Emma Berry | Horse Racing Free Tips

Seven Days: Much Ado About Frankie

Such a high-profile split, whether temporary or not, between Frankie Dettori and the John and Thady Gosden stable, has naturally dominated the headlines of the last week. Whatever one's thoughts of the events during and post-Royal Ascot, there was no mistaking the affection in which Dettori is held among racegoers as he was cheered back into the winner's enclosure on his sole ride in Britain since the Saturday of the royal meeting. He has nothing booked for this week either, but intriguingly Dettori has been snapped up by Charlie Appleby to ride in the Belmont Derby and Oaks on July 9 in the Godolphin blue silks that were once synonymous with the rider.

The victory of Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) in Saturday's Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies' S. on Dettori's home track of Newmarket was therefore a huge shot in the arm for him after he had given a television interview assuring viewers that he was not about to retire. There was a little wobble on landing from his customary flying dismount, but he was back to his showman best as he kissed the veteran former trainer Clive Brittain on both cheeks in the winner's enclosure and then promptly departed for Istanbul and his ride in the following day's Turkish Derby.

Lezoo's win will have been well received at Tweenhills, the northern hemisphere home of her sire Zoustar, who has his first European runners this year. He has had just three winners to date but is one of only three first-season sires to have a stakes winner to his name, along with Tasleet (GB) and James Garfield (Ire), and the second half of the season is always far more telling when it comes to the quality of runners on show.

Lezoo was bred at Chasemore Farm by Andrew Black, who has previously stated his fondness for mares by the late Red Clubs (Ire) and enjoyed notable success with that stallion's daughter Ceiling Kitty (GB), who won the G2 Queen Mary S. ten years ago. She went on to produce another Newmarket Listed winner, Eartha Kitt (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), while her final foal, Arthur Kitt (GB) (Camelot {GB}), emulated his mother by becoming a juvenile Royal Ascot winner when taking the Chesham S. in 2018.

Ceiling Kitty sadly died while foaling Arthur Kitt but her daughter is continuing the line at Chasemore. Eartha Kitt is now the dam of Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who was sold last year as a yearling for 525,000gns to Godolphin and won on debut at Ascot on May 7. It has been a good season for the Surrey-based farm so far, with homebred Brad The Brief (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) winning the G2 Greenlands S. at the Curragh last month.

Lionhearted

There was a further fillip for the Tweenhills/Qatar Racing team when Lion Of War (GB), unbeaten in two starts, became the latest juvenile to be awarded a TDN Rising Star on Thursday, in so doing paying his own tribute to his late sire Roaring Lion. David Redvers spoke to Brian Sheerin about the issue which meant Lion Of War cost only 7,000gns at Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last year, but his co-trainer Mark Johnston has famously put pedigree ahead of conformation in his yearling selection over the years with notable success, and he and son Charlie look to have a smart colt on their hands.

Roaring Lion has to date been represented by just five runners. The two that have won, including Swift Lioness (GB), are both inbred to Sadler's Wells.

A Summer to Savour

At this stage it is hard to know which big-race contest to look forward to the most in the coming weeks. This Saturday's Coral-Eclipse seems a good place to start, with Alenquer (Fr), Bay Bridge (GB), Native Trail (GB), Lord North (Ire), Stone Age (Ire) and Mishriff (Ire) remaining among the confirmations at the five-day stage, while the Aga Khan's Prix du Jockey Club winner Vadeni (Fr) was supplemented at a cost of £50,000 on Monday.

Then there's the potential rematch between Kyprios (Ire), Stradivarius (Ire) and Mojo Star (Ire) in the Goodwood Cup, which, if it comes up soft enough (but not too soft for Stradivarius) could include Saturday's epic weight-carrying hero Trueshan (Fr), who is working his way into the hearts of the racing public as all good stayers who return year after year are wont to do.

Most tantalising of all, however, must surely be the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. It is not out of the question that Ascot's high summer feature could include the Derby and Irish Derby winners of this year and last, not to mention the 2021 Arc winner.

On a memorable day for Ralph Beckett on Saturday, which started with Lezoo's stakes win at Newmarket, Westover (GB) franked the Derby form in emphatic fashion when bowling to a dominant success in the Irish Derby to add to Frankel's Classic haul for the season, which already included the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Prix de Diane.

A big, long-striding colt, the lightly-raced Westover looks to have plenty of maturing still to do, which can also be said of Desert Crown (GB), who was so impressive at Epsom despite still looking like a gangly teenager.

We've so far been denied a sighting of Adayar (Ire) this year but it would be fantastic to see him attempt to defend his King George crown, while Hurricane Lane (Ire) will surely come on from his comeback third in the G2 Hardwicke S.

