Well, if it's happening pedigrees that buyers want, it won't take long to scope out lot 53 in the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. A brother to leading 2,000 Guineas contender Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the colt will be offered under the hammer by the father-and-son team of Mick and Stephen Byrne of Knockgraffon Stables on behalf of Linden Bloodstock. 

Pedigree updates like this don't come around very often. Already a half-brother to first-season sire Far Above (Ire), the strapping Dark Angel colt was led out of the ring unsold at 125,000gns at the Book 1 session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, leaving his breeders Brendan and David Geraghty scratching their heads. 

What has happened in the intervening period, with Night Raider bursting onto the scene with two effortless successes at Southwell, which has put the horse firmly in the 2,000 Guineas picture, would suggest the Geraghty brothers were right to command top dollar for their colt.

Knockgraffon Stables has been consigning horses at the breeze-up sales for 35 years. Few people have been doing it longer. However, in all that time, never have the Byrne family had a horse like this through their hands. The excitement is palpable. 

“It looks as though the decision not to sell as a yearling could be vindicated. He's a gorgeous big horse and is without doubt the most high-profile horse that I have ever consigned,” Stephen, 34, said. 

“I had never met Brendan or David before but, shortly after the yearling sales, I got a phone call from them asking if I'd be interested in breezing this horse for them. They told me a bit about him, that he was a Dark Angel half-brother to Far Above, and I jumped at the opportunity to have that type of calibre of horse in the yard.”

It takes something special to catch the eye in the dark December months but that's exactly what Night Raider did in winning on debut at Southwell by nine lengths. Bought for 155,000gns by Joe Foley on behalf of Clipper Logistics at Tattersalls in 2021 as a foal, Night Raider confirmed the promise of that scintillating debut when dishing out a comprehensive beating to previous winners back at Southwell last month, and is now as short as just 10-1 for Classic glory at Newmarket. 

So what did the consignor make of it all? 

Byrne said, “I got very excited, didn't I? I've only been doing this full-time since last year. Obviously Mick has been doing this a long time. He's been breezing horses for as long as I can remember and, actually, the first horse I ever cantered was a breeze-up horse. I think I was 10 years of age at the time. The game has become a lot more professional since Dad started and the quality has risen. A lot of very good horses are coming from the breeze-up sales. 

“Night Raider looks as though he could be very smart and fingers crossed he can keep on progressing. I'd say this horse is very nice, too. He's not your typical breeze-up horse-he's quite big-but he does everything very well and he looks like he could make up into a very smart racehorse in time.”

Brendan Geraghty, who, along with his brother David, bought Night Raider's dam Dorraar (Ire) (Shamardal) outside the ring at Goffs after she failed to sell at €14,000 in 2017, shared how the plan to breeze the full-brother was first hatched.

He said, “We brought him to the foal sales and we brought him home. Then we brought him to the yearling sales and brought him home as well. To be honest, it was probably the pure stubborn Mayo man coming out in me both times! But, to be honest, I was shocked he didn't sell as a yearling. We'd loads of vets and I was sure he'd be popular.

“In fairness to Jack Cantillon, he has put me down a few good roads in recent times so, when I asked him where I should send the horse, I didn't hesitate when he recommended Stephen. We think he is a special horse, really and truly. Even from day one, Stephen has been saying, 'Brendan, I love this lad.' It's exciting and hopefully he can show people what he can do in the breeze. It has been a joy working with Stephen and Mick and long may it last.”

The Mayo native, who has spent time in Australia and has only a small number of mares at his base close by to Knockgraffon in Tipperary, revealed how it hasn't all been plain sailing with his pride and joy Dorraar. A winner herself and from the family of Benbatl (GB), the 13-year-old overcame a serious injury after she was sourced by Linden Bloodstock. She is now happily reported to be back in foal to Dark Angel, who, naturally, Geraghty says he is a massive fan of. 

Geraghty said, “My brother David goes through the sales and it works well. Once I saw Dorraar at the sales, I fell in love with her and had to buy her. It has worked out great. When we bought her, she was in foal to Toronado (Ire), but, as it turned out, she got injured at home and only for the lads at Fethard Equine Hospital and her big heart, she wouldn't have pulled through. After she lost the Toronado filly, we gave her a couple of seasons off, so she is a relatively fresh mare despite her age of 13.

“There aren't many mares like her around. Far Above put her name in lights and now Night Raider looks like he could be very good. I love Dark Angel. His record speaks for itself and he gets results day in, day out. Night Raider is only going one way.”

