you'd have thought he'd have cost a lot more. Again, he's quite a late foal, he's an April 3 foal, and was quite backward at the sales. That is still the case now but he has done really well physically–he's a much stronger horse than when he first arrived. I think he'll continue to improve as the year goes on and, while I don't think he'll show the speed of his sister Tiggy Wiggy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), I see him more of a seven-furlong two-year-old for June onwards.

Bamburgh
Zoffany (Ire) colt out of Many Colours (GB) (Green Desert)
Bought at Goffs Orby for €80,000 from Whitehall Stud
Susan and John Waterworth and Partner
This is a brother to Mother Earth (Ire) and was not sold in the ring at Goffs Orby. We bought him outside the ring and it's another huge pedigree. There is a bit of a theme here but he was quite a weak and backwards-looking yearling who will need a bit of time. Since he has been with us, he has had one piece of faster work where he did it nicely, but we won't push too hard with him just yet. I wouldn't rule out starting him over six furlongs.

Unnamed
Frankel (GB) colt out of Nyaleti (Ire) (Arch)
Homebred
3 Batterhams and a Reay
He is a first foal and the one thing he doesn't look like is a typical first foal as he is absolutely huge. He is close to being our biggest and he's certainly our heaviest two-year-old at the moment. The dam won the week before Royal Ascot at Salisbury and then went on to finish second in the Chesham. I know that Chris Batterham is dreaming of aiming this horse back at the Chesham and we will see what the next month or two brings. Looking at him now, you would expect that he will need more time than that but the mare was such a fantastic performer, it's nice to have one of her sons in training with us. Chris has got a Dubawi (Ire) coming along and I'm pretty sure the mare went to Baaeed (GB) this year as well so there's lots of excitement to come with her, hopefully.

Paladin
Justify colt out of Golconda (FR) (Planteur {Ire})
Bought for €70,000 at Goffs Orby from Castlebridge
John Brown and Megan Dennis
He is the first and only Justify who we have had. He is a very strong horse and you can see the American strain in him-he is a tall, powerful, muscular horse with a really big, heavy shoulder on him. He's actually quite a lovely-mover despite him being quite heavy. He hasn't done any fast work yet but looks a seven-furlong type of two-year-old for the summer. We are happy with him.

Quintus Maximus
Kitten's Joy colt out of Indian Blessing (GB) (Sepoy {Aus})
Homebred
Newsells Park Stud and Waldmark Syndicate
This is a Newsells Park Stud homebred and is out of a very good mare who got black-type in Germany, France and then the UK and America. She was a very consistent racehorse from a two-year-old right through to her five-year-old career and he is the first foal out of her. He is not very big but is nicely put together and did his first piece of faster work last week where he went nicely. Most of the dam's form is from seven furlongs and up and she is by Sepoy herself. He's by Kitten's Joy so I would have thought he'd want to start at seven and move up from there but he's showing some early speed as well and looks an exciting prospect.

Blue Point: Johnston is a fan of the first-season sire | Darley

Unnamed
Kodiac (GB) colt out of Querulous (Raven's Pass)
Bought at Tattersalls Book 1 from Tally-Ho Stud for 52,000gns
Peter Savill
I hope I wasn't being too bold at the time but, when I bought this horse at Book 1, I joked to some of the people at Tattersalls that they could pay us out on the Book 1 bonus right there. Obviously Book 1 bonuses are something that we target a lot and, most of what we buy at Book 1, we buy them for less than a hundred grand. Being able to win a large chunk of that back in one hit through the bonus is a major incentive for us and is something we've had a lot of success with in the past. This lad is a full brother to Kessaar (Ire) and is a January 15 foal so we were expecting him to be really early but sadly he had a slight setback. He won't be one of our first horses into battle but he will run this year and is a lovely big colt who came from Tally-Ho Stud. There's plenty to work with there and he has a fair bit of speed. I'm hoping that he will cash in on the bonus at some point in the year.

Rakki
Sea The Stars (Ire) colt out of Waldmark (Ger) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire})
Bought for 100,000gns at Book 1 from Newsells
Mrs M C Sweeney
A pretty old mare, again, which is what I am guessing put a lot of people off at the sales. He was pretty backward at the time but what a page to be able to buy in to. He's average-sized and looks like a horse who will improve with more time. The vast majority of what the family achieved, it was all at three, and you'd expect him to be similar. He'll be one for the back end of this year.

