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The Commonwealth Cup: Pass or Fail for Britain’s Youngest G1?

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin

On Tuesday the European Pattern Committee (EPC) announced that 42 races are at risk of being downgraded in 2025, including Britain's G1 Commonwealth Cup.

Its status will depend very much on its performance in 2024, which will mark the tenth running of the race introduced to the British calendar in 2015 as a readymade Group 1 in order to “create a more balanced programme and better opportunities for high-class sprinters”. The Commonwealth Cup, run at Royal Ascot over six furlongs for three-year-olds only, was initially open to geldings, though this rule was changed from 2020. Its introduction to the race programme coincided with the upgrading to Group 1 status of the Qipco British Champions Sprint S., formerly known as the Diadem S.

The Commonwealth Cup couldn't really have asked for a better inaugural winner than Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and his ascent through the sprinting ranks illustrated to an extent the importance of a springboard such as this. The Shadwell colt, winner of the previous year's G2 Gimcrack S., had finished eighth, some seven lengths behind Make Believe (GB), in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains on his first and only try at a mile. His attempt at the Classic was understandable as Muhaarar had won the G3 Greenham S. over seven furlongs on his three-year-old debut. Dropped back to six, however, his season came alive. From the Commonwealth, which he won by three and three-quarter lengths from Limato (GB), he sailed faultlessly through the July Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest before returning to Ascot to claim his fourth consecutive Group 1 victory in the newly promoted British Champions Sprint.

Two more three-year-olds have won the latter since then: Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis), who was runner-up in the Commonwealth Cup of 2018, and three years later Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who had also won the G3 Jersey S. in 2021.

Commonwealth Cup ratings

A race is rated through the average mark of the first four horses home. The EPC considers these ratings over a three-year period. The Group 1 parameter is 115, and to retain Group 1 status a race's rating must be within 2lbs of that mark.

In the case of Group 1 races for three-year-olds only, if the average rating falls more than 2lb below the parameter in two consecutive years, then a majority vote among EPC member countries will decide whether or not the race is to be downgraded.

In 2020, race ratings were discounted owing to the Covid pandemic and the disruption to the racing calendar. The yearly race ratings for the other eight runnings of the Commonwealth Cup are shown below, courtesy of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), along with the first four finishers for each year.

2015 115.00 (Muhaarar, Limato, Anthem Alexander, Salt Island)

2016 112.25 (Quiet Reflection, Kachy, Washington DC, La Rioja)

2017 117.25 (Caravaggio, Harry Angel, Blue Point, Bound For Nowhere)

2018 111.50 (Eqtidaar, Sands Of Mali, Emblazoned, Stone Of Destiny)

2019 118.75 (Advertise, Forever In Dreams, Hello Youmzain, Ten Sovereigns)

2020 — (Golden Horde, Kimari, Ventura Rebel, Royal Commando)

2021 110.75 (Campanelle, Dragon Symbol, Measure Of Magic, Dandalla)

2022 111.25 (Perfect Power, Flaming Rib, Flotus, Cadamosto)

2023 114.50 (Shaquille, Little Big Bear, Swingalong, Ocean Quest)

As we can see, three of the eight rated runnings to date have met or exceeded the Group 1 parameter of 115, and one fell below that by less than 1lb. Of concern is the fact that the other four were all some way short, even with that 2lb concession. The ratings of 2021 and 2022 triggered a warning, and while last year's running was up to par, the three-year average rating for the race remains below 113.

The race's lowest rating of 110.75 will be discarded from the three-year cycle this year, so a vintage renewal in 2024 will certainly help matters (we're looking at you, Vandeek).

How good were the winners?

Muhaarar was a hard act to follow but Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), the first filly to win the Commonwealth Cup, went on to win the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup in the same season as well as finishing third in the G1 July Cup. She remained in training at four and won the G3 Renaissance S in Ireland.

Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) won the Flying Five S. three months after his Commonwealth victory, and that race has subsequently been upgraded to Group 1 status. He led home two sprinting stars in Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal). Harry Angel collected the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup that same season, while Blue Point really came into his own at four and five with back-to-back wins in the G1 King's Stand S., the second of which came in the same week that he won the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. in the summer following his victory in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai. He was the champion first-season of Britain and Ireland in 2023.

Eqtidaar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) failed to sparkle after his narrow victory in the Commonwealth Cup, but his runner-up Sands Of Mali we have discussed above.

