Go Bears Go Back To Business In The Pavilion

Sent off the 5-4 favourite as the class act in Wednesday's G3 Merriebelle Stables Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot, Amo Racing and Peter Waney's Go Bears Go (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) was able to make his edge tell as Rossa Ryan kept it simple from the front. Looking to add to his tally which includes last year's G2 Railway S., the David Loughnane trainee had Ehraz (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) on his case approaching the final two furlongs but shook him off to assert for a 1 1/2-length success from Hierarchy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). Admirably consistent at a level a notch higher than this at two, Go Bears Go was runner-up in the G2 Norfolk S. and GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint over five and third in the G1 Phoenix S. and fourth in the G1 Middle Park S. over this six-furlong trip but Loughnane is not ruling out going over further at the Royal meeting. “I think he could go to either the Jersey or the Commonwealth Cup,” he said after admitting nerves watching this contest traditionally known as the Pavilion S. “If the Jersey was a group 1, we would go there.”

Wherever Go Bears Go heads over seven furlongs at Royal Ascot for the group 3 Jersey or heads to the course-and-distance group 1 for which this is named, his tenacity will stand him in fine stead. Loughnane was quick to pay tribute to his stable star's chief quality. ” He is honest as the day is long and he would run through a brick wall for you,” he added. “We've done enough to make sure we could get the job done today, but he is still not fully furnished. We believe he is a group one horse and he's entered himself now as a future stallion. He's won on soft ground and he's won on fast ground, so I don't care what the ground is. I have so much faith in this horse it is not even funny.”

It is unsurprising that Go Bears Go looks as if he will comfortably go further than sprint trips, given that he hails from a family with stamina over middle distances. He is the last known foal out of In Dubai (Giant's Causeway), a daughter of the G2 Ribblesdale S. and G3 Musidora S. winner and G1 Epsom and Irish Oaks-placed Bahr (GB) (Generous {Ire}). She produced the G1 Prix de l'Opera and GI Flower Bowl Invitational heroine Nahrain (GB) (Selkirk), who is in turn the dam of the G1 Dubai Turf, G1 Caulfield S. and G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis hero Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). One speedy member of the family is Bahr's descendant, the G3 Palace House S. winner Far Above (Ire) (Farhh {GB}).

Wednesday, Ascot, Britain
MERRIEBELLE STABLES COMMONWEALTH CUP TRIAL S. (REGISTERED AS THE PAVILION S.)-G3, £80,000, Ascot, 4-27, 3yo, 6fT, 1:12.46, g/f.
1–GO BEARS GO (IRE), 127, c, 3, by Kodi Bear (Ire)
     1st Dam: In Dubai, by Giant's Causeway
     2nd Dam: Bahr (GB), by Generous (Ire)
     3rd Dam: Lady of the Sea, by Mill Reef
(£50,000 Ylg '20 TATIRY; 150,000gns 2yo '21 TATBRE). O-Amo Racing Limited & P Waney; B-Micheal D Ryan (IRE); T-David Loughnane; J-Rossa Ryan. £45,368. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Ire, GSP-US, 8-3-2-1, $376,101. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Hierarchy (Ire), 127, c, 3, Mehmas (Ire)–Cheworee (GB), by Milk It Mick (GB). (€5,000 RNA Wlg '19 GOFNOV; £9,000 RNA Ylg '20 TATIRY; 105,000gns 2yo '21 TATBRG). O-Mr David Howden & Qatar Racing; B-Mountain View Stud & Tally Ho Stud (IRE); T-Hugo Palmer. £17,200.
3–Ehraz (GB), 127, c, 3, Showcasing (GB)–Exrating (GB), by Exceed and Excel (Aus).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP TYPE. (135,000gns Wlg '19 TATFOA; 180,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Richard Hannon. £8,608.
Margins: 1HF, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 1.25, 8.50, 3.30.
Also Ran: Wings of War (Ire). Scratched: Space Cowboy (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Freshman Sire Tasleet Off The Mark At Great Yarmouth

Confronted by just six rivals in Tuesday's British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' S. over an extended five furlongs at Great Yarmouth, David Loughnane trainee Carmela (Ire) (Tasleet {GB}) made no mistake to become the first winner for her freshman sire (by Showcasing). Recovering from a tentative getaway departing the stands' side stall to race in a close-up second after the initial exchanges, the 8-1 chance loomed large on the bridle passing the quarter-mile marker and stretched clear once shaken up for control approaching the final furlong to easily account for Jungle Time (Ire) (Jungle Cat {Ire}) by 2 1/4 lengths.