We also shouldn't overlook the claims of Oaks runner-up Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who has drawn favourable comparisons with another Gosden star by the same sire, Taghrooda (GB), who landed the King George after winning the Oaks in 2014. At this stage, Britain's premier 1m4f weight-for-age contest really does look the race not to miss this summer.

No Slacking

It has been a good couple of weeks in Europe for South African owner/breeder Mary Slack, whose UK arm of her famous Wilgerbosdrift Stud bred Saturday's G3 International S. winner Aikhal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Slack owns the Aidan O'Brien-trained 3-year-old colt, who remains among the acceptors for this Saturday's Eclipse S., in partnership with Coolmore and Westerberg. She raced his dam Diamond Fields (Ire), a half-sister to Irish Derby winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), whom she bought through Form Bloodstock as a yearling. The daughter of Fastnet Rock (Aus) won the G3 Gladness S. and was runner-up in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot, where Slack enjoyed success this year with the G3 Hampton Court S. winner Claymore (Fr) (New Bay {GB}).

The latter is trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam, the resident trainer in Newmarket's historic Abington Place, which is also owned by Slack.

Twomey in Form: I Should Coco!

There was a time when Paddy Twomey was more regularly seen on the sales grounds as a consignor and pinhooker, but over the last ten years his training business has gradually taken hold to the point where he currently boasts the finest strike-rate in Ireland, where he is in seventh place in the table for this season with significantly less ammunition than those above him.

Some of the shine was taken off his first Group 1 victory with La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) when his third-place finisher Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea The Star {Ire}) was disqualified after Wayne Lordan weighed in 5lbs light, having reportedly been asked to remove 5lbs of lead from his weight cloth by the clerk of the scales when weighing out. An appeal will doubtless ensue, but when the frustration subsides, Twomey can take great pride in the progression of Team Valor's La Petite Coco, who has won her last four starts, stepping up from a median auction race success at Killarney last July to win at Group 3 and Group 2 level before returning from a 287-day absence to land the G1 Pretty Polly S.

She thus became the second winner of that race for her now-Italian-based Derby-winning sire after Iridessa (Ire), and was another feather in the cap for the small Co Offaly town of Rhode, where she was bred by Bernd and Ute Schone.

Twomey had already reached a Group 1 landmark in another field, as he was the breeder of Serious Attitude (Ire) (Mtoto {GB}), winner of the G1 Cheveley Park S. and GI Nearctic S. for Rae Guest. Since being sold to Shadai Farm, she is now the dam of Grade II winner and GI Tenno Sho runner-up Stiffelio (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}).

In what is well on its way to becoming his best season, Twomey, with a strike-rate of 35%, also saddled Sunday's Irish Derby third French Claim (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}).

Going Rogue

Rogue Millennium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) provided an enormous thrill for 80 members, friends and family of the The Rogues Gallery syndicate who turned up at Epsom to watch her run seventh in the Oaks after winning the Lingfield Oaks Trial. The smartly-bred filly added more black type to her record when second in the G3 Hoppings Fillies' S on Friday evening.

Earlier that day, her trainer Tom Clover unleashed the second smart 2-year-old to race this season for the Tony Elliott-run syndicate when Rogue Lightning (Ire) ((Kodiac {GB}) bolted home at Newmarket for an easy debut success.

That followed the second victory of Rogue Spirit (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who got off the mark at Beverley in May and then beat subsequent G2 Norfolk S. winner The Ridler (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) when second in the Two-Year-Old Trophy at the same course before winning easily at Wolverhampton on June 20.

All three horses mentioned were purchased relatively inexpensively by Clover with bloodstock agent Billy Jackson-Stops, who married Lily Gredley at the weekend.

Rogue Spirit was an 11,000gns purchase at the Tattersalls December Sale, at which Rogue Millennium was also recruited for 35,000gns, while Rogue Lightning was picked up for 42,000gns at the Craven Breeze-up Sale. All three look set to provide plenty more fun outings for the jolly band of rogues.

A Knight To Remember

The quiet achiever of the week award must go to the Irish National Stud resident Decorated Knight (GB), who was represented by a pair of smart novice winners over the weekend. Ferrari Queen (Ire) zoomed to success on her debut for Charlie and Mark Johnston, winning by six lengths at Doncaster, to become her sire's first winner from his second crop. A half-sister to two Group 2-winning stayers in Pale Mimosa (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) and Nearly Caught (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), she looks well bought by her trainers at €18,000 at last year's Orby Sale.