Rosenzoo
Zoffany colt out of Rosenreihe (Ire) (Catcher In The Rye {Ire})
Private purchase
Kingsley Park 37 – Gold
This horse is in one of our Kingsley Park Syndicates and was bought outside the ring at Book 2 when he didn't make his reserve. It's a colt I really like and he was a backward and not a particularly impressive yearling but has just improved out of all recognition since he's joined us. I'm glad that Dad went and bartered with Philipp Stauffenberg the morning after he failed to sell. Dad would tell the full story better but they were leading the horse away to go back home to Germany so he really didn't have another minute. We got the horse in the end, which is all that matters.

Unnamed
Highland Reel (Ire) colt out of Recambe (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire})
Bought for 40,000gns from Baroda Stud at Tattersalls Book 2
Kingsley Park 37 – Gold
This is a half-brother to Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and, from memory, he could even be the first foal that the mare has had since, so they must have had quite a bit of difficulty with the dam along the way. We picked him up at Book 2 and he was quite backward as an April 27 foal but he has done nothing but improve with us. He's another in the Kingsley Park Syndicate and could be a fun horse for everyone in the second half of this year and then into next year.

Kenny Alexander: Honeysuckle's owner is new to the stable | Racingfotos.com

Saint Matthew
Caravaggio colt out of Lamya (Ger) (Choisir {Aus})
Homebred
Hussain Alabbas Lootah
We had Lamation (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) out of the mare last year and he showed a bit of speed but this fellow put his hand up right from the word go to be one of our earlier runners. He's not done a huge amount of work because the weather has held us up. He's only actually been on grass once but, what he has done at home, he has done it very well. He is forward and is built for this job–he's a strong and compact horse who looks the right type to be running at this time of year.

Sennockian
No Nay Never colt out of Lady Gorgeous (GB) (Compton Place {GB})
Bought for €120,000 from Glenvale Stud at Goffs Orby
The Burke Family
He's a half-brother to Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), the champion two-year-old filly from a few years ago, and is not overly big but is well put together. He did his first piece of work on Wednesday morning and went quite nicely. He's a May 10 foal and we tend to try not to run them before their official second birthday. It will be another six weeks before we see him out but, physically, he's the right type to be running pretty early.

Specific Times
Blue Point (Ire) filly out of Daily Times (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire})
Homebred
Times Of Wigan
Plenty of owners and breeders ask around this time of year what are first-season sires that we like and my go-to response has been Blue Point. We have a few of them and we like them all. This filly in particular looks sharp and she could be our first filly to run. She has had three faster pieces of work and has done everything easily up until now. Kempton stages the first two-year-old fillies' race in the second week of April and, all being well, she could go there.

Unnamed
Blue Point colt out of Bergamask (Kingmambo)
Homebred
Godolphin
He's a half to Buratino (Ire) so it's another family we know well. He didn't come to us until recently so hasn't done any faster work but he looks the right type to be precocious and early. He's quite a boy and is fairly full of himself, as Buratino was himself, but he's another Blue Point that we like and he looks as though he'll be pretty early.

Unnamed
Kingman (GB) filly out of Seventh Heaven (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Bought for 70,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 from Voute Sales Ltd
Kenny Alexander
It's a massive pedigree for the money she cost and is owned by Kenny Alexander who has a couple of fillies with us this year. It's great to have him on board in this sphere now and this is a nice filly. Her dam was a top-class filly and, while you would expect to see some speed from Kingman, I see her more as a 10-furlong type for next year. If she can win, she has a lot of residual value going forward. Kenny approached us with the aim of following a similar approach to his ownership over jumps with those high-class fillies. We bought a couple of yearlings with nice pages for him and, while the bar has been set pretty high from what he has been achieving over jumps, hopefully we can have some success for him.

Unnamed
Kingman filly out of You're Back (Street Cry)
Cost 75,000gns at Book 1 from Highclere Stud
Jaber Abdullah
This is quite a big, masculine filly and is taking more from the Kingman side of her pedigree. She's had two gallops already and has gone well. I could see her being out at some point in April if not early-May. She's showing a bit of speed and will be one of the earlier fillies.

Unnamed
Galileo colt out of Tiggy Wiggy
Cost 115,000gns from Voute Sales Ltd at Book 2
Sheikh Hamed Dalmook Al Maktoum
This lad is a June 9 foal, so he is a very late foal, and I'm not sure what role that played in his price at the sales. Because of his date of birth, we haven't done anything strong with him but he's a lovely colt and I wouldn't rule him out being ready for mid-summer.