Carmela, half-sister to a yearling colt by Soldier's Call (GB) is the second foal and scorer produced by an unraced daughter of Listed Empress S. victrix Jira (GB) (Medicean {GB}). Jira, in turn, is a half-sister to G2 King Edward VII S. winner Plea Bargain (GB) (Machiavellian), G3 Winter Hill S. victrix Lay Time (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and G3 Prix des Chenes runner-up Dubai Time (GB) (Dubai Destination). The March foal's fourth dam is MG1SW champion Time Charter (Ire) (Saritamer).

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Kodiac Colt Leads The Way At Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK—We know that these breeze-up consignors have nerves of steel: otherwise they simply couldn't do the job. As such, the bloodstock industry could not have appointed a better echelon to test the stormy waters of the last couple of years, when they were first to be broadsided by the pandemic and then tried to put things back on an even keel last year. The opening session of the opening sale of the European circuit, then, gave them a chance to put their world back on its axis—even as they found themselves having to navigate the fresh uncertainties of war and soaring energy costs. And the initial signs were most promising.

All sectors of the bloodstock market, on both sides of the ocean, soaked up the Covid crisis with astounding resilience. But the Craven Sale understandably subsided from the boom that had peaked in 2017 and 2018 with averages exceeding 140,000gns, clocking an average over the past two years of 95,000gns and 86,000gns, respectively.

But the opening exchanges here represented a huge rally. Albeit the clearance rate slipped a little, the average for the first session roared up 22% from 99,769gns to 121,365gns; with the median also advancing nicely from 80,00gns to 86,000gns. Turnover was only marginally down (3%) despite withdrawals leading to a diminished offering: 52 of 67 sold, compared with 65 of 76 last year.

Obviously a breeze-up catalogue tends to be very uneven, depending where the fastest breezers may be lurking, and that volatility can be exaggerated in a relatively boutique offering. So we'll see how things stack up after Wednesday's second session, but the first impressions were certainly heartening.

Loughnane Tops Session For 525,000gns Kodiac Colt

Some of the most extraordinary chapters in the extraordinary story of Kodiac (GB) have been written at the breeze-ups, and there was another one here when David Loughnane signed a 525,000gns docket to make lot 29 the sire's most valuable 2-year-old yet.

The February colt was presented by the farm that has supervised the rise and rise of Kodiac, Tally-Ho Stud—and that operation's trademark acuity is condensed by the fact that they acquired his dam No Lippy (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for just 20,000gns at the 2018 December Sale here. This was a full-sister to stakes winner Polybius (GB), and the winner of three of her first four juvenile starts; while her mother Freedonia (GB) (Selkirk) won the G2 Prix de Pomone before being Grade I-placed on turf in the U.S. And now No Lippy's first foal into the sales ring has hit the ball out of the park.

“I loved everything about him,” Loughnane said after seeing off underbidder Oliver St Lawrence. “He looks an out-and-out Royal Ascot horse. His dam was a very good 2-year-old for Mark Johnston, and he's a lovely, very well-balanced horse that did an exceptional breeze, the second-fastest of the lot. Fingers crossed he can back it up on the track, but the sire has obviously done it year in, year out, and he comes from a very good farm.”

Loughnane said he was acting on behalf of a new syndicate, and signed jointly in the name of OMNI Horse. “I knew he wasn't going to be cheap, but thankfully I have some owners who are willing to back me,” he said.

He has given them ample grounds for doing so, after his best season yet in 2021—not least thanks to Go Bears Go (Ire), who won the G2 Railway S. after his 150,000gns acquisition at this sale. That colt is by Kodi Bear (Ire), himself penning a new chapter for Kodiac as a sire of sires.