The following day Prince A A Faisal's 3-year-old Kind Gesture (GB) won her second race on the bounce, this time by ten lengths at Windsor for Roger Varian and David Egan, who had also ridden Ferrari Queen.

Kind Gesture was bred, like her sire, by Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud, which celebrated its first homebred Classic winner the previous weekend with Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the Prix de Diane. The stud will be offering Nashwa's half-sister by Decorated Knight as lot 93 in the forthcoming Arqana August Yearling Sale. It is the first time that Blue Diamond Stud will appear on the list of consignors in Deauville and its draft of three also includes an Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to Kind Gesture (lot 252). Gerry Meehan took the helm as yearling manager at Blue Diamond Stud earlier this year and anyone who perused the Newsells Park Stud yearling drafts during Meehan's lengthy stint there will know to expect a well prepared consignment.

The post Seven Days: Much Ado About Frankie appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Seven Days: A Coronation in Chantilly

Just when you thought a fully-charged Royal Ascot couldn't be topped, along came Hollie Doyle.

The royal meeting was sadly missing The Queen for all five days this year but, France's republican tendencies aside, there are few in the racing world who would deny that Doyle is now the queen of Chantilly after reaching yet another milestone to become the first woman to ride a Group 1 Classic winner in Europe.

Her great triumph came aboard Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Imad Al Sagar, who was achieving an important landmark victory of his own with his first homebred Classic winner for his Blue Diamond Stud. It is now not even remarkable to see Doyle booked for top rides. She's so good at what she does, proving it day in and day out, from Group 1 showcase races to Class 6 handicaps, but there are not many of those top-class horses to go around.

For this observer, it was a punch-the-air moment when Doyle was announced as first jockey for Al Sagar three seasons ago. It felt important that a woman should be given a prominent retainership in the first place, and more symbolic that this offer was made by an Arab owner. It was an inspired and refreshing move on Al Sagar's part, and a thoroughly deserving position for Doyle. If she hadn't already, she has certainly repaid his faith in her now.

Doyle is five wins clear at the head of the jockeys' table for this calendar year. The nonsensical shortening of the jockeys' championship from the Guineas meeting to Champions Day means that a number of those 85 wins don't count, so she lies in fourth place in the 'championship', if we can call it that. Given the unwelcome publicity surrounding Oisin Murphy's behaviour and the conclusion to last year's jockeys' title, we could do with some better news in that regard, and one story that would guarantee more front-page, good-news headlines for racing would be the first female champion jockey. Doyle will get there one day, no doubt.

Al Sagar, as a breeder who has recently undertaken a significant restructuring of his two farms near Newmarket that comprise his Blue Diamond Stud operation, now finds himself in the happy position that his paddocks contain the dams of both female French Classic winners this season. As already noted in these pages, he bought Zotilla (Ire) (Zamindar), the dam of G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), later in the year that her future Classic heroine was foaled. Nashwa's dam Princess Loulou (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) was bought as a yearling.

Frankel's Classic Touch

Nashwa was of course only the second Group 1 winner of the week for her sire Frankel and trainers John and Thady Gosden, who also had last year's leading 2-year-old filly Inspiral (GB) primed to perfection for her return in the G1 Coronation S., which was arguably the race at Ascot with the greatest depth.

Her victory was vengeance for her dam Starscope (GB) (Selkirk), who had been second in both the Coronation and the 1,000 Guineas of 2012, and Inspiral, who was the fourth generation of her family to have been bred by Cheveley Park Stud, became their fourth Coronation S. winner after Exclusive (GB), Russian Rhythm and Nannina (GB). The Thompson family's operation also enjoyed some reflected glory at Ascot as the breeder of surprise Chesham S. winner Holloway Boy (GB) and Buckingham Palace S winner Inver Park (GB), whose victories would have been all the sweeter for the fact that they are by one of the stud's resident sires, Ulysses (Ire), and the late former star of the stallion yard, Pivotal (GB).

Frankel still has some way to go to peg back Dubawi (Ire) if he is to retain his champion sire title this year, but the season is not even halfway through yet. One of the notable absentees on the quick ground at Ascot was his daughter Homeless Songs (Ire), the sensational winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas. An eventual clash with Inspiral would be a mouth-watering prospect but, even without the filly, Moyglare Stud's 60th anniversary year continued in fine style with victory in the Gold Cup for another homebred, Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the rising star of the staying ranks. Never was a mare better named than his dam Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who has produced three Group 1 winners among her eight stakes winners.