And so, too, is Knockgraffon Stables. Along with popular work rider and long-time friend Shane 'Rancher' Ryan, who Byrne says he would be lost without, the work gets done. Brothers Michael and David, who like Stephen, enjoyed some success in the saddle, lend a helping hand as does Mick, 67.

“I am only back working here this past year,” Stephen explains. “I gave it about five or six years as an amateur. I rode a bust of winners but decided it wasn't for me. I just stopped enjoying it. You have to be riding good horses to enjoy it and I wasn't riding good horses.”

That's not to say that a certain Mr S R Byrne came and went without anybody noticing he had ever been in the weighroom to start with. Through Jim Will Fix It (Ire) (Lord Of Appeal {GB}), trained by Seamus Roche, Byrne enjoyed his biggest day in the sun when out-battling big-name amateurs Robbie McNamara and Nina Carberry to win the Grade 2 Future Champions Bumper at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival in 2010. 

Byrne piloted that horse to three more victories under rules but it wasn't enough of a lure. A stint with leading breeze-up consignor Con Marnane was the next port of call followed by seven years working for Joseph O'Brien. Not a bad grounding for the National Hunt jockey who has turned his attention to blooding top-class runners on the Flat. 

Byrne said, “I really enjoyed my time with Joseph. He's a very easy man to work for and you learned plenty from him as well. The biggest thing I learned from Joseph is patience. Patience and keeping calm, that is key. If things weren't going right or horses weren't doing what you wanted them to be doing, Joseph would always keep a steady head and never panic.”

He added, “Not only that but, there were so many nice horses coming through Joseph's, it trained your eye as to what a nice horse looks like. Joseph buys really strong, solid horses. I'd like to think I learned plenty from him about what an athlete looks like. I try to buy a nice horse by a solid stallion. We can't afford to buy the horses by the top stallions but you can buy some very nice horses by solid sires. That's what we try to do. A lot of the good racehorses that I have sold are not by the big sires, but they reached good ratings on the track.”

Beautiful Aisling (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) is a good example. Bought by Knockgraffon Stables and Donovan Bloodstock for £22,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, she rocked into £120,000 when bought by Anthony Stroud at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in 2022. After winning twice and reaching a rating of 90 for Simon and Ed Crisford, Beautiful Aisling went on to fetch 240,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale later that year. 

Such a result proves that not only can Byrne turn a profit in the ring, but he also produces solid racehorses who can fulfil their potential and stand the test of time on the track. 

Romina Power (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), a listed winner in Germany who has subsequently been snapped up by Joseph O'Brien, fellow listed winner Tardis (GB) (Time Test {GB}) and Sailthisshipalone (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) are other notable graduates.

It is clear to see that the Byrne family has a proven track record in producing quality runners but you won't see them hogging the limelight when they do. Instead, they prefer to get on with business in the background. 

Stephen said, “I'll tell you a good story about Dad. When I was working in Edward O'Grady's, Paddy Mangan won the conditional riders' championship and brought the trophy into work. I was looking at all the names on the trophy and, next thing 'Michael Byrne' pops up. I was like, 'Dad was champion conditional?' I rang him up and I asked him and he goes, 'oh, I was, yea', as if it wasn't a big thing. But it is a big thing.”

The pressure may be rising ahead of what could potentially be a breakout sale for Byrne, but the burgeoning operator is approaching Tattersalls in a similarly understated manner. 

He concluded, “I was doing a few breeze-up horses whilst working with Joseph. We'd a couple of horses that sold well so it looked as though we could do the job to a good standard. I said I'd take the leap and give it a go full-time and, touch wood, things have gone really well. Hopefully we can keep on building and keep attracting a nicer horse. We think we have nice horses this year so fingers crossed it goes well.”

The post Night Raider’s Craven-Bound Brother Set To Put Knockgraffon Stables In Lights appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

On Good Friday, as tradition dictates, a handful of the town's racing stables will invite the public in for a look behind the scenes as part of the annual Middleham Open Day, organised by Racing Welfare. Spigot Lodge promises to be the first port of call for many visitors, with trainer Karl Burke expecting to welcome between 200-300 people during the course of the morning.

Hoping to beat the rush, the TDN descends on Spigot Lodge the week before the Middleham Open Day, but already Burke is a man in high demand. Having welcomed David Craig and the Sky Sports Racing cameras to film a feature the previous morning, today our visit clashes with that of Derek 'Tommo' Thompson, the veteran broadcaster and commentator who warmly greets all comers in the now-customary fashion, “Are you well?”