Mehmas Follows In Studmate Kodiac's Slipstream

Tally-Ho received another handsome dividend—and some corresponding compliments—when Ross Doyle gave 300,000gns for lot 65, a February filly by their latest phenomenon Mehmas (Ire). It was at this same sale in 2016, of course, that the agent and his father Peter bought the son of Acclamation (GB) from Horse Park Farm for 170,000gns.

“This filly comes from one of the very best farms in the game,” the agent said. “And of course we're all huge fans of the sire. He's been very good to a lot of people already, ourselves included, and obviously Richard Hannon is a massive fan too. He has done magnificently well at Tally-Ho.”

The dam Soft Power (Ire) (Balmont) has already hit the bull's eye for the farm, another of whose young sires, Galileo Gold (GB), covered her in his debut season—and promptly came up with G1 Phoenix S. winner Ebro River (Ire). Soft Power is a half-sister to the dam of star sprinter Slade Power (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}).

Doyle expects that his unnamed client will ultimately seek residual value from that page, but hopes that she will enhance it first. “She looks like she would do what it says on the tin: hopefully, she's a real 2-year-old,” he said. “There's a lot of speed on the page. If she can run like the way she looked [on Monday], you'd hope there might be some black type along the way.”

But Doyle had kept some powder dry for the very last lot into the ring, the wildcard 81A. This was a filly by Zoustar (Aus) picked up by Midland Equine, Ltd. at Arqana last August for €75,000. Having meanwhile lodged with Robson Aguiar, here she elevated her value giddily to 400,000gns.

“She's outstanding,” enthused Doyle, this time operating for a new client. “I haven't seen a filly like that for a long time. She's an unbelievable individual: she has a lovely big ear, an honest head, everything is in the right place and she takes everything very easy. She breezed well, and comes highly recommended from a very good home.”

For his part, Aguiar had earlier done a productive sale with another filly by a young stallion, converting the Tasleet filly (lot 54) he bought for 75,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale into a 200,00gns purchase for Kerri Radcliffe/OMNI Horse.

Parr On The Trail Of The Champion

Speaking to TDN on the eve of the sale, Norman Williamson of Oak Tree Farm had not disguised his enthusiasm for the War Front colt he brought here as lot 39—and that counted for plenty, in the man who sold subsequent champion juvenile Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) here this time last year.

There was corresponding demand for a colt that had slipped through the cracks of Book 1 at Keeneland last year, but it was agent Ted Durcan who gave Satish Seemar no way back at 425,000gns.

But while Native Trail joined the Godolphin powerhouse, this was a striking roll of the dice for an ambitious name at the other end of the town's training spectrum. Joseph Parr is only embarking on his third season, but here he could be grateful for some extremely purposeful backing from patron Oliver Harris.

“He's a smashing-looking horse from a marvellous stable,” said Durcan. “He's fairly self-explanatory, really. He did a smashing breeze and he's just a beautiful stamp of a horse. He's obvious and you have to pay for them.”

Durcan expects that the horse will be one for seven furlongs and Williamson concurs that he has the build to keep progressing.

War Front is the sire of another of Williamson's star graduates in GI Preakness winner War Of Will. The consignor stressed his gratitude to Mark McStay, who completed a $170,000 private sale through his Avenue Bloodstock agency after this horse went through the ring unsold at that price.

“I have to give Mark a mention,” Williamson said. “He knew I'd had luck with War Of Will, and he said, 'Listen there's a War Front colt out here that's not been sold.' Tim Hyde [Jr.] went out to the farm and took videos and all the rest, but really without Mark we wouldn't have got him.”

Williamson was emphatic when asked whether this colt evoked War Of Will. “Yes,” he said firmly. “He's very similar: action, attitude, he's always fresh and happy with life, which is interesting. If he's as good, then we'll be more than happy. For a War Front, size and build-wise, he's big and strong with a lot of scope. Let's hope he's a racehorse, but he really is beautiful and his breeze was beautiful too.”

War Front's books have been managed with care and his dam earned her access as a graded stakes-placed daughter of Giant's Causeway, out of G1 Oaks d'Italia winner Meridiana (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}).

 Yet Another Admirer For Tally-Ho

The system really is working well, so the “send-more-money” bit should take care of itself. Richard Brown wasn't quite sure which of Blandford Bloodstock's clients would step up to the plate for a Night Of Thunder colt consigned by Tally-Ho Stud as lot 9—but he is confident that it will be a privilege well worth 225,000gns.