Frankel also featured as the damsire of the G3 Jersey S. winner Noble Truth (Fr), who is a son of his stud mate Kingman (GB). It was a second major international winner for the family in less than a month as Noble Truth was bred by Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois from Speralita (Fr), an unraced sister of the six-time Group/Grade 1 winner Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), who took the Prix de Diane 13 years ago. As a broodmare Stacelita has plied her trade in Japan for Teruya Yoshida with great success, providing Frankel with his first Classic winner anywhere in the world when their daughter Soul Stirring (Jpn) won the GI Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks).

There has been further notable success for the Japanese wing of the family this season with Stars On Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), who is a grand-daughter of Stacelita and won the GI Oka Sho (1,000 Guineas) on April 22 followed by the Yushun Himba on May 22. Her dam Southern Stars (Smart Strike) has a colt foal catalogued for the foal section of the JHRA Select Sale, which takes place on July 11 and 12.

Dubawi Wears the Crown

With five winners, including a one-two in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. with Naval Crown (GB) and Creative Force (Ire), Dubawi owns all the bragging rights among the sires represented at Royal Ascot. In fact, he is presently lording it over all-comers in Europe by just about every metric with 24 stakes winners led by four individual Group 1 winners this year.

One of the latter, Coroebus (Ire), followed up his 2,000 Guineas victory with a G1 St James's Palace S. success, to cement a memorable opening day for the Maktoum family following the procession of the unbeaten Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Queen Anne S.

Dubawi's son New Bay (GB) also deserves plenty of plaudits with two group winners at the meeting. His daughter Saffron Beach (Ire) returned to the winner's enclosure in imperious fashion in the G2 Duke of Cambridge S., while her stable-mate Claymore (Ire) landed his first group-race strike in the G3 Hampton Court S. We'll be hearing more about their trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam's love of New Bay in Wednesday's TDN.

And let's not forget Dubawi's French-based son Zarak (Fr), who continues to make giant strides in the second-season sires' table. It has to be said that he looks the stand-out of this intake at this stage, with La Parisienne (Fr) going close to giving him a first-crop Classic winner in the Prix de Diane when running Nashwa to a neck.

Admittedly Churchill was first off the mark in that regard with the very impressive Prix du Jockey Club winner Vadeni (Fr), and it was exciting to hear that this Aga Khan-bred colt is under consideration to be supplemented for the G1 Coral-Eclipse next month. But Zarak leads the way with five black-type winners, which equates to 11 per cent of his runners, and he also had Times Square (Fr) placed in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

On With The Show

The sole appearance of Showcasing (GB) at Royal Ascot ended in ignominious defeat when he trailed in last of the 24 runners for the G1 Golden Jubilee S. But he has fared much better as a sire, notably with two G1 Commonwealth Cup winners in Quiet Reflection (GB) and Advertise (GB), while Soldier's Call (GB) won the Windsor Castle S. of 2018, and Tasleet (GB) and Cappella Sansevero (GB) finished runner-up in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. and G2 Coventry S. respectively.

Showcasing was represented again this year by the smart G2 Queen Mary S. winner Dramatised (Ire), who provided a first major homebred success for Steve Parkin's Branton Court Stud. By that stage, the aforementioned Shadwell stallion Tasleet, whose first crop are now juveniles, was given a major boost by the G2 Coventry S. win of his son Bradsell (GB), who was sold as a breezer by Mark Grant to Tom Biggs and Archie Watson for £47,000, and presumably for many multiples of that after scorching to his nine-length maiden win on York's Knavesmire exactly a month after his appearance at Goffs UK.

Bradsell, bred by Deborah O'Brien, was one of two runners at Royal Ascot for the Bahrain-based Victorious Racing, the other being the Windsor Castle S. runner-up Rocket Rodney (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}). He too had been purchased after an impressive novice win, this time at Goodwood for George Scott.

Whitsbury Manor Stud, which has stood Showcasing for his entire 12-season stud career to date, will have taken plenty of encouragement from the results of the royal meeting. Not only did they breed Tasleet before selling him to Sheikh Hamdan, but another of their own young sires featured prominently among the juvenile races.

Havana Grey (GB) is currently romping away with 18 winners from his first crop and is seven clear of his nearest pursuer in that category, Sioux Nation. Though he is yet to join Tasleet and James Garfield (Ire) with a stakes winner, Havana Grey does have four black-type horses to his name, with Maylandsea (GB) having finished second in Queen Mary and Eddie's Boy (GB) third in the Windsor Castle.

There was further success for Showcasing at Chantilly on Sunday where Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe homebred Belbek (Fr) landed the G3 Prix du Bois.

An Ascot for Everyone

As much as Royal Ascot represents some of the elite of European racing, the addition of handicaps in the first year of Covid has increased the potential for participation for owners and trainers, and the results reflected a broad spectrum of yards of all sizes.