Allowing Tommo first crack at Burke provides the opportunity for a quick tour of the stable yard, giving just a taste of why Spigot Lodge is proving such a popular destination with us media folk as the start of the Flat season proper looms on the horizon. In every corner you look there's a familiar name, from the hard-knocking older sprinter that is Spycatcher (Ire) (Vadamos {Fr}) to the exciting three-year-old Classic contender that is Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}).

Put simply, Burke has never assembled a stronger team of horses, across all departments, than the one in his care right now, certainly on the evidence of last year when he celebrated career-best figures in Britain, with 119 winners and £3,130,725 in total earnings.

“And if you count the European money earnings it was close to £4 million,” Burke points out as he pulls up a stool in the kitchen after bidding farewell to Tommo, ready to reflect on a record-breaking year for the team in 2023 and to look ahead to what 2024 might have in store.

“I never ever thought we'd get to those sorts of figures,” he adds. “I think the only blank month we had last year was March. We didn't have a winner in March, but apart from that we had a great all-weather season and it just followed on through the year.”

Already this year Burke is ahead of where he was at the same stage in 2023, with 12 winners on the board–including a first of the season on turf when Liamarty Dreams (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) scored at Doncaster on Sunday–compared to 10 in the first three months of last year.

The big cards are all still to be played, of course, but the omens are certainly good ahead of what promises to be another successful year for the team. Happily, Burke can also look forward to taking a front row seat in the coming months having returned to familiar surroundings in recent days, making his first appearances on a racecourse since last summer.

In a year when Burke's powerful string rose to virtually every challenge thrown at them in 2023, their trainer was forced to watch on from afar as he fought his own battle with illness, out of the public eye as the likes of Fallen Angel did their bit to keep his name in lights.

“Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with cancer just before Royal Ascot last year,” Burke recalls. “I didn't have any symptoms or anything. I had a routine test and they found it, luckily. They were able to get me in and operated on in early-July, so I haven't been racing since then really.

“I was just getting over the operation, which was fairly severe, and then they wanted me to have a course of chemo as a belts-and-braces job. That took me up to Christmas time, so it hasn't been easy, but we've got a great team here and things ticked along nicely.”

When he felt up to it, the day-to-day routine of a trainer's existence was a huge comfort to Burke during his illness, simply being around the animals to which he's devoted over 30 years of his life in this profession.

Burke's soft spot for Fallen Angel is certainly clear for all to see, with the smile coming easily to him when he's asked to pose for a picture with the grey filly who ended the stable's four-year wait for a Group 1 winner when landing the Moyglare Stud S. at the Curragh last September. A second in the space of six weeks then came along when Poptronic (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) caused a 22/1 upset in the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot.

That proved to be Poptronic's swansong for the stable, later being sold for 1.4 million gns at the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale, but Burke need look no further for a flagbearer this year than Fallen Angel, who is quickly having to get used to all the media attention that comes with being one of the best fillies of her generation.

Leading 1,000 Guineas contender Fallen Angel at Spigot Lodge this morning. Look out for a @theTDN feature with @karl_burke next week, with less than seven weeks to go until the first Classics of the season. pic.twitter.com/rJAcEewRnd

— Adam Houghton (@hought94) March 20, 2024

“There were always high hopes for her and she was a lovely stamp of a filly,” Burke says of Steve Parkin's homebred. “And she's out of a good mare, Agnes Stewart, who was a Group 2 winner. You never can say you're definitely going to win a Group 1, but she just improved all the way through.”

Expressing his belief that Fallen Angel should still be unbeaten, Burke adds, “Even when she got beat at Sandown, Danny [Tudhope, jockey] came in and was kicking himself that he didn't make more use of her because she stays very well. She'd always been quite a strong traveller and he was just trying to teach her by holding on to her a little bit, but I think she probably would have won that day as well if we'd kicked her in the belly a bit earlier.”

Fallen Angel made no mistake on her next two starts, first winning the G3 Sweet Solera S. at Newmarket and then following up in very similar fashion when making the breakthrough at the top level at the Curragh, still appearing full of running at the line as she fought off the speedy Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) to win by a length and a quarter.

Sure to be suited by stepping up to a mile, Fallen Angel now has the G1 Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday, May 5, firmly in her sights, attempting to provide her trainer with a first British Classic success in a race that looks a whole lot more winnable following the news of the likely defection of Aidan O'Brien's Opera Singer (Justify)–not that Burke was afraid of going head-to-head with the winter favourite for the race.

“I was looking forward to taking on Opera Singer,” he reveals. “Darnation ran against her on fast ground in France, which Darnation wouldn't want, and we were still upsides her a furlong and a half out. I know where Fallen Angel is with her [Darnation] on fast ground. Darnation is very much a soft-ground filly, so I didn't think for a minute that Opera Singer was unbeatable.

