Meditate | Horse Racing Free Tips

Auguste Rodin Set To Canter After Racing At The Curragh On Saturday

Group 1 winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), favoured for both the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Derby, is likely to step out for a racecourse gallop after racing at the Curragh on Saturday.

The 'TDN Rising Star', a winner of three of his four starts including the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy S., the bay could be joined by 'Rising Star' and G1 Phoenix S. victor Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never).

“Little Big Bear and Auguste Rodin are good, everything has been good so far anyhow,” said O'Brien. “We're not sure if either will run in a trial, they are going to go to the Curragh on Saturday maybe for a canter around, and we'll see about them after that.”

The Coolmore partners also have several fillies that could be heard from on the Classic trail, and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and 'Rising Star' and G2 Airlie Stud S. victress Statuette (Justify) are also possible for the racecourse gallop.

Added O'Brien, “It's probably the same for the fillies, Meditate and Statuette.”

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Potential Royal Runner in Guineas on Coronation Day

The royal colours, which will now be carried by horses under the joint ownership of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort, could be seen in Classic action on the day of the King's Coronation.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Slipofthepen (GB), a son of Night Of Thunder (Ire) who was bred by the late Queen, has been given an entry for the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas. Out of the 95-rated Free Verse (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), the colt is a fifth-generation homebred and won his sole start with ease at Kempton in November and also holds an entry for the Derby.

Furthering her links to the turf, The Queen Consort is due to visit the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket on Mar. 9.

The first two British Classics of the season, the QIPCO-sponsored 2000 and 1000 Guineas on May 6 and 7, have attracted 62 and 64 entries, respectively.

The quintet of Group/Grade 1 winners Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Al Riffa (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Chaldean (GB), Little Big Bear (Ire) and Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) heads a strong cast for the colts' Classic. Little Big Bear, a son of No Nay Never, was beaten only once in a five-start juvenile campaign culmination in his victory in the G1 Keeenland Phoenix S., and he is currently holding favouritism to give his trainer Aidan O'Brien a potential 11th victory in the race. Of the British-trained entries, Chaldean is currently third favourite to emulate his sire Frankel (GB) by winning the 2000 Guineas.

Those with an interest in sporting art will be pleased to see an entry for the equine Alfred Munnings (Ire), a Dubawi (Ire) half-brother to the Oaks winner Snowfall (Jpn). The great painter Munnings was himself a regular visitor to Newmarket Heath and spent much time down at the start observing and sketching horses as they were called in to line up. The old rubbing house he used as a makeshift studio is still in existence on the gallops behind the Rowley Mile.

The retirement of the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Commissioning (GB) (Kingman {GB}) means that there is one notable omission from the entries for the 1000 Guineas, with the betting market currently co-headed by Coolmore's Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and the Aga Khan's Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). Another from the O'Brien stable, Statuette, is third in the list to give her young sire Justify a first Classic winner.

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Rising Stars: The Ones That Got Away

For all that the annual parade of TDN Rising Stars is generally a formidable one, there are always those that just miss the cut and who forge on to bring that familiar sense of regret and longing from our team here. Of the Europeans who were closely considered but ultimately left out of the picture, none stings more than Ballydoyle's rugged Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never), who first appeared in the five-furlong Dundalk maiden in early April won in the past by Scat Daddy's high-achieving Caravaggio and Skitter Scatter. Mostly workmanlike on this debut, the future star of two of the six-furlong peaks of his generation was judged more in the mould of two of his stable's more recent winners of this race in Cadamosto (Ire), another son of No Nay Never who failed to hit the heights, and King Neptune (War Front). How wrong we were! Like fellow luminaries Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), he was only hinting at the depth of his ability on his Polytrack bow and is truly the one that got away. Below are a few others who, like Blackbeard, were denied Rising Star status but unlike him will be racing in 2023 with the chance to prove us wrong.

COMMISSIONING (GB) (f, Kingman {GB}–Sovereign Parade {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire})

While Kingman enjoys a swathe of TDN Rising Stars, due to his progeny's tendency to instantly wow as he did when handed the tag himself on the July Course at Newmarket 10 years ago, Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa's homebred was left out of the reckoning after her imposing win there in the summer. John and Thady Gosden's G1 Fillies' Mile and G2 Rockfel S. heroine is a class act and a glaring omission from the ranks. We hold our hands up.