George Boughey has been the up-and-coming name for the last couple of seasons and, with a Classic winner under his belt, he can now be considered to have truly arrived. His string is far from small on Newmarket Heath these days and he once again illustrated how adept he is in getting a great tune out of horses bought in training, usually in tandem with his great friend and ally Sam Haggas of Hurworth Bloodstock. Together they bought the Golden Gates H. winner Missed The Cut (Quality Road) for 40,000gns in February and, now with three wins from four runs under his belt, the 3-year-old looks a promising individual who had been an expensive foal purchase for Shadwell in America.

Similar comments apply to Inver Park (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who was already a decent dual winner for Mick Quinn when sold last October at Goffs UK for £35,000. He too has found a winning groove this spring, with his Buckingham Palace S. win being his third on the bounce.

While Hollie Doyle is usually riding against her husband Tom Marquand, Hayley Turner is in the more agreeable position of riding for her partner Harry Eustace, the second-season trainer who bagged a Royal Ascot winner with his first ever runner at the meeting. Hopefully the much celebrated success of Latin Lover (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the Palace of Holyroodhouse H. will put Eustace's name on the radar of more owners as he is currently enjoying a fantastic season on a strike-rate of 24 per cent winners to runners.

It's true then. The louder you shout the faster they run. Latin Lover wins the last at Ascot on Day 4. #scenes pic.twitter.com/6bCiDsj3wj

— Harry Eustace (@H_Eustace) June 18, 2022

Huge credit must also go to Dave Evans for brining Rohaan (GB) (Mayson {GB}) back to Ascot in great shape to claim his second successive Wokingham S.

It was pleasing to hear the 4-year-old's co-owner Chris Kiely get his priorities right when saying after the race, “I've had two kids and got married, but this is the best moment of my life.” Let's just hope his wife and children weren't listening in.

Jane Chapple-Hyam put all her fellow trainers in the shade, however, when bringing three horses to the royal meeting and waltzing home with two group wins and a runner-up in the Royal Hunt Cup. As already mentioned, we will be reflecting more on the success of her Abington Place stable tomorrow.

A Royal Nod For Tattersalls

There's always plenty to take in during Ascot week so you may have missed the announcement of a small adjustment to the Tattersalls December Mare Sale. The four-day auction which follows hard on the heels of a day of yearlings and four days of foal sales at Park Paddocks will now feature a specifically labelled 'Sceptre Session' which takes its name from the star filly of the early 1900s and a former Tattersalls sale record-breaker.

To a degree, the Tuesday evening of the mare sale, when this select session of high-class broodmares and breeding prospects is set to take place, is already one of the high points in the sales calendar when it comes to drama. Quite frankly, if you're a bloodstock aficionado and you weren't playing your part in the mass game of Sardines in the Tatts ring when the likes of Dancing Rain (Ire) and Marsha (Ire) sold for millions, then where were you?

Having up to 75 of the highest-profile offerings clearly labelled in one select session within a session makes a lot of sense, though it will make for an even more fraught couple of hours than usual for the weary bloodstock journalists on the hunt for quotes. A timely reminder to start getting into training for the sales season.

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Seven Days: A Haggas Masterclass

It hasn't been a bad week for William Haggas. The Somerville Lodge stable cat has recently gone AWOL for fear that he might be entered up at Catterick and would have to live up to the extraordinarily rich vein of form currently being exhibited by the larger quadrupeds whose fetlocks he rubs up against during evening stables.

Over the last fortnight 41 horses have been sent out by the trainer and 17 of them have returned home with a trophy to add to the cabinet. Most impressively, 10 of those victories have been in stakes races. Taking up where Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Lilac Road (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) left off the previous this week, the stable's runners over the last seven days have won a Group 1, Group 2 and four Listed races, headed of course by Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) trouncing some fairly fancy opposition in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and Maljoom (Ire) pilfering the G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2,000 Guineas) to become the first Classic winner for his sire Caravaggio.

Haggas is also now the sole custodian in Britain and Ireland of horses in training for the Tsui family's Sunderland Holdings. Their five runners to have taken to the track so far this season have posted some impressive results. Last week alone the half-siblings My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and My Astra (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) each won Listed races–the latter by a whopping 12 lengths at Ayr–and those successes followed the All-Weather Mile Championship win of the eldest of the clan, 5-year-old My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The latter also won last year's G3 Earl Of Sefton S. before being beaten only a neck when third in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan.