“There will be plenty of horses that pop their heads up above the parapet from now until Guineas day. I'm sure there are a few horses lurking around that are going to show improved form and will be challenging us. My main aim is to get her there in one piece and, hopefully, that's what we'll do.”

Fallen Angel is set for a racecourse gallop at the Craven Meeting which Burke hopes will put her spot on for the 1,000 Guineas, while Darnation (Too Darn Hot {GB}) could also come into the reckoning for that race if conditions fall in her favour. According to her trainer, she isn't one to underestimate, either, in the event that that happens.

“I'm sure that on soft or heavy ground, she's going to be a handful for any horse,” Burke says of the filly who counted the G2 May Hill S. at Doncaster amongst her three wins last season. “A lot of horses just can't manage that ground, but she seems to thrive on it.

“She carried a little niggle all of last season and I think that's one of the reasons why she didn't perform on firmer ground. But she's come through that and she's working nicely. I'm not sure what the plan is–it will be dictated by the ground really. It was in my mind to go for one of the trials if it came up heavy, but there's not a mile trial for fillies without going up to France and I don't really want to do that with her first-time-out.”

Darnation | Adam Houghton

One exciting three-year-old at Spigot Lodge who has already been in action in 2024 is the 'TDN Rising Star' Night Raider (Ire). In fact, the quick circuit of the stable yard on this particular morning involves only a brief stop at his empty box, the son of Dark Angel (Ire) already having departed ahead of his run at Southwell that evening.

“It's a big day for him,” says Burke, who later follows Night Raider on the 230-mile round trip to Southwell for his first racecourse visit of the year. “I've just seen him on the horsebox and he's roaring away. He's got that little immaturity still about him, so another day out won't do him any harm. Today, whether he wins easily or is in a battle, the idea is to give him a little squeeze and make him go and stretch in that last furlong.”

As it turns out, Night Raider has absolutely no difficulty dismissing a 93-rated rival from the Charlie Hills stable in that novice event, responding quickly when that little squeeze is applied as he powers clear to win by five lengths.

Unbeaten in two starts, by a cumulative margin of 14 lengths, the feeling remains that we've only scratched the surface of Night Raider's potential. He's clearly held in high regard by Burke, too, with the only uncertainty in his mind being about what to do next ahead of a possible tilt at the G1 Qipco 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, May 4.

“We'll make a decision whether we go for a trial or a racecourse gallop,” he sums up. “The trial is more likely to be the seven-furlong conditions race at Newmarket, for horses that haven't run more than twice. I don't want to try him in the Craven over a mile where there could be cut in the ground and it could turn into a slog. And if we wait for Newbury, it's literally two weeks before the Guineas which is getting close.

“We've got decisions to make, but he's a beautiful horse and the Guineas and the start of the season is not the be-all and end-all for him–he's going to get better and better as the season goes on.”

Burke's Southwell trip might have resembled a return to some sort of normality for the trainer, but he's still finding his feet in certain aspects at home, notably when it comes to getting to grips with the latest intake of juveniles in his care.

“There are a few nice horses out there,” he says of the class of 2024. “I was away for a month in the winter, which I've never done before, and obviously before Christmas I wasn't as on it as I usually would be with having the chemo. But I'm recognising the horses now and seeing how they've developed. I'm just catching up with that and I must admit now that, when I see the string, we've got some lovely fillies out there.”

It was the two-year-olds which underpinned Burke's success last season, making up 68 of the yard's 119 winners in Britain, whilst pocketing nearly £1 million in prize-money. This year the team of juveniles won't be quite so numerically strong, according to Burke, but he still expects to have plenty of early runners despite a less-than-ideal preparation, chiefly because of the exceptionally wet weather the whole country has endured in recent weeks and months.

“We won't have quite as many two-year-olds this time around because we've kept a lot of the nice two-year-olds from last year,” Burke explains. “We have 139 boxes here and we're pretty limited above that, so we had to cut back somewhere and it ended up being the two-year-olds. But we seem to have a nice bunch and still good numbers.

“I've been saying to a few people that I felt the three-year-olds and older horses were probably a week or two ahead of where we'd usually be with them, but we're probably a week or two behind with the two-year-olds. We're probably better off having it that way round, because there are loads of races for the two-year-olds and they've got plenty of time.”

Pinatubo (Ire) is a first-season sire expected to waste no time in having two-year-old winners in 2024 and Burke is excited to see what his half-brother to Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) can do having been sent to Spigot Lodge by Parkin. “He looks a lovely colt,” says the trainer. “There's a lot of scope about him–a lot more scope than Dramatised had.”

