Masar | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Unscripted Delights of Anticipation Week

Newmarket's Craven meeting could just as well be called Anticipation Week.

Anticipation is climbing the steps of a venerated football stadium for a night game to find the floodlights blazing and the grass slick and lush.

It's the bounce of the England cricket team down the pavilion steps to start an Ashes series. It's checking your tickets the day before Wimbledon tennis starts or standing just after dawn beside the first tee at an Open Championship or Masters.

It's not about what you know. It's about all the things you don't know. Or don't know yet, because there is no script. A venue, a tradition, a hum of expectation, yes, but no script. Unlike cinema or the theatre, nobody wrote what you are about to see. You scan the horizon of pleasures still to come with a preferred outcome, certainly, but no guarantees.

In books and films the whodunnit is already decided. In sport the who-will win-it is a thing of intrigue. It's the unknowable.

What I'm describing here, in racing terms, is 'Craven week,' the Newmarket fixture that ends the strange hiatus between the Lincoln meeting at Doncaster and the 'real' start of a Flat racing campaign, on the Rowley Mile course.

It's not about what you know. It's about all the things you don't know. Or don't know yet, because there is no script.

The Grand National meeting bisects the cutting of the start-line ribbon at Donny and the unleashing of the first wave of Classic contenders at Newmarket, in a week when everything feels possible, and dreams are unbruised by reality.

And in Flat racing, anticipation week is centuries old. The Craven was first run in 1771 and evolved over two hundred years into the pre-eminent 2,000 Guineas trial. In 1869 it was reduced from 10 furlongs to eight. Eight years later it was restricted to three-year-olds.

Modern training is a scientific, data-driven trade, so colts often go straight to the Guineas without a prep run. City of Troy and Rosallion – the first two in the market – will arrive on May 4 without form in the book as three-year-olds.

Yet the Craven is still the race that tells you spring has sprung, the Classic race scramble has begun, and that 2024's contenders are about to be reclassified as champs, nearly-horses and also-rans.

In the history of the colts' Classics, the evidence trail still starts with the Craven. Six years ago Masar beat the odds-on Roaring Lion and went on to win the Derby. Roaring Lion proceeded to win four Group 1s. Curiously the last horse to compete the Craven-2,000 Guineas double was Haafhd in 2004, an anomaly that is due correction. Eminent (2017), Native Khan (2011) and Adagio (2007) are among those for whom winning the Craven was largely an end, rather than a beginning.

No modern Craven meeting has produced a more lasting declaration than that of Dancing Brave in 1986. His defeat of Henry Cecil's pair Faraway Dancer and Mashkour was emphatic enough but the ground was too soft to offer a promise of the beauty to come: victories in the 2,000 Guineas, Eclipse, King George and Arc to earn an official rating of 141, the highest ever awarded to a horse at that time.

The first big fillies' trial of the season, the Nell Gwyn Stakes, can also be revelatory. In a mini golden era from 1984 to 1986 it was won by Pebbles (1,000 Guineas, Eclipse, Champion Stakes, Breeders' Cup Turf), Oh So Sharp (1,000 Guineas, Oaks, St Leger) and Sonic Lady (Irish 1,000 Guineas, Coronation Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Prix du Moulin.)

The British crave spring and hints of summer delights particularly keenly. It feels as if it has been raining in the UK since November. Racing folk ask Craven week to lift the grey blanket off their heads. They want equine coats to gleam and the sun to glint off silks. Trainers, stable staff and jockeys will see hints from the gallops tested on the racecourse. Lazy types will be transformed and 'morning wonders' may flop when they step on the track.

With Craven week, there are clues and promise but no certainties. After Newmarket the auditions roll on to Newbury, to the Greenham and Fred Darling. The two Guineas races come less than three weeks after the Newmarket and Newbury trials – a timetable more compressed than you might imagine, considering that these are three-year-olds emerging from hibernation.

Everything is up for grabs, and everyone wants to grab it, especially after a gruelling, soggy winter. The not knowing is part of the thrill. There are champions on the scroll of Nell Gwyn and Craven winners but there are also winners you struggle to remember. It's not possible for a 'bad' horse to win either race, but eminently possible for the victory to lead nowhere. Twelve months ago Indestructible beat The Foxes in the Craven but has not won since.

In Anticipation Week stars will emerge, reality checks will abound, hopes will be dashed and question marks will be scattered. But the 2024 Flat season will be in full swing. It's not just the horses who burst from the stalls at Newmarket. We do too.