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Top Industry Judges Have Their Say On The First-Season Sires

It's early-February and already the Flat enthusiasts are getting excited about what stallion will end the season as champion first-season sire. A futile exercise, one would have thought? Not a bit of it.

Even the greatest handlers of young stock, Malcolm Bastard, Alan McCabe, Joseph O'Brien, Conor Hoban and Dick Brabazon, men who know better than most the folly that comes with predicting 2-year-old talent, are keen to have their say on which up-and-coming stallion can make the biggest splash this season.

O'Brien is sticking loyal to Ten Sovereigns (Ire) in his prediction for first-season sire championship honours while Bastard, who broke and pre-trained Too Darn Hot (GB), has reported striking similarities between the unbeaten champion 2-year-old and his stock.

Meanwhile, Dick Brabazon, one of the finest horsemen in Ireland who has had Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab) and Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) through his Curragh base, has taken a swing on Study Of Man (Ire) to come up trumps with a top-notcher.

Welcome to this year's earliest predictions to what the next Mehmas (Ire), Cotai Glory (GB) or Havana Grey (GB) will be. Each opinion is right until proven otherwise and, for starters, Bastard, McCabe and Hoban are in agreement that the bookmakers have found the right favourite in Blue Point (Ire), priced up as a general 5-2 market leader by most firms.

McCabe, who pre-trains for Rabbah Bloodstock, Simon Crisford and Charlie Appleby among others, is particularly keen on Blue Point's stock and said, “I think he will make a big splash. I think that bookmarkers are barking up the same tree as I am with Blue Point as I think he will go well in the first-season sire championship. In fact, there was a very smart Blue Point colt I was dealing with, and he's gone into Simon Crisford's. He was the smartest Blue Point I had and, if he is not winning up at the July Course at Newmarket, I'd be very surprised.”

Bastard agrees.

Malcolm Bastard | Racingfotos.com

He said, “We have six or seven Blue Points and they are nice solid horses who are very good in their minds. They all have nice action about them. They are only just cantering away nicely at this time of year, so it is difficult to say, but the Too Darn Hots and the Blue Points stand out a little bit at the moment. The Blue Points are definitely not early horses, not ours anyway.”

But it's the Too Darn Hots who have set the temperature at Bastard's Wiltshire operation with the renowned handler of young stock particularly impressed by the progeny of the young sire.

“I have about a dozen Too Darn Hots and they are very similar to him. From day one, he cantered like an old pro–he was a beautiful-moving colt–and his progeny seem to be the very same. I think they will be late summer horses, if not autumn horses, like he was. They will be seven furlongs plus and they are not going to be sprinters so he's probably priced right [at 14-1]. You'd expect him to have a really good number of winners by the end of the season and quality horses out of that number as well.”

Hoban may be one of the newest names on the Irish scene but he has made a major impact already. The professional jockey has had two Classic winners, Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}), through his hands and has built up an impressive portfolio working with Barnane Stud, Yulong Investments, Johnny Murtagh, Eddie Lynam, Jessica Harrington and Paddy Twomey.

Along with the progeny of Blue Point, Hoban nominated Invincible Army (Ire) to throw down an early marker this spring, and said, “I have a very nice Invincible Army colt. He'll be going to one of the breeze-up sales and he seems to be doing everything well. He's the only Invincible Army I have but I'd be keen to recruit more of them at the sales as everything about him is promising. He just has a lovely way of going and nothing seems to phase him. I'm very interested in the sire.”

Hoban added, “I don't have a Ten Sovereigns but there seems to be a bit of chat about them, which is interesting, and the couple of Blue Points that I have are really nice. They are forward-going, are strong and seem to have good minds. I've had a couple of Phoenix Of Spain (Ire)s as well and, while they won't be that precocious, they are well-balanced horses who have great attitudes. They will be more for the second half of the year.”

One man who has his fair share of Ten Sovereigns to work with is O'Brien and he likes what he sees.

“It's early days, obviously, but we've been lucky enough to have accumulated quite a few by Ten Sovereigns and we really like what we are seeing from them,” the trainer said.

McCabe has the biggest sample size to choose from given he has broken in the best part of 100 yearlings to go into training for this year and, while he admits a certain amount of luck is needed for a stallion to break through, he identified a broad spectrum of young sires whose stock has impressed him.