The highest rating achieved in the race came in 2019 when the subsequent Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) had Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}) behind him in third, and the latter went on to win that year's Haydock Sprint Cup followed by the Diamond Jubilee in 2020. In fourth that day was Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never), who won the July Cup on his next start, and the redoubtable Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who won that season's Stewards' Cup, was seventh. Khaadem also won the G2 King George S. in 2022 as well as last year's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S. (formerly the Diamond/Platinum Jubilee) as a seven-year-old.

The 2020 winner Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) was subsequently third in both the July Cup and the Sprint Cup, while Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who was awarded the race in the stewards' room after being headed by Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) at the wire, returned to Ascot the following year to take third in the Platinum Jubilee. She had also won the G2 Queen Mary S. and G1 Prix Morny during a top juvenile campaign.

Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) was another crack two-year-old who gathered the G2 Norfolk S., G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. before returning at three to lift the Commonwealth Cup. He too had found the mile beyond him when finishing seventh to Coroebus (Ire) in the 2,000 Guineas after winning the Greenham.

And that brings us to Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}), last year's top-rated three-year-old sprinter in the world on a mark of 120. His Commonwealth Cup victory over the favourite Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) was followed by a sound beating of his elders in the July Cup.

Of the seven male winners to date, six are currently at stud in Britain, France and Japan. Eqtidaar died last year. Another eight of the placed horses are now active stallions.

Overall it's a pretty solid roll call for a race which raised eyebrows when being parachuted into the programme as a brand new Group 1 but which generally can be considered to be doing the job it was designed to do.

Following Tuesday's announcement by the EPC, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) expressed its disappointment at the lack of support for its bid to upgrade the G2 City of York S., a move which would provide another tweak to the sprint programme and make it the sole seven-furlong Group 1 race in Britain. The EPC also turned down an application from the BHA to upgrade the G2 Qipco Champions Long Distance Cup.

What do the experts think?

The BHA's director of international racing and development Ruth Quinn, who also sits on the EPC, recalls the unprecedented decision to create the Commonwealth Cup and award it Group 1 status from the outset.

“It was a project that [the EPC members] were all very passionate about and fully embraced, and they understood the reasons why Britain was putting it forward as a strategic case.

“At the time there was a lot of surprise that we were looking to create a new Group 1 race from scratch, which was unheard of, but it was a brand new concept and we were trying to capture people's attention in a way that the race programme hadn't been able to before. It meant that if you win the Middle Park you don't have to go and try your horse in the Guineas if it's a genuinely speedy animal. Everyone knows that three-year-old sprinters are going to struggle against older horses if we don't give them a helping hand in the first half of the season.”

She adds, “If we hadn't put it in at Group 1 level then I think we would have had a much harder task in making them change their behaviour, and we did hit the ground running with Muhaarar. And we had a good few years of real talking horses for the race over the winter.

“I do feel it is serving a broader, long-term role which just didn't exist in the past.”

Aidan O'Brien saddled the 2017 winner Caravaggio, as well as last year's runner-up Little Big Bear. He says of the possibility of the race being downgraded, “It would be a massive pity. The Commonwealth Cup is a very prestigious race and it is in a great slot in the programme book for the three-year-olds. It has just become a very important race in a relatively short space of time.

“Strategically, it might not be a great idea if they decided to downgrade the race. I think it should remain a Group 1 because it's a very important race in an important place in the calendar.

“You get the best three-year-old sprinters turning up there every year. I remember when it wasn't there and its addition has made a massive difference. Everything is right with the race. They might be jumping the gun if they downgraded it.”

Breeder and former trainer Luca Cumani agrees with O'Brien. He says, “I think it's a very important race for three-year-old sprinters and it filled a gap in the calendar that existed before. Before, everybody had to try to make a potential sprinter into a miler by trying him in the Guineas and only then have to revert to sprinting but have nowhere to go in his own age group, but instead having to take on the older horses. So they were marking time for almost a year until the horse became a four-year-old and could start to be competitive again.

“So I think it does definitely fill a gap in the Pattern and I would be very sad to lose it as a Group 1 race. I am surprised that it is in danger.”

Kirsten Rausing, breeder and owner of Lanwades Stud, is keen to see the City of York S. upgraded to a Group 1. It has been won in the last two years by the dual Group 1 winner Kinross (GB), and Rausing's homebred Sandrine (GB), herself a treble winner at Group 2 level over six and seven furlongs, has been third in both of the last two runnings.