MEDITATE (IRE) (f, No Nay Never–Pembina {Ire}, by Dalakhani {Ire})

Oh, Meditate! How could we? Or how could we not is our question after her emphatic Curragh debut win, also in April. Our only alibi is that the Ballydoyle juveniles at this time of year come thick and fast and it is hard to select the real deals among them. Although she was brushed aside by TDN Rising Star Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G1 Moyglare Stud S., her GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf romp suggests she is going to be reminding us of our misdemeanour for some time to come.

TRILLIUM (GB) (f, No Nay Never–Marsh Hawk {GB}, by Invincible Spirit {Ire})

Another filly who looks destined for the top, Rockcliffe Stud's homebred looked highly promising at Newbury in July and was as close as it gets to getting on our TDN Rising Star radar without making it. We were left flinching after her G3 Molecomb S. win and defeat of the Abbaye winner The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) in the G2 Flying Childers S., and she is readily forgiven her G1 Cheveley Park S. flop which was probably one run too many. Whether the Richard Hannon stable would forgive us for not bestowing on her the TDN's chief monicker is another question. Expect big things in 2023 from this talent.

MIDNIGHT MILE (IRE) (f, No Nay Never–Ruby Tuesday {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire})

Another daughter of No Nay Never who deserved more of the spotlight when impressing with her finishing surge on her Doncaster debut in July and who made that clear with another strong closing effort to win the G3 Oh So Sharp S. It has been a while since Roisin Henry's colours have been prominent and the way that Richard Fahey's intriguing stable figurehead went through the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf behind Meditate suggests they can be so again.

DRAGON ICON (IRE) (c, Lope De Vega {Ire}–Matauri Pearl {Ire}, by Hurricane Run {Ire})

Maidens and novices at Kempton in November aren't always the strongest, but there was a lot to like about the way Yoshiro Kubota's full-brother to Aunt Pearl (Ire) went through his seven-furlong introduction and jockey David Egan was notably impressed. While the make-up of the race made it a touch difficult to grant a TDN Rising Star tag, it would be no surprise if the Roger Varian trainee, whose dam is a full-sister to another smart Stateside performer in Wekeela (Fr), comes to the fore in 2023.

CIRCLE OF FIRE (GB) (c, Almanzor {Fr}–Fiery Sunset {GB}, by Galileo {Ire})

What would a list of promising Classic prospects be without a member of Sir Michael Stoute's Freemason Lodge? One of the last of The Queen's winners, the half-brother to the GIII San Francisco Mile scorer Evening Sun (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) looks all over a Derby type and while his novice win over a mile at Salisbury in September was not quite enough to clinch TDN Rising Star status he has all the materials to be a leading light for The King.

RAJAPOUR (IRE) (c, Almanzor {Fr}–Raydara {Ire}, by Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire})

Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) proved last year what Jean-Claude Rouget can do with an Aga Khan homebred and Rajapour went slightly under the Rising Star radar on his debut at Deauville August. Two wins later, the son of the G2 Debutante S. scorer Raydara (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) was back there taking the Listed Prix Isonomy which Montjeu (Ire) captured in 1998, and he is one of the most exciting among France's Classic crop.

SOUL SISTER (IRE) (f, Frankel {GB}–Dream Peace {Ire}, by Dansili {GB})

It would be remiss not to include a Frankel here, albeit one that prevailed only narrowly on her sole start when getting the better of the experienced Doom (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) over a mile on testing ground at Doncaster on her sole start in October. Bred to be a smart middle-distance performer, Lady Bamford's daughter of the G2 Prix de la Nonette winner and multiple Grade I-placed Dream Peace is a half-sister to past TDN Rising Star Guru (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who ultimately proved to be disappointing. From the family of Moonstone (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and Cerulean Sky (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) et al, the John and Thady Gosden-trained homebred performed to a high standard on her debut and has every chance of being a top-class performer at three.