Burke also puts in a positive word for a filly by Sergei Prokofiev, but it's another Whitsbury Manor Stud resident who is the main subject of his affections, namely Havana Grey (GB), whom he trained to win the G1 Flying Five S. back in 2018.

“It's been unbelievable really,” Burke says of the success Havana Grey has enjoyed at stud, notably with the dual Group 1-winning two-year-old Vandeek (GB), the star of his second crop. “And fair play to Ed Harper from Whitsbury. When we were looking to try and sell him, we had a price in our heads, us and the owners. All the big studs came over to see him and liked him, but they didn't want to pay the price that we had in mind. We stuck to our guns and fair play to Ed. He said, 'I think I'm paying plenty for him, but I want him.'

“His constitution was brilliant,” Burke adds of Havana Grey. “All he did was eat and sleep and he was a very sound, tough horse. I think he's passing on that toughness to his progeny.”

As for the current inmates at Spigot Lodge, there is arguably no finer embodiment of toughness than the six-year-old Spycatcher, who did his trainer proud in 2023 when winning the G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis at Deauville before being beaten just a short head when bidding for a first Group 1 success in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at the same venue.

Spycatcher | Adam Houghton

Spycatcher, who occupies the box that was once home to Burke's multiple Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), will be back for more in 2024 with the aim of breaking his top-level duck, so too the four-year-olds Flight Plan (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Royal Rhyme (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), both of whom acquitted themselves well in good company last season.

There's certainly plenty to be excited about if you're planning a visit to Spigot Lodge during the Middleham Open Day, albeit Burke's own enjoyment of the event isn't necessarily what it once was since the introduction of racing on Good Friday.

“We've got three meetings, so we're going to be stretched to the limit,” he explains. “We've had to limit our opening window to two and a half hours, because we just can't do it any other way. We're going to have lads everywhere and horses travelling. You can't be loading horses up when you've got 200-300 people walking around.

“It's unfortunate because it does have a place. It's a good selling point to try and get new blood into the game, but it certainly hasn't made it easier with so much racing on Good Friday.”

It's a message that rings especially true at a time when the fixture list seems to grow year-on-year, despite a general decline in foal crops in Britain, not to mention the increase in the number of horses being bought to race overseas.

It provides an interesting talking point on which to end the chat with Burke, who clearly remains as passionate as ever about a sport which means everything to him and his family, ably assisted at Spigot Lodge by wife Elaine and daughters Kelly and Lucy.

“I think that's a big problem [the loss of horses overseas] and I don't know how you halt that,” he says. “Obviously, prize-money comes into it, but we're so far behind as a country on prize-money compared to a lot of the other major racing nations that we're never going to catch them up.

“Any increase in prize-money will help, but how do you go about persuading people not to sell their horses? I think in a perverse sort of way, while the Middle East programme that's there doesn't really help British racing, there's a case for owners keeping those good middle-distance horses and high-class sprinters and going out in the winter to the Middle East to compete for that prize-money.

“That's probably as good a selling point as any. The likes of Richard Fahey have obviously had great success, so the more that they build their programme, it will probably help to a degree to persuade owners in Britain to keep those horses.”

The post Burke Looking Forward With Fallen Angel After Cancer Fight appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Seriously impressive

Unbeaten QIPCO 2000 Guineas entry Night Raider romps clear on second start to win in emphatic fashion at @Southwell_Races

Looks like the @karl_burke team have another good one!

pic.twitter.com/ZPiK7jRJrO

— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) March 20, 2024

The post Dark Angel’s Night Raider Another TDN Rising Star appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

This is a first stallion for Culworth Grounds, which is owned by Sophie Buckley, a familiar face on the sales circuit as a consignor and pinhooker. She said, “We are delighted to have secured El Caballo. He was a precocious, tough and consistent racehorse. Bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud he has an excellent pedigree and is rated only one pound lower than their super sire Havana Grey (GB). El Caballo is an exciting prospect offering breeders access to a fast, current and successful family at exceptional value.”

A £30,000 Goffs UK Premier yearling, bought by his trainer Karl Burke, El Caballo is a half-brother to four winners including the Italian Listed winner Avengers Queen (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}). His dam was a four-time winner and also a half-sister to G2 Mill Reef S. winner Temple Meads (GB) (Avonbridge {GB}).

The post Sandy Lane Winner El Caballo To Stand At Culworth Grounds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The imposing three-for-four Karl Burke trainee won her Haydock debut in May, ran second at listed level at Sandown in July and then rattled off victories in August's G3 Sweet Solera S. and the G1 Moyglare Stud S. at the Curragh in September. She was under consideration for next week's G1 Fillies' Mile.