Their dam My Titania (Ire) holds a footnote in racing history as the first black-type winner for her illustrious sire and the Tsuis' pride and joy, Sea The Stars (Ire). He also featured as the sire of another of the Haggas/Sunderland Holdings stakes winners last week, Sea Silk Road (Ire), who was bred by Kildaragh Stud and landed the Listed Height Of Fashion S.

It will come as a surprise to precisely no-one that Sea The Stars has the makings of a decent broodmare sire, and there has been a flurry of promising activity in this regard of late. He features in this category for the G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who is bred on the same cross as another from the Haggas stable, the Group 3 winner and G1 Queen Anne S. entrant Mohaafeth (Ire). Saturday's GIII Galorette S. winner Technical Analysis (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is also out of a Sea The Stars mare.

Currently flying up the broodmare sires' table, however, is Darley's Teofilo (GB), whose daughters have now produced three European Classic winners this season. Following the Guineas double in Newmarket of Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), Maljoom added to the haul in Cologne.

Legendary Riders Remembered

William Haggas would certainly be the first to admit that his wife Maureen plays a key role in the success of their stable. Her father Lester Piggott was sadly not present to see the unveiling of his statue at the Curragh on Saturday, with Maureen's sister Tracy Piggott performing that honour as her father convalesces in hospital in Switzerland.

She said of the legendary jockey in Sunday's Racing Post, “He's still constantly watching the racing and is getting a big kick out of seeing how my sister Maureen and William Haggas are flying along.”

Piggott, now 86, was at the Curragh for the opening of the new stand three years ago. His likeness in bronze now stands outside the weighing-room looking towards the track at his request.

Thoughts also turned to Pat Smullen on Sunday, on the day he would have celebrated his 45th birthday. He, too, would have got a kick out of seeing a runaway Classic winner for Eva-Maria Bucher-Haefner and Dermot Weld, whose stable Smullen was retained by for two decades. The trainer and jockey combined in the Irish 1,000 Guineas victory 16 years ago of Nightime (Ire), who became the first of many Classic winners for Galileo (Ire).

Smullen rode his first British Classic winner, Refuse To Bend (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), in the Moyglare Stud colours and his long association with the Haefner family extended past his retirement from race riding in 2019 as he was appointed as an advisor to their operation. In the 60th anniversary year of Moyglare Stud there could have been no more fitting Irish 1,000 Guineas winner than Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), and Bucher-Haefner has a further shot at Classic glory as co-owner of the Moyglare-bred Cheshire Oaks winner Thoughts Of June (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is entered in the Oaks and the Irish Oaks.

Homeless Songs, bred on the same Frankel-Dubawi cross as last year's Derby winner Adayar (Ire), appears to be considered as a miler at most by her trainer, and she certainly exhibited a killer sprint kick in her five-and-a-half-length Guineas romp. Here's hoping she turns up at Royal Ascot to face Cachet and Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the Coronation S. Homeless Songs also provided a first proper Clasic success for Chris Hayes, who rode Moyglare Stud's Search For A Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in her first of two wins in the G1 Irish St Leger.

Appleby Wears The Crown

Triple Crown winners may not come along too often in this part of the world, but Charlie Appleby has designed a new Triple Crown all of his own in recording the extraordinary feat of winning the 2000 Guineas in Britain, France and Ireland with three different horses.

For Godolphin, the Dubawi colts Coroebus (Ire) and Modern Games (Ire) would have been extra satisfying, being homebred sons of the operation's outstanding stallion. But of course Godolphin are also in the business of making stallions, and the Haras d'Haspel-bred Native Trail (GB), as a son of Oasis Dream (GB) from an excellent Juddmonte family, would be a worthy addition to any stallion barn. Moreover, it is always good to see the champion 2-year-old continue to be special at three.

Havana Ball

When TDN visited Karl Burke in Middleham back in January 2018, Havana Grey (GB) was about a month shy of his third birthday but was delighting his trainer ahead of the season in which he would earn his Group 1 stripes in the Flying Five.
“Havana Grey is as hard as nails,” said Burke at the time. “He's a great character and he loves his work. Right from day one all he wanted to do was gallop…he's a real battler with a lot of natural speed.”