She says of the Commonwealth Cup being on the at-risk list, “In general it is of course disappointing but personally I feel the retention of Group 2 status for the City of York Stakes is of more concern. Upgrading that race would have given us a first Group 1 over seven furlongs in the UK. One hopes that the upgrade will come in 2025.

“Re the Commonwealth Cup, [the possibility of] downgrading it must be seen as an admission that the race has not achieved the original ambition of attracting the world's best sprinters. Whether the reason for this is the race date in the context of the worldwide racing calendar, or perhaps the, although rich by UK standards, relatively low prize-money, or the inevitable absence of Japanese representation in a sprint race. Who can tell?”

Richard Fahey, trainer of Perfect Power and Sands Of Mali, says, “One of the problems was that we were selling [sprinters] off to Hong Kong and this race was brought in to try to give us a chance to keep them. We've had a lot of luck in the race and I am hugely surprised to see that it's on the list.

“It's a stepping stone for the younger sprinters. Yes, it's an easier option for them in some respects, and maybe that's why the ratings aren't standing up, but obviously it's a restricted pool of just three-year-olds.

“It would be a shame if it's downgraded, as there are some good prep races for it. They upgraded the [G3] Pavilion and the [G2] Sandy Lane when the Commonwealth Cup was introduced, so what happens to them if it becomes a Group 2?”

Joe Foley, owner of Ballyhane Stud, stands Sands Of Mali and was also instrumental in the purchase of Shaquille for Steve Parkin's Dullingham Park. He says, “I was surprised to read that the race is in danger of being downgraded. The Commonwealth Cup has been a very successful race since its inception. Obviously I paid close attention to the race last year and Shaquille was very impressive but then he went on and achieved a big rating on his next start when beating his elders in the July Cup. Last year's Commonwealth Cup was an up-to-scratch renewal. Not only had you Shaquille in there but the runner-up, Little Big Bear, was a high-class two-year-old who achieved some big ratings. You had Swingalong in third and another very good horse in fourth [Ocean Quest]. To see that the race is under the spotlight after such a high-class edition is surprising. I'd be very disappointed if that happened.”

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Richard Fahey: ‘You have to think of horses like humans; what’s good for their minds’

It never bodes well when a trainer starts an interview with the words, “I don't really like doing interviews.”

This, from Richard Fahey, was far less intimidating, however, than when TDN went to interview David Elsworth some years ago to be greeted by him marching across the yard and stating, “I'm in a murderous mood.”

I Having mercifully escaped from Egerton House Stables unscathed to live to annoy many more trainers, our recent mission to Malton was a comparative cakewalk.

For a start, it would be impossible for either interviewer or interviewee to be in a bad mood, murderous or otherwise, in the Yorkshire countryside on the most vibrant of late spring days. From the top of Fahey's idyllic fiefdom at Musley Bank, an eye can be cast over great swathes of North Yorkshire. Umpteen racecourses are within easy reach, as is the A1, but the outside world seems a far cry from these peaceful acres where his horses and their riders go about their business unfazed and unfussed.

On the day of the visit, the trainer warned that he was about to run a number of two-year-olds that were pleasing him and, indeed, last week he had three juveniles make a winning debut. They followed Golden Mind (Ire) (Galileo Gold {Ire}), who won on his second start and is no doubt looked upon fondly at the yard as a half-brother to the recently retired stable star Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}). The latter became the first of Fahey's two consecutive G2 Norfolk S. winners in 2021, before going on to win the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. He returned to Royal Ascot last year to take the G1 Commonwealth Cup.

“From the middle of May to the end of June, you should start to know where you are and if we've got some stars coming through. Fingers crossed, we have five or six two-year-olds there that we're extremely excited about,” says Fahey. “Over the next three or four weeks we'll find out whether we're going to play with the big boys or not.”

The trainer admits to having adapted his approach in recent years when it comes to the youngsters in his care.

“I do train horses a lot different now. Two-year-olds especially,” Fahey says. “I'm not as tough on them as I used to be. I used to love to see them win first time out. Now I prefer if they get beat [on debut].

“It may sound like a crazy thing to say. If they win, fine, but I felt over the years that to get them to win, because I was so keen and I wanted winners, you have to be tough on them. And then of course if they win, the next race is going to be tough. And about six years ago I decided not to be so tough on them because at least if they run a decent race, they've got an easy race the next race. And I just felt maybe one or two of the better horses I left behind because I was over-keen myself.”