“I'd say she is unlikely to run again this year and will just head straight for a Guineas next year,” said Foley.

“We were always planning to give her just four runs this year. If she hadn't won the Moyglare we would have targeted the Fillies' Mile, but she's already a Group 1 winner at two now and she's a big filly with lots of scope for next year, so we don't want to interfere with that.

“We've decided to let her off and give her a break, so she's not going to run in the Fillies' Mile and she was never going to a Breeders' Cup this year.”

Burke will be in charge of determining if the filly will have a prep run before the 1000 Guineas.

Foley added, “We'll see how she goes [for a prep] and leave that to Karl. Going straight to the Newmarket Guineas was the original plan, but that could change.”

The post Fallen Angel Will Bypass Fillies’ Mile And Head “Straight For A Guineas” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Newtown Anner Stud's homebred, who registered a 10-length tally at Thirsk in her penultimate start, bounded along behind a steady tempo and raced third through the initial fractions. Taking closer order once past halfway, the 11-10 favourite quickened to the fore passing the quarter-mile marker and, despite drifting right inside the final furlong, drew off late under urging to post an ultimately impressive three-length success from See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Mark McKay's G3 Sweet Solera S. third and G2 Prix du Calvados fourth Les Bleus (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) was four lengths adrift in third as the field came home at wide-margin intervals.

“They didn't go quick and, when I asked her, she quickened up really well for a few strides and then galloped on towards the line,” said winning rider Clifford Lee. “She's very good and I'd like to see her next year when she's physically and mentally stronger. She handles that soft ground, she does stay very well and she does have a bit of boot about her as well, so we'll see next year how we get on.”

Burke added, “She's a classy filly and, on that ground, she's very good. We'll have to see how she is on quicker ground, but she's tough and she stays. She's not in the [G1] Fillies' Mile, but she is in the [G1] Prix Marcel Boussac. I haven't spoken to the owners, but she'd be more likely to get her ground in France. She's not the biggest in the world, but she should strengthen up even if she doesn't grow much. If she bumps into soft ground she could be anything.” Explaining his absence from the track, the trainer continued, “I was all set to come today, but I had a busy morning and decided not to. They don't run any faster for me being there.”

Pedigree Notes

Darnation, half-sister to a yearling filly by Fastnet Rock (Aus), is the first of two foals produced by an unraced full-sister to dual Group-placed G2 Beresford S. third Exemplar (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay's dam is also a half-sister to G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Blue Bunting (Dynaformer). Descendants of her second dam Miarixa (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}), herself out of stakes-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Mrs Arkada (Fr) (Akarad {Fr}), include dual stakes-winning GIII Intercontinental S. and GIII Franklin S. placegetter Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and G3 Earl of Sefton S. runner-up Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

Thursday, Doncaster, Britain
BETFRED MAY HILL S.-G2, £120,000, Doncaster, 9-14, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:41.38, sf.
1–DARNATION (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Too Darn Hot (GB)
1st Dam: Monday Monday (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Miarixa (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Mrs Arkada (Fr), by Akarad (Fr)
O/B-Newtown Anner Stud Farm (IRE); T-Karl Burke; J-Clifford Lee. £68,052. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $149,904. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–See The Fire (GB), 128, f, 2, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Arabian Queen (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-J C Smith; B-Littleton Stud (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £25,800.
3–Les Bleus (GB), 128, f, 2, Blue Point (Ire)–Huma Bird (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). (€52,000 Ylg '22 TATIRY; £60,000 2yo '23 GOUKB). O-Mark McKay; B-Godolphin (GB); T-Richard Hughes. £12,912.
Margins: 3, 4, NK. Odds: 1.10, 4.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Hard To Resist (Ire), Francophone (GB), Hala Abrar (Ire), Romanova (GB). Scratched: Meribella (GB), Zenjabeela (GB).

Gr.2 winner for TOO DARN HOT (GB)

DARNATION takes the Gr.2 May Hill Stakes for @karl_burke at @DoncasterRaces, continuing the @DarleyEurope stallion's fine form.

He is the leading first-season sire in terms of Group winners. pic.twitter.com/7z6IoHpM4O

— GBRI (@GBRI_UK) September 14, 2023

The post Too Darn Hot’s Darnation Powers To May Hill Triumph appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“The trip, the track, the ground and everything will suit,” he said. “She's not a flashy work horse at home, but she seems very well and any rain I would imagine will be to her advantage–it certainly won't be a disadvantage to her. She was very tough down at Goodwood and she put up a very good performance to break her maiden at Thirsk. That form was franked to a degree, with the second horse that she beat 10 lengths coming out and winning next time. I can't hand on heart say she's in the league of Fallen Angel, but she's obviously a talented filly and she goes there as the top-rated horse in the race, so it's very exciting.”