The post The Unscripted Delights of Anticipation Week appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Value Sires Part III: Farhh and Away

As we move into the third tier of our examination of stallions by yearling profitability, the name at the top of the list for those standing between the equivalent of £10,000 and £19,999 perhaps provides an example of how rarity drives demand.

On paper, the Dalham Hall Stud-based Farhh (GB) has an awful lot going for him. A son of Pivotal (GB) out of a dual Group 1 winner over a mile and a half, he was lightly raced, with just one winning appearance in each of his two- and three-year-old seasons. Then at four, when things fell into place for him, he had Nathaniel (Ire) then Frankel (GB) holding him off the top spot in three consecutive Group 1 races. In total, Farhh ran second in four Group 1s that season, in the Eclipse, Sussex, International and Prix du Moulin, being beaten just a head in the latter by Moonlight Cloud (GB). The infrequency of his appearances resumed in his five-year-old season but boy was he worth waiting for, as he won the Lockinge and the Champion S. to round off his career in style.

Unfortunately things haven't gone swimmingly for the handsome Farhh at stud, as his career has been dogged by poor fertility. It has also been liberally sprinkled with excellence.

From eight crops of foals to date, the largest number recorded in one year was 39 in 2019. The previous year only 18 Farhh foals were born, and there were 14 in 2022. From a total of 189 foals eligible to have raced so far he has had 149 runners and 89 winners, including 17 stakes winners. His seven group winners give a snapshot of the diversity one can expect when it comes to distance, which is perhaps no surprise given the speed and stamina influences in his own pedigree. His Group 1 winners King Of Change (GB) and Fonteyn (GB) are both essentially milers; the Group 3 winners Wells Farhh Go (GB) and Dee Ex Bee (GB) were both talented stayers, while another, Far Above (GB), was an extremely fast winner of the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket. Far Above and King Of Change are both now at stud, and it will be interesting to see how much of a boost they can give to the Pivotal male line to enhance the good work being done primarily in France by Siyouni (Fr).

For the benefit of this exercise, as previously stated in Part I and Part II, the stallions are examined in four key price brackets according to their yearling sales returns of 2022 set against their fees at the time of covering. The average profit has been determined by the stallion's fee plus a figure of £20,000 for keep costs. The profitable stallions featured must have had at least five yearlings sold in 2022 to make the list and prices have been converted to sterling from Euros according to the conversion rate on the day of the sale.

With an average yearling price which was 8.5 times his 2020 fee of £12,000, Farhh was the clear leader in this field. Twelve of the 22 member of his 2021 crop were offered for sale, with the ten sold returning an average profit of £69,685. The only reason I have not given Farhh the gold medal which his results certainly deserve is that his poor fertility does present something of a risk, but that is for each breeder to weigh up for themselves as he is quite clearly a very good stallion.

Click Table To Enlarge.

While the scarcity of Farhh's offspring could well have been a driver in his sales returns, the same cannot be said for New Bay (GB), who had 53 of his 61 yearlings offered sold for an average which was almost six times his 2020 fee. That figure of €15,000 was the lowest he stood for, and well done to those breeders who caught him at that fee in 2019 and 2020. Subsequently he has shot up to €37,000 in 2022, and that was then doubled to his current high of €75,000. One of his three Group 1 winners to date, Bayside Boy (Ire), has just joined New Bay on the roster at Ballylinch Stud, while the other two, Saffron Beach (Ire) and Bay Bridge (GB) remain in training with further lofty targets in their sights.

In fee, New Bay has moved up two tiers on these stallion tables in just two years. His average profit on the yearlings sold last year was £47,636, and with a likely upturn in the quality of mares covered in line with his fee, it is fair to expect for his yearling average to continue to climb as long as those results on the track keep coming.

Sea The Moon (Ger) bucked a certain number of trends merely by being recruited to stand at Lanwades Stud in the first place. Not many winners of the German Derby make it to studs outside Germany, and not many sons of Sea The Stars (Ire) are afforded places at Flat studs, a situation that is as ridiculous as it is regrettable.

Early on in his stud career, Sea The Moon caught the imagination of Australian buyers who switched their attention to buying foals and yearlings as the prices for horses in training climbed, and he has a decent strike-rate with his offspring to have ended up down under. They include the G1 Caulfield Cup winner Durston (GB), G3 N E Marion Cup winner Favorite Moon (Ger), and the Group 3-placed Pondus (GB).