It is an admission that speaks well of a man who has had a tally of winners well into three figures for the past 15 years but is clearly prepared to learn as he goes along. Indeed, Perfect Power and his Norfolk Stakes successor The Ridler (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) were both beaten on debut, as was Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who later struck in the G2 Mill Reef S. before winning three Group 1 races at three and four.

“Perfect Power is a perfect example,” Fahey says of the young Darley stallion. “He had a great mind and I didn't want to ruin it. And he kept it all his life. He got beat at Newcastle then he went to Hamilton and won. He arrived down to Ascot absolutely bouncing.”

He adds, “Hey look, it's each to their own, but if I've changed anything in my years of training, that's it. You have to think of horses like humans; what's good for their minds.”

Perfect Power is one of two former Fahey trainees to have joined the European stallion ranks this season, along with Space Traveller (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), winner of the G3 Jersey S. and G2 Clipper Logistics Boomerang S. before latterly spending some time with Brendan Walsh in America, where he was Grade I-placed. Earlier this year at Ballyhane Stud, where Space Traveller now stands, Joe Foley jokingly referred to a section of his stallion yard as the Richard Fahey Wing, as the Group 1-winning sprinter Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis) is another to have been trained at Musley Bank. But the former Fahey-trained stallions stand far and wide, and include Mayson (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) at Cheveley Park Stud, the aforementioned Ribchester at Haras du Logis and, perhaps most notably, another son of Iffraaj, Wootton Bassett (GB), at Coolmore.

The G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Garswood (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) started his stallion career at Cheveley Park Stud and now stands in Saudi Arabia. He was one of a number of successful recruits to the Fahey stable from the breeze-up sales over the years.

“I think we've had four Group 1 horses out of the breeze-ups,” says Fahey, who works the sales hard alongside his son Peter and valued ally Robin O'Ryan.

“I wouldn't regard myself as a big purchaser at the breeze-ups, but we've had more pattern winners and more winners than anybody. I only know that because they keep the stats! We've been extremely lucky at it, and the breeze-up sales are very professional now. They are getting loads of winners.”

Fahey finds the increasingly crowded sales calendar in general, however, a source of frustration.

“There's too many sales at the moment,” he says. “It's every week. Last three weeks we've been at sales. I didn't get to Ireland [for Goresbridge] because I want to see my horses. We've been to France, we've been to Newmarket twice, and Doncaster, in the last month. It's only two, three days away, but the season's getting going now and I need to be here.”

He adds, “As a matter of fact, I think they should bring in a rule that a horse can only go to the sales twice before they run, because they can literally be there five times. They can be inside the mother, they can be at the foals, they can be in yearlings or the breeze-up twice.”

Now 57, Fahey left his native Ireland the day before his 18th birthday and competed both on the Flat and over jumps as a jockey, which included him being the joint-champion conditional at the conclusion of the 1998/99 National Hunt season.

This summer sees him celebrate his 30th anniversary as a trainer, having started with one winner in 1993 from just nine runners. An operation that began in a modest fashion has grown into one which now regularly features on the list of leading stables in the country. Fahey first passed the 100-winner mark in 2008, and set a personal record in 2015 when he trained 235 winners and was runner-up in the championship to John Gosden.

“It's a strange thing but you never really appreciate it when you're doing it,” he says rather wistfully as he notes that he is currently training a smaller string than in those days. “Covid hit and we stopped racing, and at the time it was serious. The government terrified us all. And it was a time I reflected on things.

“We trained our 3,000th winner not long ago, and I think as you get older you do think about it. But 10 years ago I never thought about it. I just got on with it. I trained 42 winners one month, which was a phenomenal amount. But as I'm getting older, I'm probably enjoying it a lot more.”

Fahey admits that enjoyment was not always easy to find, despite a thriving stable with plenty of horses. But in a business which is now about so much more than just focusing on horses on a daily basis, increased numbers can also increase stress levels.

“I went through a spell there where I wasn't enjoying it as much. I felt I was putting myself under an awful lot of pressure but I was keeping it in. I would have hated anyone to think that I was under pressure. The last year and a half I've really started to enjoy it again,” he says.

“I didn't purposely reduce the number of horses. I stopped having shares in as many, which automatically reduced the numbers.”