That's partly because of the way this colt, a €77,000 Goffs November foal, captivated the agent's attention with both his build and his breeze. But it's also because Blandford and Tally-Ho have clicked so often in the past.

True, some of their deepest gold strikes have been at Doncaster—most notably Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}), a £36,000 bargain back in 2010; Ardad (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who also proved great value even as a £170,000 co-sale topper at the same auction in 2016; and now, with a turn of the wheel, a son of that horse in Perfect Power (Ire), bought for £110,000 last year before adding two Group 1 wins to his Royal Ascot success. And Brown also has high hopes for another of Richard Fahey's charges, Umm Kulthum (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), confined to a light second season but expected to take high rank as a mature sprinter.

“We have a long and happy history with Tally-Ho,” Brown said. “We've gone back to them for many years now and it's been a source of so many good horses. This colt did a fabulous breeze, I loved all of it. I'm a huge fan of the sire and I'd say he has set sail to reach another level again. I don't have a client as such for him, but I am sure there'll be plenty who will want to train a colt like this!”

The sales pitch should feature his damsire Ghostzapper as a promising addition to a line of classy broodmare sires, plus a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Magical Fantasy (Diesis {GB}) as second dam.

Seemar Bookends The Session With Dubai Exports

It didn't take long to ignite the session, with Satish Seemar forced to 210,000gns to export only the second lot into the ring—a €45,000 Orby pinhook by Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables.

It was Collins who led the breeze-up sector's fightback in the chaos of 2020, topping this sale when it was eventually staged (in late June) with a 575,000gns Night Of Thunder colt (who, incidentally, broke his maiden for Chris Waller in Australia just a couple of weeks ago).

This lucrative debut at the breeze-ups was obviously a feather in the cap of rookie Saxon Warrior (Jpn), who is off the mark in France already and was here represented by a February colt out of a winning Sea The Stars (Ire) mare.

“With his low [catalogue] number, we were happy to find one at the beginning of the sale,” said Seemar. “One of our regular clients in Dubai has a liking for the Japanese breeding so it was perfect match. As an individual, this horse was very impressive, and he passed the vet the way we like. But I knew with [the] action he was getting we would have to pay a premium—which we did.”

The trainer believes that a young horse will adapt to whatever surface is suggested, and that we should resist assumptions. Dirt will certainly be offered to the horse, then, but to Seemar the key is that young horses of sufficient quality are introduced to the maturing local programme.

“We've been working hard at getting breeze-up horses for the last six years or so,” he said. “If you don't bring in new blood then the programme will never improve. He will ship in a couple of weeks, acclimatise and should be for November or December.”

Having pounced early, Seemar bookended the session by giving 230,00gns for one of the final lots into the ring: a Medaglia d'Oro colt presented as lot 75 by Powerstown Stud.

Collins, meanwhile, pulled off another fine pinhook with an Oasis Dream (GB) colt he had bought at Baden-Baden for €58,000. Here, presented as lot 47, he made 310,000gns from Godolphin.

The previous time he went prospecting for yearlings in Germany, he came back with future G1 Preis Von Europa winner Khan (Ger) (Santiago {Ger})—albeit he sold him at Arqana at a loss.

“I bought three horses, including Khan,” Collins recalled. “It's going to be hard to beat that—though Khan didn't make me any money! This was a beautiful yearling with a great walk, I was surprised that I got him to be honest. He has been a lovely horse all the way through, and shown us a lot of speed. If you go through his pedigree, he's probably bred to get a mile-plus, but I'll let Charlie Appleby be the judge of that!”

Certainly his new owners won't want to end up on the same slide as Khan—who was actually last seen winning over hurdles at Ludlow in January!

The sale resumes at 5.30pm on Wednesday.