As he embarks on his ninth covering season, Sea The Moon's popularity remains strong. His yearlings of 2022, conceived the last year he stood for £15,000, returned average profit of £30,284 from 58 sold. Though his fee has since risen to £25,000, he remains that rare middle-distance horse to be holding his own in the centre ground of the stallion market.

With such illustrious stud-mates as Frankel and Kingman (GB), Bated Breath (GB) can be in danger of being under-appreciated but he should not be, for he is a mid-range stallion who offers great value in a commercial marketplace. A Group 1 winner in Europe would be a boost to his profile–presently his sole top-level winner, Viadera (GB), posted her best performance in America–but he has had plenty knocking on the door, including the Group 2 winners Worth Waiting (GB), Daahyeh (GB), and Space Traveller (GB). The last named, twice a Grade I runner-up in the States, has recently joined the roster at Ballyhane Stud.

Bated Breath's fee has increased to £15,000 from the £12,500 paid for the nomination fee when these yearlings were conceived, but that keeps him within this bracket, and when considering a yearling average of £61,029 and average profit of £28,529 from the 45 sold through the ring last year, he remains an enticing prospect for breeders.

Doctor Dino (Fr) is primarily considered a National Hunt stallion, with the likes of Sceau Royal (Fr), La Bague Au Roi (Fr) and Sharjah (Fr) to his credit, but he should be regarded as a dual-purpose option, for he is also the sire of G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Physiocrate (Fr) and Group 3 winners Golden Legend (Fr) and Villa Rosa (Fr). Admittedly those three Flat horses named were all bred by Henri and Antonia Devin at Haras du Mesnil, where Doctor Dino stands, but if we are to learn, then it should be from the best, and the Couturié/Devin family has proved for many years to be extremely capable of producing top-class Flat runners.

Like his sire Muthathir (GB) before him, Doctor Dino can cut it under both codes, and he has gradually worked his way up from an opening fee of €3,000 to his current high of €20,000. He stood at €16,000 when these yearlings were conceived, and showed a decent average profit of £27,907 for the 14 sold in 2022. There aren't many male-line descendants of Sharpen Up left at stud in Europe (Jack Hobbs is another, but he too is marketed primarily as a jumps sire), so it would be pleasing to see Doctor Dino have broader appeal to Flat breeders.

The more obvious French stallion high in this list, from a Flat perspective at least, is Zarak (Fr). Considering that his pedigree stretches back ten generations and 100 years to Mumtaz Mahal (GB) and the foundation of the Aga Khan Studs, he really would be a fitting stallion to make it to the top, especially as a son of the celebrated Zarkava (Fr). He is making all the right noises, with nine stakes winners from his first two crops as well as two Classic place-getters in La Parisienne (Fr) and Times Square (Fr), and there is a general clamour for his young stock. His opening fee of €12,000 held solid though his first four seasons until rising to €25,000 last year and €60,000 this year. This is the territory in which stallions start to get found out, but with the might of the Aga Khan broodmare band behind him, along with support from plenty of outside breeders, Zarak has a decent chance of taking another big step forward. Last year his yearlings sold for five times his 2020 fee and showed average profit of £25,554.

The G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Sioux Nation made an extremely promising start to his stud career with his first runners in 2022. His tally of winners was such that in any normal year he would have been champion first-season sire, but he came up against another prolific youngster in Havana Grey (GB), who had the edge when it came to the number of stakes winners. Sioux Nation, one of the last of Scat Daddy's sons to retire to Coolmore, was not lacking in this regard himself, and Lakota Sioux (Ire) and Sydneyarmschelsea (Ire) both won Group 3 races, while Matilda Picotte (Ire) landed the Listed Bosra Sham S. and was third in the G2 Lowther S.

His second-crop yearlings were conceived off his opening fee of €12,500. This dipped to €10,000 for two years before bouncing up to €17,500 for the coming season on the back of that promising start. Even at this new fee, Sioux Nation still looks a profitable option if he can build on his debut season with runners, for his 61 yearlings sold last year fetched an average price of £46,626 (four times his fee) and average profit of £15,236.

The 2020 covering season saw three very smart recruits to the stallion ranks in Britain and Ireland. Derby winner Masar (Ire) joined the Darley team in Newmarket, the town which has also become home to the Niarchos family's Prix du Jockey Club winner Study Of Man (Ire), who is at Lanwades Stud, while the Arc winner Waldgeist (GB), who was only narrowly denied the previous year's Jockey Club when beaten a short-head by Brametot (Ire), retired to Ballylinch Stud. All three have top-drawer pedigrees to match their racing records and, while their first two-year-olds will be unleashed this season, it is fair to expect all of them to be better represented once that crop turns three.