The hundred-plus acres at Fahey's disposal means that his horses can benefit from turn out in the 42 pens up on the bank above their stables. The gallops are private and, as we jump in a vehicle to watch a few of the horses in action, the trainer says with a mischievous grin, “We'd better take the Audi because the turbo has gone on the Jeep so we'll never keep up with them.”

Back down in the yard, we take a tour of the indoor ride, which is large enough to start the two-year-olds cantering before they venture up onto the bank, or to give shelter to the string in particularly bad weather. Fahey is clearly proud, though not boastfully so, of what he has built here on land bought from fellow trainer Colin Tinkler, but he is unwilling to take sole credit.

“Every trainer says it, but I genuinely believe, without the staff, you are completely nothing,” he says. “You can't do it all yourself. You have to rely on third parties. And I've been very lucky that I've had some good third parties. Some of my head guys have been here 15, 16 years since they started in racing and haven't left me. We like to give everybody responsibilities. And I think if you treat people with respect, they'll work for you. And I've been very lucky over the years that we've had that. I just feel the yard runs itself. Everybody knows their job and I never have to worry that something's not going to get done. They know what's to be done.”

Foremost in the minds of the team at the moment will be putting the finishing touches on the raiding party heading south for Ascot in less than a fortnight's time.

Some juveniles worth watching before then appear on Saturday at Beverley, where Midnight Affair (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) will seek to go one better than her eye-catching runner-up finish at Newmarket when she runs in the Hilary Needler Trophy for Clipper Logistics. Hussain Alabbas Lootah's homebred Bombay Bazaar (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) also returns to the track where he ran out the easy winner on his second start on May 16.

The Ascot juvenile team could be joined by Roisin and Richard Henry's Ribblesdale entrant Midnight Mile (Ire) (No Nay Never), the winner last year of the G3 Oh So Sharp S. who went on to be fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“I was a little disappointed at York,” says Fahey of Midnight Mile's fourth-place finish in the G3 Musidora S. when 4 1/2 lengths behind subsequent Oaks winner Soul Sister (GB) (Frankel {GB}). “I thought she was second best really and I'm not just a hundred per cent sure what her best trip might be. I'm thinking I might step her up again.”

Fahey notched his first winner at the royal meeting back in 2000 with Superior Premium (GB) (Forzando {GB}) in the G2 Cork And Orrery S., the race that has undergone four name changes and an upgrading since then and this year will be run as the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S. Another seven Royal Ascot winners have come his way since then and it would be no surprise to see a young star emerge this year to start to fill the gap left by Perfect Power and last year's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), who was sold for 1.2 million gns in December to Katsumi Yoshida.

“We've been lucky over the years in that we've always seemed to find a good one,” he says. “In the past it was definitely easier to buy a more precocious sprinter type. And I suppose we didn't really have the clients that would wait two years. They wanted instant success and I was a young trainer that needed winners.”

Fahey adds, “As I've got older, I've mellowed. I'm not as hard on myself as I used to be. My attitude now is that I can do my best and if it's not good enough, well I'm sorry but I know I'm doing my best. We're very lucky to have the facilities and the staff we have and if we don't get the results that we want, it's not for the want of not doing it right.”

He may not like interviews, but Fahey is refreshingly candid on a range of topics. He did his best, and only a short amount of time in his company is required to understand how he coaxes the best out of his horses and people.

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Brown On The Search For Next Perfect Power At Goffs UK

Top bloodstock agent Richard Brown has done his bit to alleviate any stresses vendors may have been feeling on the eve of the Doncaster Breeze Up Sale by explaining that he will be using a raft of metrics other than just times in an effort to find the next Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) at this year's sale.

Monday's breeze took place on testing ground, with some two-year-olds handling it better than most, which will all be taken into account by the buying bench, according to Blandford Bloodstock's ace scout.

As if to remind the strike-rate Blandford Bloodstock has enjoyed at this sale in recent years, posters of previous purchases Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), last year's Coventry S. hero, and the multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Perfect Power, hang proud either side of the rostrum.

Describing what that sight meant to the team of international bloodstock agents upon arriving at the sale ground, Brown said, “It was epic. We left Newmarket at five o'clock on Sunday morning for the practice breeze and, when we walked into the ring, it was very cool to see Bradsell and Perfect Power either side of the rostrum. They are two really good horses who have come out of this ring. This place has been very lucky for us in the past. I watched Perfect Power's breeze over the weekend just to refresh the memory for what we are looking for so fingers crossed we can find another one.”