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Nell Gwyn Headlines Craven Meet’s Day 1 Card

The Classic trials caravan rolls into Newmarket today with the Rowley Mile venue primed and ready to host a seven-race card and open its three-day Craven fixture. Sophomore fillies take centre stage on day one with nine set for another competitive edition of HQ's G3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn S. over a straight seven furlongs. Middleham Park Racing's 2012 victrix Esentepe (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) is the only winner since the turn of the century to have undertaken a preparatory run, so the trends are not in favour of Scuderia Archi Romani & Partner's hitherto undefeated Ribbon Rose (GB) (Time Test {GB}), who makes her stakes bow coming back off seven-furlong score at Kempton last month. She had previously graduated over this course and distance in October.

Top billing in this G1 1000 Guineas trial is shared by familiar rivals Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), with the former leading their ongoing series 2-1. Amo Racing's Hello You placed ahead of Cachet in Royal Ascot's G3 Albany S. and was too good for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' when best in September's G2 Rockfel S. over this strip.

“Hello You might just need her first race,” admitted trainer David Loughnane. “If she does, she does, but if she doesn't, she'll be there in the business of things. It is a long season ahead and we didn't want to overcook her. She has grown nicely, she has done very well and we are very happy with her. She did a nice piece of work 10 days ago at Wolverhampton and we are very pleased with her. She has proved she goes on any ground and has handled most tracks. She was very consistent last year and you never know until you run them whether they have trained on or not, but she has certainly shown the right signs.”

Cachet gained a small measure of revenge when a close-up fourth, one place and 3/4-of-a-length ahead of Hello You, in Del Mar's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last November. “That [Breeders' Cup] form was given a good boost when Francis-Henri Graffard's horse [Malavath] won [the G3 Prix Imprudence] in France and that was nice to see,” said trainer George Boughey. “Although Cachet was busy at two, she had a good break in the middle of the summer and had a proper break at the National Stud in the winter. Fortunately, she has come back and not missed a day's training, so it is one of those things where she has been pretty straightforward. If she had missed, she would be behind the kick, but she hasn't. She looks great, she is a filly who got physically better as the year went on and I think she will do that again. I think her career best was on firm ground at Del Mar and I have never really worried about the ground with her. She has a fast-ground action and seems to handle anything. This is a good stepping stone [to the G1 1000 Guineas] and looks a race where she should be very competitive.”

William Stone trainee Romantic Time (GB) (Time Test {GB}) is better than her seventh to Hello You and Cachet in the Rockfel and had Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum's Perfect News (GB) (Frankel {GB}) back in eighth when annexing Salisbury's G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. earlier in September. British bookmakers rate Perfect News, who has since finished third in the Oct. 8 G3 Oh So Sharp S. over course and distance, as a 5-1 chance and Romantic Time at much higher odds of 16-1.

Five have been nominated for the first stakes heat of the day and Godolphin's Listed Pat Eddery S. winner and G3 Prix La Rochette fourth New Science (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) will be a warm order for the Listed European Free H., another Guineas trial over seven furlongs.

The €260,000 Arqana Select yearling has the benefit of match fitness this term, having posted a staying-on third tackling one mile in Meydan's Feb. 3 Listed Jumeirah Classic when last seen, and Charlie Appleby is hopeful of a good effort in this European return. “New Science has definitely come forward from his run in Dubai,” the trainer revealed. “If he brings the best of his 2-year-old form to the table, it will make him very competitive.”

He is confronted by Shadwell's homebred Ribhi (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who bookended a fifth in September's Listed Flying Scotsman S. at Doncaster with victories in six-furlong contests at Salisbury, Listed Prix Zeddaan victrix Honey Sweet (Ire) (Adday {Ire}), the Richard Hannon-trained G3 Horris Hill S. third Tacarib Bay (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and Listed Stonehenge S. second Power of Beauty (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}). “Ribhi seems to be going there in good form, he is in good shape and I'm looking forward to seeing him run,” said trainer Marcus Tregoning. “Hopefully he will run well and we gauge something from the race, although it is difficult to gauge things in a small field. It is a fact-finding mission, but going back up in trip should help.”

Godolphin's G1 2000 Guineas second Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who snagged this meet's G3 Craven S. last year, has been gelded since finishing seventh in Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and encounters six rivals in the bet365-sponsored G3 Earl of Sefton S. over nine furlongs. His chief threat is Anthony Oppenheimer's G2 Dante S. runner-up and G3 Sovereign S. victor Megallan (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who comes back off a fifth in October's G2 Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp.

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