Blue Point: favourite for the first-season sire championship | Racingfotos.com

He said, “I'd be very keen on the Masar (Ire)s and the Too Darn Hots as well. The Blue Points are a sharp bunch and they look as though they will be 2-year-old types and the Too Darn Hots are just beautiful horses. They are lovely to deal with and are all very good-looking horses. We like them a lot.

“The Masars are very similar to the first Night Of Thunder (Ire)s. They're very honest horses and I'd imagine he will be pretty successful. Masar won over seven furlongs as a 2-year-old and was no slouch. He'd a great constitution as a racehorse and, like Night Of Thunder, they come in all different shapes and sizes. They seem to have good minds and are easy to work with.

“I only had one Magna Grecia (Ire) colt but I liked him a lot. He looked like he would be a runner. I have a little filly by Intrinsic (GB) and she goes very well. Intrinsic won a Stewards Cup and his trainer Robert Cowell said that, if he didn't get injured, he'd definitely have been a group horse. He's only had a handful of runners and he's had winners, with one of them [Intrinsic Bond (GB)] achieving an RPR of 101 so he may not be a bad sire at all. I know he's not a first-season sire but we've a lovely Kodi Bear (Ire) as well and I'd be a fan of him as a sire.”

On the championship as a whole, he added, “I used to ride Kheleyf and nobody would have predicted he'd have done what he did at stud. You get horses who you think will do well at stud and they don't do it for whatever reason and then you get others who you think will be basement level and they come up with the goods. It's very hard to predict but, if I was a betting man, I'd be rowing in behind Blue Point to get rocking and rolling early. You need a lot of luck.”

One stallion who is a longer shot at ending the year as the champion first-season sire is Study Of Man but, for different reasons, the stock of the impeccably-bred French Derby winner has impressed Brabazon.

He explained, “We deal more with the owner-breeder type of horse, the one that will be slower to mature, but still, when I go through my list, we've got a nice filly by Magna Grecia and another by Phoenix Of Spain. But if I was to nominate one sire that I am particularly interested in the progeny of, it would have to be Study Of Man, as the two that we have by him are very athletic, hardy and tough types. He could be a very interesting sire and it would be great if Deep Impact (Jpn) had a major influence over here given what he achieved in Japan. He's a horse I will follow with great interest this year. His granddam is Miesque so it is one hell of a pedigree. Saxon Warrior (Jpn) has got going in Ireland so it will be really interesting to see how Study Of Man gets on. Now, it's only February, and I might be talking nonsense at this early stage in the year, but these two Study Of Man fillies have really caught our eye.

“We've only just started out on the Curragh gallops with our 2-year-olds now. I am beside the Old Vic gallop and we've only just started with the colts cantering up the Old Vic now. We'll get the fillies going now soon. It's all about education for me. I am not the trainer, so I let the trainer train them and I only educate them. I am always shouting at the riders to remember they are only babies. Sometimes they start scooting around on them if they start showing a bit but I always try to mind them and turn the horses into a career horse for their owners. I am not going to win any Brocklesbys, I am afraid! I have accepted that at this stage in my life. My aim is for the horse to last. I just lay the foundation for the trainers and then follow the horses' careers with great interest.”

He added, “The riders are so important. Tim Carroll is my main rider and he's just super. He just has a natural feel for a horse and can tell exactly how well each horse is going. If he says this is nice, I take note of what he says. He has picked a few already and he is a fan of the Study Of Mans. They don't all go on the right way but you'd have a fair idea at this stage.”

Similarly, Bastard has seen enough from the progeny of Land Force (Ire), Inns Of Court (Ire) and Ten Sovereigns to suggest that their 2-year-olds can achieve good things on the track this season.

He concluded, “We've had a few Land Forces and they've been quite nice to deal with as well. They've got a bit of size and scope about them and plenty of strength. They have good bone, are nice in their minds and are quite forward-going and they look okay. He might be a bit of a surprise package. He could do well. Inns Of Court is another worth mentioning. I must say, we only had one by Inns Of Court, but he was very nice and I expect him to do very well. We have a few by Ten Sovereigns, who go well but, again, the ones we have seem as though they will want a bit of time. There is nothing really early amongst them but they are nice horses. They are quite scopey.”

