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Godolphin’s Classic Heroine Mawj Retired From Racing

Last year's brilliant G1 1,000 Guineas winner Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) has been retired, Godolphin announced on Wednesday. She will now join the operation's broodmare band having failed to sparkle on what proved to be her final racecourse appearance when finishing last of the nine runners in last month's G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan.

Trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Mawj was a high-class juvenile when her victories included the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. at Newmarket's July Festival. Last season, she won twice in Dubai before gaining the most prestigious success of her career when defeating the hitherto unbeaten Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the 1,000 Guineas, ultimately getting the verdict by half a length following a sustained duel between the pair.

That Classic victory on the Rowley Mile was followed by a five-month spell on the sidelines due to a setback, but Mawj proved all her ability remained intact when returning with two good efforts stateside in the autumn, first winning the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland before suffering a narrow defeat to Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

Mawj's Keeneland win was a 500th in Group company for Bin Suroor, who paid tribute to his stable star on Wednesday when saying, “Mawj is a very special filly, who showed her brilliance throughout her racing career. It was a fantastic day when she won the 1,000 Guineas and I was especially pleased that it was her who provided me with my 500th Group race victory out in Keeneland.

“She proved herself against the best horses across the world, winning in Dubai, the UK and the United States as well as finishing second in a Breeders' Cup Mile. Everyone at Al Quoz and Godolphin Stables is going to miss her but we look forward to the next stage of her life as a broodmare.”

Mawj joins her dam Modern Ideals (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who is proving a notable broodmare for Godolphin having also produced the Listed winner/Group 3-placed Modern News (GB) (Shamardal) and the five-time Group 1 winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi). Modern Games, who notably won at the Breeders' Cup in successive years when landing the GI Juvenile Turf in 2021 and GI Mile in 2022, stands for £30,000 in his first year at Dalham Hall Stud in 2024.

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Broodmare Prospects Set To Take Centre Stage At Goffs February Sale

A half-sister to live Gold Cup contender Gerri Colombe (Fr) (Saddler Maker {Ire}) and a winning daughter of wondermare Quevega (Fr) (Robin Des Champs {Fr}) are some of the standouts on show at the two-day Goffs February Sale which kicks off on Wednesday at Kildare Paddocks.

Princess Vega (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}), winner of a Tramore bumper for Willie Mullins, will be sold in foal to Walk In The Park (Ire). As well as being a daughter of the six-time Cheltenham festival heroine Quevega, she is also a half-sister to the four-time Grade 1 winner Facile Vega (Ire) and Listed bumper scorer Aurora Vega (Ire). She will be consigned by The Irish National Stud as a supplementary lot 431G.

Another supplementary lot, Hermione Colombe (Fr), is sure to grab plenty of attention, being a half-sister to Gerri Colombe, who is as short as 8-1 for the Gold Cup.

Trained by Gordon Elliott, Gerri Colombe has won four times at the highest level and was only narrowly pipped by The Real Whacker (Ire) in last year's Brown Advisory at Cheltenham.

A daughter of Brave Mansonnien (Fr), the unraced Hermione Colombe [lot 431H] will be sold in foal to Waldgeist (GB) having already produced colt foals by Sea Moon (GB) and Night Wish (Ger). She will be consigned by Alpha Play Bloodstock.

The Sale also features a five-strong draft from the Aga Khan Studs while Moyglare Stud will offer four weanlings, including a Make Believe (GB) colt out of dual Grade 1 hurdle winner Unaccompanied (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). The nine-time winner, who carried the Moyglare silks with great distinction over jumps and on the Flat for Dermot Weld, has already produced a classy performer on the level in the shape of Group 3-placed Keep In Touch (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}).

Other interesting prospects include In Wood (Ire) [lot 431J], an Authorized (Ire) half-sister to Grade 1 winner Very Wood (Fr). She will be sold in foal to Diamond Boy (Fr). Meanwhile, seven-time winner Pearl Of The West (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 431C) is just another classy broodmare prospect on offer.

The sale, which has produced classy types like Twilight Jet (Ire) (Twilight Son {GB}), Bolthole (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) and Yaxeni (Fr) (Maxios {GB}) in recent years, and offers a broad mixture of horses-in-training, weanlings and broodmares, gets underway at 10am.

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Relief Rally to Race On For Haggas and Yulong

Relief Rally (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), last year's winner of the G2 Lowther S., has returned to William Haggas's stable after being sold at Tattersalls in December for 800,000gns. She was knocked down in the name of Mrs A Sullivan at the time.

The filly is now registered on the British Horseracing Authority's website as being owned by Mr Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments. The same owner also bought multiple Group 1 winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) for 5.4 million gns at the previous year's December Mares Sale.

Relief Rally is rated 107 after a season in which she was defeated only once in her five starts, and then only by a nose when second in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot. Racing last year for the partnership of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, she won her first two races in April and May, and following Royal Ascot she headed to Newbury for victory in the Weatherbys Super Sprint. Relief Rally's final win of the year in the Lowther at York's Ebor meeting was the third success in that race for Haggas, who also won the G2 Gimcrack S. a day later with Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never).

“I am delighted at how well she's done over the winter. There isn't a great deal of her but she has definitely strengthened a lot,” Haggas told TDN on Tuesday. “I suspect she will stay sprinting. She has a very good turn of foot.”

While Relief Rally's programme for this year is yet to de decided, the trainer noted that the Commonwealth Cup at the royal meeting is “the obvious race”. In its nine runnings to date, the Group 1 sprint for three-year-olds has twice been won by a filly – Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in 2016 and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in 2021.

Haggas added, “She started cantering today. Let's hope she can win a Group 1 race this year as she's already a Group 2 winner.”

He also issued an update on Lake Forest, who is another to have resumed cantering this week. Haggas said, “He needs quick ground so he won't be out too early. But we'll be aiming him for the Commonwealth Cup, I suspect, because he's in the same position as her in that he's a Group 2 winner so there's not much point in going backwards. He might start in the Sandy Lane at the end of May.”

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Potential Bonuses of £250,000 for Craven Breeze-up Graduates

Tattersalls has renewed its £250,000 Craven Breeze-up Sale Bonus for 2024.

The scheme pays £100,000 to the owner and £25,000 to the vendor of any Craven graduate to win one of the six two-year-old races at Royal Ascot. Should that horse go on to win any of the 15 Group 1 races for juveniles this season in Britain, Ireland or France, a further £100,000 and £25,000 will be paid out to the owner and vendor.

Godolphin's champion two-year-old Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and KHK Racing's Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), consigned respectively by Oak Tree Farm and Glending Stables, are both previous bonus winners.

“The £250,000 Tattersalls Craven Royal Ascot/Group 1 Bonus reinforces our commitment to rewarding owners with multiple bonuses in addition to our ever popular £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus, which has seen more than £8 million in bonus prize-money paid to owners since the scheme's inception,” said Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony.

“That the Craven Group 1 Bonus has been won twice in three years is testament to the outstanding quality on offer year after year at the Craven Breeze-up Sale which once again in 2023 produced more Group and Listed winners than any other European breeze-up sale.”

The Craven Breeze-up Sale starts the two-year-old sales season in Europe and takes place on April 16 and 17, with the horses set to breeze on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket on Monday, April 15.

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