That said, two things should be kept in mind when considering Masar. His sire New Approach (Ire), a fellow Derby winner, had been champion two-year-old and with his first crop he pulled off the extremely rare feat of being represented by three juvenile stakes winners at Royal Ascot. Masar was no slouch at two himself, beating the smart sprinter Invincible Army (Ire) over six furlongs on debut in May before winning the G3 Solario S. and finishing third in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. He could well be in the mix in the first-season sires' table this year.

Masar's first yearlings sold for an average which was 3.3 times his opening fee of £15,000. He has dropped only fractionally to £14,000 but it may well be a good time to use him. His average profit on 59 yearlings sold was £14,942.

Waldgeist outstripped that from an opening fee of €17,500, with 54 sold for an average 3.4 times that mark and average profit of £18,512. He was of course a Group 1 winner at two, and his stock looked pretty tidy, as he is himself, and may well not take too long to come to hand. With a drop in fee to €12,500 for 2023, again this could well be a good time to strike for this well-bred son of Galileo (Ire).

Just as Waldgeist will have been lent support by the powerful Ballylinch partners, including his co-breeder Gestut Ammerland, as well as Newsells Park Stud, so will Study Of Man been supported by the Niarchos family and Kirsten Rausing at Lanwades. The latter was responsible for 25 of Study Of Man's first crop of foals, including ten from her 'AL' family and a filly out of Group 1 winner Madame Chiang (GB) (Archipenko), while other notable first-crop members include a half-brother to Derby winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) who was retained by breeder Gary Robinson of Strawberry Fields Stud. Juddmonte Farms, Gestut Fahrhof, Blue Diamond Stud, and Hascombe & Valiant Stud were among the other major operations to back the son of Deep Impact (Jpn) and grandson of Miesque (Nureyev).

With some notable owner-breeders involved it wasn't a surprise that not many of Study Of Man's yearlings came onto the market, but of the 27 that did, 23 were sold for an average of £40,321 at an average profit of £5,321. His stud fee was adjusted from an opening £15,000 to £12,500 for his next two seasons, and that is where it remains for 2023, which seems an extremely fair price for a horse with a pedigree of hugely international significance.

The Niarchos family's Flaxman Stables Ireland was also responsible for breeding Ulysses (Ire), the son of a Derby winner and Oaks winner in Galileo and Light Shift (Kingmambo). He does need to have a big year this year, but there have been glimmers of potential from Ulysses's first two crops to date, with Piz Badile (Ire) winning the G3 Ballysax S. and finishing second in the Irish Derby, while Holloway Boy (GB) announced his talent in no uncertain terms when winning the Listed Chesham S. on his audacious debut at Royal Ascot.

At Cheveley Park Stud, his fee has dropped from an opening £30,000 to £10,000 but there were still plenty of Ulysses supporters at the yearling sales, where 34 of his yearlings sold for an average of £48,239, representing average profit of £13,239 from his 2020 fee of £15,000. There will be plenty of people happy to see Ulysses have a noteworthy season in 2023.

Value Podium:

Gold: Bated Breath

Silver: Sea The Moon

Bronze: Waldgeist

The post Value Sires Part III: Farhh and Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Foal Trade Reaches New High at Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK–A pair of colts by the young Darley and Shadwell stallions Masar (Ire) and Mohaather (GB) shared the top spot on the final day of foal trade at Park Paddocks which brought the curtain down, not just on a record week for weanlings but also a record year for Tattersalls–and that's before the Mares Sale even begins.

The average and median for the fourth session were both up on last year, with a total of 2,267,750gns added to the overall tally from the sale of 150 foals. For the sale as a whole, the aggregate of 35,255,050gns represented an increase of 13% on last year's trade, with the average up by 11% at 47,386gns and the median by 4% to 26,000gns. From a larger catalogue of 1,173 foals, of which 983 were offered and 744 sold, the only figure to drop was the clearance rate, which was down to 76% from 81%.

Commenting on a week led by a million-guinea Kingman (GB) foal from Whitsbury Manor Stud, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said, “Strong yearling sales will always drive demand for foals and the extraordinary strength of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales has been followed by a Tattersalls December Foal Sale which has achieved significant increases in average and median as well as a record turnover in excess of 35 million guineas. The cream of the British and Irish foal crop has been assembled here at Park Paddocks and buyers at every level of the market and from throughout the world have all contributed to yet another record-breaking sale in a year of extraordinary sales at Tattersalls.”