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Blue Point 2-1 Favourite To Land First-Season Sire Honours

Blue Point (Ire) has been installed as the 2-1 favourite to be crowned leading first-season Flat sire in Britain and Ireland by Paddy Power.

Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call (GB) has been inserted at 5-2 next best in the betting while Coolmore's Ten Sovereigns (Ire) has been quoted at odds of 3-1. Tally-Ho Stud, responsible for two of the past three champion first-season sires Mehmas (Ire) and Cotai Glory (GB), are represented by 4-1 chance Inns Of Court (Ire). It's 10-1 the field.

Blue Point stands at Kildangan Stud for €35,000 having started off on a fee of €45,000 in 2020. The son of Shamardal was a smart 2-year-old, as he showed when winning the G2 Gimcrack S., but he progressed with age and landed the G1 King's Stand S. and G1 Diamond Jubilee S. in the same week at Royal Ascot as a 5-year-old.

Of the 64 yearlings by Blue Point to sell at public auction last season, they averaged just over €100,000, and included a €420,000 filly bought by MV Magnier from Mountain View Stud at the Goffs Orby Sale.

Soldier's Call has been hotly-tipped to get off to a fast start with his juvenile runners this year. A speedball of a 2-year-old himself, Soldier's Call won the Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot, and the G2 Flying Childers S. at Doncaster before running an excellent third, beaten just a neck against hardened sprinters, in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye at ParisLongchamp.

Speaking to TDN Europe at the recent Irish Thoroughbred Stallion Trail, Ballyhane boss Joe Foley nominated two juveniles to follow from the stallion who stands for €7,5000 at the County Carlow outfit.

Foley said, “We're proud to have Soldier's Call. We're happy with him and we're looking forward to seeing his progeny race and I am sure every other stallion man is looking forward to their stallion's progeny race as well. All will be revealed at the end of the year.”

“There is a colt out of Alicia Darcy (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who was a good race filly, and he has gone to Karl Burke. He's beautiful and everybody loves him. He's one we'd be keen on.”

He added, “There's a colt out of Rush (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), who Kevin Blake bred, who we bought at Doncaster for £105,000. He's a really good-looking, chunky 2-year-old and everyone loves him as well. He's gone to Archie Watson. They'd be the two I'd pick but I'm sure I've missed the best one.”

Invincible Army (Ire) was subject to similarly bullish reports on the Stallion Trail, with Rob O'Callaghan saying that he had every confidence in the Yeomanstown-based sire this year. However, Paddy Power have largely ignored Invincible Army's claims by pricing him up at 25-1.

O'Callaghan said, “We're very confident with Invincible Army. He's got great stock coming through and has a lot going for him with over 130 2-year-olds this year. They are well-bred horses and they've got the strength, the action and they have gone to the right homes as well. Karl Burke, Richard Hannon, Ger Lyons, Richard Fahey and Clive Cox have all bought yearlings by him and he's got as good a chance of any of the first-season sires to make a big impression this year. You've got to remember that he was a top-class racehorse and was a group winner at two, three and four.”

Too Darn Hot, the unbeaten and champion 2-year-old in 2018, who won the G1 Dewhurst S. for John Gosden, can also be backed at double-figure odds with Paddy Power offering 14-1. If there is a lurker in the betting, it may well be Highclere Stud's Land Force at odds of 10-1, whose yearlings sold well last year.

Not only did Shadwell pick up a couple of fillies by the impeccably-bred G2 Richmond S. winner from Book 2 at Newmarket, but Richard Knight also paid 180,000gns for a colt out of Book 1 by the stallion who averaged over €30,000 with his yearlings last year.

Paddy Power are clearly erring on the side of caution with the 4-1 quoted about Inns Of Court, and rightly so, given Tally-Ho's track record in this sphere.

The son of Invincible Spirit (Ire), who stands at €5,000, went down well at the yearling sales last year, averaging just over €30,000 for the 116 that were sold.

Paul Binfield, spokesman for the betting firm, said, “It's a little early to say where the money's going as we've only just priced it up, but it will be fascinating to find out which of the sires attract interest.

“We price it up on which yard the horse came from, their stud fee-trying to get the right mix between quality and price, the number of mares covered and also the sire's pedigree themselves.

“We've installed Blue Point as the favourite this year as Godolphin are renowned for farming their own horses so our traders felt that he was the right choice to head the market, but as I mentioned earlier, let's see where that money goes.”

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