Too Darn Hot is also represented by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum's Southwell and Beverley winner Zenjabeela (GB), while other unexposed types yet to try black-type company are St Albans Bloodstock's 7 1/2-length Salisbury maiden scorer Romanova (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) from the Ollie Sangster stable and the Newmarket novice winners Meribella (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) from the Ralph Beckett and Andrew Balding stables respectively.

The card also sees the G2 Park Hill Fillies' S., or “Fillies' St Leger”, with Ben and Sir Martyn Arbib's runaway G2 Lillie Langtry S. winner Sumo Sam (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) looking to defy a penalty and prove she is no one-trick pony on this less-demanding surface.

The post Doncaster: Darnation Takes Aim At The May Hill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Taking the measure of that 6-5 favourite two out, the Karl Burke-trained 9-2 shot had the G2 Debutante S. winner Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) to deal with from there and despite being briefly headed inside the final furlong surged away late to score by 1 1/4 lengths. Vespertilio was in turn 4 1/2 lengths ahead of the dead-heating Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) and Ornellaia (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) in third.

Parkin, who had also won Saturday's G2 Solonaway S. with the same trainer and jockey's Flight Plan (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), revealed that the success had extra resonance. “The mother was my favourite mare and we lost her to colic–that's her last foal and she is the spitting image of her, so emotional is an understatement,” he said. “My daughter names all our horses and after the death of the dam she called her Fallen Angel. To win the Moyglare Stakes is unbelievable–the greatest thrill I've had in my life I think.”

Fallen Angel's sole defeat had come at the hands of the unbeaten Shuwari (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) in Sandown's Listed Star S. in July, with wins at Haydock on debut and in the Sweet Solera either side. This was a new level for the grey, who is going nowhere according to her owner-breeder. “When you breed your own, there is some extra buzz about it and she'll be at the farm for 20 years now, god willing. There will be no offers for her. She'll go the Guineas with a fair chance and it's a massive thrill. Danny blamed himself for getting beaten at Sandown and thought he should have made more use of her, so we weren't going to make that mistake again today. She's going to be a better 3-year-old than 2-year-old and she's bred to get ten, but my idea is to put her away and bring her back for the Guineas.”

Simply divine!

Fallen Angel (9-2) comfortably outstays Vespertilio in the @MoyglareStud Stakes @curraghrace for Danny Tudhope and @karl_burke

Hot favourite Ylang Ylang was last …#IrishChampionsWeekend pic.twitter.com/Tt3o6cY9JS

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 10, 2023

Pedigree Notes

The aforementioned Agnes Stewart, who was Parkin's first star of the Flat when winning the G2 May Hill S. and finishing runner-up in the G1 Fillies' Mile, is also responsible for the G3 Stanerra S. runner-up Divine Jewel (GB) (Frankel {GB}). She is a half to the Listed River Eden Fillies' S. winner Sorrel (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), who was also placed in the GIII La Prevoyante S. and GIII Orchid S. from the family of the sire Definite Article (GB) who captured this fixture's G1 National S. and was runner-up in the G1 Irish Derby.

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
MOYGLARE STUD S.-G1, €400,000, Curragh, 9-10, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:27.50, g/y.
1–FALLEN ANGEL (GB), 128, f, 2, by Too Darn Hot (GB)
     1st Dam: Agnes Stewart (Ire) (GSW & G1SP-Eng, GSP-Ire, $176,586), by Lawman (Fr)
     2nd Dam: Anice Stellato (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire)
     3rd Dam: Summer Spice (Ire), by Key of Luck
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Clipper Logistics; B-Branton Court Stud LLP (GB); T-Karl Burke; J-Danny Tudhope. €240,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 4-3-1-0, $317,981. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Vespertilio (Fr), 128, f, 2, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)–Prudente (Fr), by Dansili (GB).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€320,000 Ylg '22 ARAUG). O-Al Shira'Aa Farms; B-S.A.S.U. Ecurie des Monceaux & Skymarc Farm Inc (FR); T-Willie McCreery. €80,000.
(DH) 3–Porta Fortuna (Ire), 128, f, 2, Caravaggio–Too Precious (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). O-Barry Fowler & Medallion Racing 2020 LLC & Steven I Weston & Reeves Thoroughbred; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €40,000.
(DH) 3–Ornellaia (GB), 128, f, 2, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)–Namhroodah (Ire) (GSP-Eng), by Sea The Stars (Ire).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (260,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Amo Racing Limited; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited (GB); T-Dominic Ffrench Davis. €40,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 4HF, DHT. Odds: 4.50, 4.00, 8.50 & 20.00.
Also Ran: Red Viburnum (Ire), She's Quality (Ire), Brilliant (Ire), Pearls And Rubies, Ylang Ylang (GB).