Sweeting's Surprise

On the day that Overbury Stud announced that it would be standing G2 Flying Childers S. winner Caturra (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) next year, the farm's draft took co-top billing when selling a Masar (Ire) half-brother to this season's Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Rogue Millennium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for 110,000gns to Yeomanstown Stud.

The colt was born three months after his dam, the G3 Cumberland Lodge S. winner Hawaafez (GB) (Nayef), was sold by her breeder Shadwell for 14,000gns to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock, who, unbeknown to Overbury's Simon Sweeting, bought the 14-year-old mare on his behalf. Three days after she safely foaled her Masar colt, his 3-year-old sister Rogue Millennium stormed to her listed victory. Enhancing the pedigree further was the victory earlier this month of 2-year-old Naomi Lapaglia (GB) (Awtaad {Ire}), who won on debut at Kempton for Richard Spencer.

“I wasn't around and [Richard] did it himself,” said Sweeting. “It looked like a chancey buy to start with but the mare was an exceptional racehorse and Rogue Millennium has come along, and everything else has landed into place. The 2-year-old is now one for one and her Kingman yearling has gone to trainer George Boughey.”

He added, “It is definitely a progressive family. That sale did take me by surprise, but it is a lovely surprise to have. He was a late foal, but he has been very straightforward and everything has worked out well.”

Shadwell Restock With Classy Foals

While the Masar colt was one that escaped the Shadwell clutches, some new recruits have been added to the future racing string for Sheikha Hissa, with Angus Gold signing for seven foals this week, including the day's other 110,000gns colt, by first-season sire Mohaather.

“Obviously, we are a bit biased,” Gold confessed. “Mohaather was a very special horse for us. We thought he was slightly underrated if anything. For me, what he did at Goodwood that day in the Sussex S. was out of the ordinary. I haven't seen a horse quicken like that since Kingman in the same race.”

He continued, “So we are big fans and I have liked the stock I have seen. What I particularly liked is that, leading into this week, lots of people have told me that they have a really nice Mohaather foal, which is great to hear. We bought one two days ago, and the vendor told me they had an even better one at home. There are some really good vibes about him.”

Gold indicated that Shadwell will have around 75 to 80 horses in training in 2023 and, having sold a number of mares last year, the stud has a foal crop of only around 35.

“I spoke with Sheikha Hissa and she was keen to get some foals to supplement the racing team, if we could buy at relatively sensible money,” he added.

Tom Blain, more usually seen at the head of his expanding Barton Stud consignment, was one of the breeders of the Mohaather colt under the name of Ickworth Stud. The colt is the first foal of the Exceed And Excel (Aus) mare Time Of Change (Ire), a sister to the G2 Gimcrack S. runner-up Taajub (Ire).

“Time For Change is owned in partnership, it is a great thrill and I am delighted for all involved,” Blain said. “It was a bit weird to watch one of our own sell. We bought the mare for 9,000gns and I know the family as we used to board her dam Purple Tiger. There is a lot happening under the second dam.

He added of the colt, “I think he should make up into a serious racehorse and I just want to thank Angus for his support. It is great that Shadwell and Sheikha Hissa are backing their own stallion; we used him a number of times in the first year so we are really happy.”

Mohaather's name featured three times in the top 10 list on Saturday, with Tally-Ho Stud buying another from the Barton Stud draft, a filly out of Muaamara (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), for 68,000gns, while Cathy Grassick went to 50,000gns for a filly from Whatcote Farm Stud who is a three-parts-sister to recent juvenile winner American Sonja (GB) (Tasleet {GB}).

Freshman Action

As our accompanying vox pop shows, one of the talking points for the bloodstock industry at this time of the year is always which young stallions are taking the eye–and which are not.

Of course, what really matters is what their offspring end up doing on the track, and there will be plenty of disappointments and surprises to come next summer and beyond, but the foal sales always provide a first litmus test of a stallion's progeny.

Ghaiyyath (Ire), as a top-class performer himself, and with two Classic winners as parents, should have what it takes for a decent stud career, and plenty of buyers have backed him at Goffs and Tattersalls. This week his 10 weanlings sold returned an average of 130,700gns, and the only other first-season sire to set a six-figure average was Ghaiyyath's fellow Darley sire Pinatubo (Ire). He only had a handful of foals for sale this week but the quintet changed hands for an average of 126,400gns.