The son of Havana Gold (Ire) had by that stage already proved himself to be a hard-knocking 2-year-old, winning four of his eight juvenile starts, including the G3 Molecomb S., and finishing runner-up to his stable-mate Unfortunately (Ire) in the G1 Prix Morny. His early prowess is now being mirrored–and some–by members of his first crop.
Havana Grey, who stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud, has now streaked to the top of the freshman sires' table with 14 winners already to his credit. The most recent came on Sunday for Michael Bell and Middleham Park Racing with Maylandsea (GB), a grandson of Fiona Denniff's increasingly influential broodmare Hill Welcome (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}. He has also been represented by the highest number of runners, with 35 members of his first crop having already taken to the track, giving Havana Grey a strike-rate of 40% at this early stage of the year.
Another freshman off the mark this week was Cracksman (GB), with two winners coming in quick succession, and two of the first-crop sires are responsible for juveniles that have earned a coveted TDN Rising Star this season.
Following the performance of Tajalla (Ire), a son of Tally-Ho Stud's Kessaar (Ire), at Newmarket in April, a gold star went to the 2-year-old who has posted arguably the most impressive win of them all so far this season. Bradsell (GB), by Shadwell's Tasleet, scorched along the Knavesmire on Saturday to win by nine lengths for Archie Watson. Bred by Deborah O'Brien, who has had Bradsell's family for three generations, he was sold for 12,000gns as a yearling and then was brought back to the breeze-up sales by Mark Grant, who sold him for £47,000 to Tom Biggs at Goffs UK. Top hats are surely being readied by his owners, Primavera.

Trading Classics

While William Haggas was plundering a German Classic on Sunday, German trainer Markus Klug popped over to Rome and came home with the Derby Italiano trophy courtesy of Ardakan (GB). It would have been more appropriate for Ardakan to have won the Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen, the race named after the founding family of Gestut Rottgen, near Cologne, where he is trained and was bred, and where his sire Reliable Man (GB) stands.
This colt does not however bear the colours of Rottgen, which has had his family in its possession for a century. Ardakan was sold to Holger Faust on behalf of Darius Racing for €40,000 at the BBAG Yearling Sale and, clearly appreciating the 1m3f of the Italian Classic, he became the second black-type winner for his dam, the Listed winner Alaskakonigin (Ger) (Sternkoenig).
Klug also trains Ardakan's year-older half-sister Alaskasonne (Fr) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), who is already a Listed winner in her homeland and is entered for Tuesday's G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud.

Another Star For International Family

The brilliant racemare Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), a Group/Grade 1 winner in both France and America, provided Frankel with his first top-level winner and first Classic winner when their daughter Soul Stirring (Jpn) won the GI Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) in 2017.

Five years later the same family was back in the spotlight for that same Classic when Stacelita's grand-daughter Stars On Earth (Jpn) took another step forward in her quest for the Fillies' Triple Crown after adding the Yushun Himba to her victory in the GI Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). As well as both being bred by Shadai Farm, Soul Stirring and Stars On Earth are connected by their jockey, Frenchman Christophe Lemaire.

Further enhancing the broad international range of the family, Stars On Earth's dam Southern Stars (GB), a daughter of the late Lane's End Farm stallion Smart Strike, was trained in Newmarket for Teruya Yoshida by John Gosden, and won a Sandown maiden.

In the meantime, the Frankel bandwagon has rolled on at pace and he is now the sire of 21 Group/Grade 1 winners in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada and Dubai.

No Squiggle For Sieglinde

When Timeform announced in October 2020 that its Racehorses annuals would no longer be published, outgoing publishing editor Geoff Greetham said, “When the history of the pandemic comes to be written, the demise of the Timeform annuals will merit no more than a footnote, but to the band of loyal readers and to the generations of writers and photographers who have worked on 'racing's bible' this will undoubtedly be a low point. Nothing lasts forever but the Timeform annuals have stood the test of time for longer than most and will still remain as a permanent written history of the sport.”

Indeed they will, and the annuals which date back to 1948 and are collectors' items, are already sorely missed.

Stepping into the breach, however, is Irish pedigree analyst and writer Dr Sieglinde McGee, who has recently published Best Racehorses of 2021. This is her second annual, containing essays, pedigree notes and breeding details of 220 of the top horses in Europe as well as a review of the season. It is a not only a true labour of love but also an incredibly valuable addition to the libraries of racing and breeding buffs. Copies can be ordered via Amazon.

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Seven Days: Abundance

Can we have too much of a good thing? When it comes to racing in the spring the answer is almost certainly not, but the rapidity with which all the decent action takes place can make it difficult to take it all in. For example, in the last 11 days we have had three Derby favourites. First the horse who had held that honour all winter, Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was then replaced by his stable-mate Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), all the rage after his Derby Trial victory at Leopardstown following the defection of Luxembourg from Epsom. But Stone Age held his position for only four days before he was pipped by the Dante S. winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), about whom the dogs had apparently been howling that Sir Michael Stoute was on his way to claim the Derby for a sixth time, 41 years after Shergar (Ire) galloped his way into the history books.