The post Too Darn Hot’s Fallen Angel Conquers The Moyglare appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“We have finally found the way to ride him,” Tudhope said of the winner, who was also second in the Listed Burradon S. at Newcastle and in Pontefract's Listed Pomfret S. “We have always loved this horse and it has just taken us a bit of time to figure him out, but that's the way to do it on him. I had to get a good start, as he didn't break very well the last day in York. He's got a beautiful action on him and a big engine. He's going to get better and he'll be a nicer four-year-old. He's a proper-looking horse and everything about him is just nice.”

A UK winner at the Irish Champions Festival!

Flight Plan makes all of the running in the G2 Dullingham Park Stakes for @karl_burke & Danny Tudhope pic.twitter.com/saMFH6FeVX

— Leopardstown RC (@LeopardstownRC) September 9, 2023

Pedigree Notes

Flight Plan's dam Romp (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) is a daughter of the G3 Premio Dormello runner-up Short Affair (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) who is also responsible for the Spanish Horse of the Year and G2 Oettingen Rennen winner Rodaballo (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). This is John Greetham's family of Whitewater Affair (GB) (Machiavellian) which includes the Japanese champion Victoire Pisa (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}) and G1 Yasuda Kinen hero Asakusa Den'En (GB) also by Singspiel, as well as the G1 Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks-placed Short Skirt (GB) (Diktat {GB}) and multiple group-winning sire Little Rock (GB) (Warning {GB}).Romp's unraced 2-year-old filly by Harry Angel (Ire) was a 55,000gns purchase by Joe Foley at the Tatts December Yearling Sale, while her son of Showcasing (GB) is catalogued in next month's Tatts Book 1 Sale. She also has a 2023 filly by Pinatubo (Ire).

Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
DULLINGHAM PARK S. (SOLONAWAY S.)-G2, €200,000, Leopardstown, 9-9, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:38.89, gd.
1–FLIGHT PLAN (GB), 131, c, 3, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Romp (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Short Affair (GB), by Singspiel (Ire)
3rd Dam: L'Affaire Monique (GB), by Machiavellian
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (150,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Clipper Logistics; B-Miss K J Keir (GB); T-Karl Burke; J-Daniel Tudhope. €120,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng, 8-2-2-1, $196,159. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Buckaroo (GB), 136, c, 4, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Roheryn (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-The Roheryn Partnership (GB); T-Joseph O'Brien. €40,000.
3–Victoria Road (Ire), 131, c, 3, Saxon Warrior (Jpn)–Tickled Pink (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). (115,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Westerberg, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & D Smith; B-T Stewart (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €20,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, HD, 3/4. Odds: 7.50, 2.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Lord Massusus (Ire), Tarawa (Ire), Bold Discovery, Howyoulikethat (Ire), Villanova Queen (Ire), Salt Lake City (Ire), Alfred Munnings (Ire). Scratched: Power Under Me (Ire), Goldana (Ire).

The post Night Of Thunder’s Flight Plan Makes All In The Solonaway appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Positioned in a stalking second after a smart getaway, the 5-2 favourite fanned wide with the field off the home turn and kept on relentlessly under a drive inside the final quarter-mile to prevail by an ultimately comfortable two lengths from 11-4 market rival Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Flight Plan (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) held every chance entering the final furlong and was outbobbed by a head for second.

Pedigree Notes

Darnation, half-sister to a yearling filly by Fastnet Rock (Aus), is the first of two foals produced by an unraced full-sister to dual Group-placed G2 Beresford S. third Exemplar (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay's dam is also a half-sister to G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Blue Bunting (Dynaformer). Descendants of her second dam Miarixa (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}), herself out of stakes-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Mrs Arkada (Fr) (Akarad {Fr}), include dual stakes-winning GIII Intercontinental S. and GIII Franklin S. placegetter Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and G3 Earl of Sefton S. runner-up Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

Darnation, the 5/2 favourite, stays on stoutly under Sam James to land the Group 3 @WillHillRacing Prestige Fillies' Stakes for @karl_burke pic.twitter.com/3HFb7grHB7

— Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) August 26, 2023

The post Too Darn Hot’s Darnation Too Good In The Prestige appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post