Earthlight (Ire), like Pinatubo a son of Shamardal, also proved popular with 12 sold at and average of 56,500gns, while Mohaather, referenced above, had 21 weanlings sold this week at an average of 41,881gns.

The Key Players

With a million-guinea filly in its draft, it was no surprise to see Whitsbury Manor Stud at the top of the consignors' table with 19 foals sold for 2,201,500gns. Norelands Stud posted a decent average for the sale of 123,667gns for nine sold, with Langton Stud's boutique draft had three sold for an average of 248,333gns.

Juddmonte's outlay of 2,425,000gns on Friday put them at the top of the buyers' list but noted pinhookers Tally-Ho Stud, JC Bloodstock and Yeomanstown Stud were all as busy as ever, with 15, 14, and 13 foals bought, respectively.

Concluding his appraisal of the week's trade, Edmond Mahony continued, “To see so many British and Irish breeders rewarded so handsomely this week reflects the quality of the stock which they have brought to the market and we should thank the consignors for their confidence in the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. In addition to Whitsbury Manor Stud's outstanding one million guineas sale-topping Kingman filly, the sale has produced the four highest-priced foals in Europe and a record-equalling 27 foals sold for 200,000 guineas or more.”

He added, “While the December Foal Sale is always dominated by the tireless and loyal British and Irish pinhookers, their European counterparts have also made their presence felt, as have a significant number of the world's leading owners who recognise the December Foal Sale as a consistent source of Classic and Group 1 performers. It is no coincidence that the connections of the Group 1-winning 2-year-olds Blackbeard (Ire) and Chaldean (GB), both bought at the 2020 December Foal Sale, have again targeted this sale, and international buyers from America, China, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Spain, Switzerland and from throughout the Gulf region have also made significant contributions, particularly at the top of the market.

“The international influence will without doubt be even stronger as we move on to the Tattersalls December Mares Sale which starts on Monday and features the inaugural Sceptre Sessions for elite fillies and broodmares. We have an exceptional catalogue which includes some of the best race fillies and mares to be offered at public auction for many a year and we look forward to ending the Tattersalls year on a high note.”

The post Foal Trade Reaches New High at Tattersalls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘There’s Only One Derby’ – Appleby Leaning Towards Supplementing Nations Pride

Charlie Appleby has hinted at supplementing Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) for the Cazoo Derby on Saturday week and suggested that the decision hinges on how the colt performs in a key piece of work on Wednesday morning.

Nations Pride has won his last four starts and, while he did not take part in the gallops morning at Epsom on Monday, he dominated conversation with Appleby revealing that he was leaning towards stumping up the £75,000 supplementation fee to run in the Derby.

A general 10-1 chance for Derby glory, Nations Pride was a seven-length winner of the Newmarket S. last month, and could bid to give Appleby a third success in the Epsom Classic following the heroics of Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in 2018 and Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) last year.

Appleby, who became the only trainer in history to win the English, French and Irish 2,000 Guineas with three different colts after Native Trail stormed home at the Curragh on Saturday, said: “Nations Pride was very impressive at Newmarket and he's in the French Derby, where we have Modern Games in as well.

“He'll work on Wednesday then we'll make a decision as to whether we supplement him for Epsom on Monday. We're hoping we will be-there's only one Derby and you only want to go there if you think you can try and win it. He has a great profile for the race and ticks the most boxes out of our three possible runners.”

Appleby's two Derby entries Walk Of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Nahanni (GB) (Frankel {GB}) were joined by Coronation Cup contender Manobo (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the exercise morning at Epsom on Monday.

Speaking about his team, he said, “Walk Of Stars has all the ability in the world and we've always felt he has the engine to do something exciting.

“He would be put down as disappointing at Lingfield but he's still very much a work in progress and we brought him here today to get some more experience under his belt before the big day. He finds everything very easy and handles these undulating tracks well.

“As an individual, he's very much like Adayar–he's a big, scopey horse and surprisingly handles these tracks well. He's agile and switches his leads smoothly.”

He added, “Nahanni has had cheekpieces and blinkers on in the past and he's a different animal when he turns up at the track because at home he'd have a job to warm himself up in a gallop. Adam [Kirby] was very pleased with him there and he has track experience.”

The post ‘There’s Only One Derby’ – Appleby Leaning Towards Supplementing Nations Pride appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post