By Derby day itself, Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) will almost certainly shorten merely for the fact that Frankie Dettori has been booked to ride him, but there is plenty to suggest that he would not be unworthy of that support. We'll see.

In the meantime, thoughts have turned to the Prix du Jockey Club, a great stopgap between the Guineas and Derby since its distance was shortened to 2,100m back in 2005. On Sunday, Charlie Appleby said of his Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), “I always had it in the back of my mind that he might be a French Derby horse.” With that colt having become the first British-trained winner of the race for 17 years, it would be no surprise to see him attempt to emulate the last one, Shamardal, by snaring a French Classic double. It would also help to alleviate one problem faced by Appleby in attempting to keep Modern Games, Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) apart. But let's face it, as problems go, it's high on the first-world list.

Jean-Claude Rouget has also been waxing lyrical about the Prix des Suresnes winner Al Hakeem (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), drawing flattering comparisons to Sottsass (Ire), and seemingly not just for the very similar pattern of his breeding. Then there is the good-looking Lassaut (Fr), from the first crop of Jockey Club winner Almanzor (Fr), whose running-on fifth in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains can be regarded as a decent trial for June 5.

It would also be folly to overlook the claims of G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Onesto (Ire), the colt by Frankel (GB) who returned to Europe after being an unlikely candidate for a Florida breeze-up sale. But he breezed with ease, earning himself a $535,000 price tag and a place in Fabrice Chappet's Chantilly stable. We'll be hearing more about Onesto later this week in TDN, but a viewing of him during Chappet's second lot on Monday morning was enough to leave a strong impression that he is a horse with a perfect temperament for the big day.

Mosse Pockets His Plans

The indefatigable Gerald Mosse, impeccably bedecked in his trademark white gloves and a silver brooch of two horses' head at the collar of his silks, rode his 15th French Classic winner at Longchamp on Sunday. It was his first since winning the Prix du Jockey Club on Reliable Man (GB) in 2011.

Of his latest, Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), he said, “She really kicked strongly and fought all the way to the line. She kept something in the pocket for the end.”

Mangoustine was not the only one. The 55-year-old jockey has already passed the necessary exams to start a secondary career as a trainer but, understandably after the elation of his second win in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches following Zalaiyka (Fr) (Royal Academy) 24 years ago, he said thoughts of retirement are far from his mind.

“For now I'll keep my training licence in my pocket,” added Mosse.

Born To Run

Somewhat unusually, four of the top five lots at last year's Arqana Breeding Stock Sale have remained in training this season, and three of them have enjoyed a real purple patch of late.

On Saturday, Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), the sale-topper at €3 million, made a triumphant comeback in her new home country of America, where she was the impressive victrix of the GIII Beaugay S. for Peter Brant, Michael Tabor and trainer Chad Brown.

Brant and Brown also teamed up with Speak Of The Devil (Fr) Wootton Bassett {GB}), a €1.95 million purchase, to win the GII Longines Churchill Distaff S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Meanwhile Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), now six, has remained in training in France with Gianluca Bietolini for her new owner Haras de Hus, and she has added the Listed Prix Zarkava and G3 Prix Allez France to her tally of wins this season.

The World's Gone Mad

It would be churlish to present a round-up of the action of the past week and not mention the mighty Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who won his third G2 Yorkshire Cup. It seems extraordinary that the horse who last week set a new European record for the number of Group wins (18) should have an invisible question mark hanging over him with regard to his future stud career.

Too small and the wrong colour for a National Hunt stallion, some say, but frankly that option shouldn't even be in the reckoning. Wouldn't it be refreshing if a son of one of the best horses most of us have ever seen, from a Wildenstein dynasty deep with talent, who has proved his own abundant ability and soundness year after year, be afforded the respect he deserves by Flat breeders. After all, who among us would not love to race a horse such as this?

Too much to ask? Let's hope not.

Titannia Upholds Family Honour

Two years ago we noted the Danish Classic double of Tassmania (Den), the filly whose existence is largely owing to her dam Transsylvania (Den) (Le Havre {Ire}) having won a nomination to Sir Percy (GB) as part of her prize for landing the Listed Lanwades Stud S. in Norway in 2015.

Transsylvania's owner/breeders Dean and Mette Olsen duly bred her to Sir Percy, resulting in victory in the Danish 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas for her daughter Tassmania. Now the family is at it again.

Transsylvania's current 3-year-old Titannia (Den), by Appel Au Maitre (Fr), won the Danish 1000 Guineas on May 7 and is now poised to attempt to emulate her half-sister by taking on the colts. The filly, who was retained by the Olsens, also provided Lars Kelp with his first Classic victory since returning to the training ranks with just five horses under his care.

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