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Coolmore Fees: No Nay Never Up To 175k and Blackbeard To Start At 25k

Off the back of a star-studded season, No Nay Never will stand for €175,000 in 2023, which represents a €50,000 rise, while his dual Group 1-winning son Blackbeard (Ire) will join him on the Coolmore roster next year at a price of €25,000.

No Nay Never has had an exceptional year. Older filly Alcohol Free (Ire) landed the G1 July Cup at Newmarket, but it has been his Coolmore-owned and Aidan O'Brien-trained juveniles that have set tongues wagging this term.

Like his father, Blackbeard landed the G1 Prix Morny in Deauville before doubling his tally at the highest level in the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket.

While he was prematurely retired due to a training injury, Group 1 scorers Little Big Bear (Ire) and Meditate (Ire) sit at the head of the ante-post markets for the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas respectively.

Coolmore's director of sales, David O'Loughlin said, “No Nay Never has had an unbelievable year. The quality of the mares he got off the back of his success has really been shining through and, to have three individual Group 1-winning two-year-olds in the one year, he has caught the attention of a lot of people.

“It has been another big week for him with Meditate winning the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and she is now a leading fancy for the 1,000 Guineas. Little Big Bear is favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, so No Nay Never has a big chance for the first two Classics of the season. That means a lot for us because we are trying to win the Classics.”

Sioux Nation hails from the same sire line being a son of Scat Daddy, and enjoyed a terrific debut season at stud at Coolmore with 43 winners. He will have his fee increased from €10,000 to 17,500 next year. Blackbeard is being backed to make a similar splash in his debut season by O'Loughlin.

He said, “To get a horse like Blackbeard on the roster is hugely exciting as well. Breeders love fast horses and he proved himself of the highest quality this season and was reminiscent of his father when winning the G1 Prix Morny is some style before following up in the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket. That was the icing on the cake of another big season.

“Blackbeard is very like his father-the same colour, shape and he has the movement. Everything a breeder wants, he has. He's also out of a very fast mare who Eddie Lynam trained [Muirin (Ire) (Born To Sea {Ire})] so I think a lot of people will be keen to use him.”

O'Loughlin added, “Commercially, what is driving the market is international appeal. When the international market zones in on a particular sire line, it puts a lot of value on that, much more than the domestic market can. No Nay Never is a good example of that as he has international appeal.

“Take Justify as another example, he has had two Group winners in Europe and three stakes winners in America. It's obvious that he is working both sides of the Atlantic-he has the dirt horses and horses who can do it in Europe as well. For breeders, it will help when they use Arizona, Blackbeard and Sioux Nation because they all hail from that exceptional Scat Daddy line. It's all the one line.”

Like Sioux Nation, Coolmore's Saxon Warrior (Jpn) made a big impression with his first crop of runners. As well as having the highly-touted Auguste Rodin (Ire) to look forward to this season, Saxon Warrior came up trumps with Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road (Ire), one of 21 international winners in his first season.

O'Loughlin said, “Saxon Warrior had an exceptional year. Again, he's a horse with international appeal being a son of Deep Impact (Jpn), who was the best horse to stand in Japan. Auguste Rodin is a very special horse and Victoria Road crowned a remarkable year with his victory in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf.

“It's remarkable because Saxon Warrior wasn't the most precocious of horses and, for him to be getting all of these top-class two-year-olds is a big statement. He has some very good two-year-olds and who's to say that Greenland (Ire) won't be the best of them all. I know that a lot of people think he is a high-class horse to look forward to next year. Some big breeders have latched on to him after his debut season and I even sold a nomination to him out here in Keeneland the other day. They think the horse is great value at €35,000.”

Wootton Bassett will stand for €150,000, St Mark's Basilica's 2023 fee is €65,000, and Camelot (GB) is at €60,000. Churchill (Ire), the sire of dual Group 1 winner Vadeni (Fr), has had his fee increased to €30,000, Starspangledbanner (Aus) will stand for €50,000, Australia (GB) and Sottsass (Fr) for €25,000 and Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and Gleneagles (Ire) for €17,500.

Footstepsinthesand, Circus Maximus, Calyx and US Navy Flag are set at €10,000, Arizona (Ire) is €5,000 and Gustav Klimt (Ire) will be available at €4,000.

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