Perfect Power | Scoop Dyga

He added on the conditions, “It's very soft ground. I actually thought that times came into it less than ever at the Craven Sale. The fastest horses in the breeze are very often not the best horses to come out of the sale. There are so many different things that go into the melting pot.

“The great thing about the breeze-up sales is that lots of people use different methods to buy horses out of these sales. There are so many purchasers using different methods that it provides a great spread to the buying bench and that bore out last week. There were plenty of horses who did very little in terms of time at the Craven and they still made plenty of money.”

In searching for the next star, Brown explained that the Blandford team marries up many strands of information and evidence before playing on certain horses.

He said, “If you went to the breeze-up sales and just went by the timesheet and bought the fastest horses, you really would spend a lot of money and do very badly.

“Time is a factor but there are a lot of other factors to it as well–the style of the breeze, the horse's action and its attitude. The horse's attitude is something we place a huge amount of emphasis on as the whole process is a massive test.”

He added, “On top of all that, you've still got to like the horse physically. There are plenty of horses who breeze well and, if I don't like the look of them, I won't buy them. I'm not just going to buy an ugly horse who does a fast time.

“But it usually adds up. When a horse breezes well, moves well and shows some speed at some point in the breeze, you usually look at the horse and say, 'yea, I get it.'”

Brown, who was crowned Bloodstock Agent Of The Year for the second year running in 2022, bought four horses at last week's Craven Sale at Tattersalls from 65,000gns to 350,000gns and a total spend of just under 1 million gns.

He labelled himself as pleasantly surprised by the buoyancy of the first domestic breeze-up sale of the year, especially in terms of the clearance rate, and predicted the top end to remain strong this week at Goffs UK.

Brown said, “I have some clients who want colts, some people looking for fillies only, others looking to get going–in terms of that they are looking for sharp two-year-olds–and I also have orders for back-end horses as well. I wouldn't say the brief changes from sale to sale, because different types can come from any sale, and actually, Light Infantry (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}), who came from this sale and got as close to Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as anything in the Jacques le Marois, can do something big up here this year before going back to Australia. He wasn't in any way a whizz bang horse and, in actual fact, is getting better with every run.

“Obviously Donny has set its stall out to be a good source of two-year-olds and we expect to see those but that doesn't mean that if a nice big and backward horse comes up there, that we don't have orders for those types as well.”

He added, “The top is very strong and I imagine that will continue to be the same. I actually thought that the clearance rates were better than I was expecting them to be at the Craven and that the market was pretty buoyant. I bought four horses but got beaten on more than that in the middle market and at the top end as well.”

One consignor facing into the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale off the back of a productive Craven Sale is Cormac Farrell. Consigning under the banner of C.F. Bloodstock for the first year, Farrell sold three horses for just over 500,000gns at Tattersalls and is hoping to keep the momentum going this week.

“The Craven was amazing,” Farrell started. “They were all very professional and it was a great sale. I have to say, the results were down to a team effort and everyone plays a role. Rory Cleary is a huge help to us, in fairness. He's a top-class judge and a great horseman. Rory broke most of our horses and rode them all work so it wouldn't have been possible without him.”

Farrell's Footstepsinthesand (GB) colt [lot 80] clocked particularly well given the conditions and makes up a three-pronged draft for the Curragh handler who has also achieved some notable success selling point-to-point horses.

He said, “The Footstepsinthesand colt cost 20,000gns here at the Premier Yearling Sale and, from day one, he has been very straightforward. We were expecting him to breeze well so we are delighted. Visually, it looked very good and I have since heard that it is up there with some of the fastest times. Regardless of the time, though, I have no doubt that he is going to go on and be a good horse. Hopefully we have a good sale and get them all sold and to good homes. That's important because you need to get a name for selling nice horses.”

The sale kicks off at 10am on Tuesday where 191 horses will go under the hammer at a sale that has produced seven Royal Ascot winners in as many years.

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Perfect Power Retires to Dalham Hall Stud

Treble Group 1-winning sprinter Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}–Sagely {Ire}, by Frozen Power {Ire}) has been retired to stand at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket for 2023.

Trained by Richard Fahey for Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, the son of Britain's leading first-season sire of 2021, Ardad (Ire), first signalled his talent on the big stage when winning the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot just eight days after breaking his maiden. A glorious juvenile campaign saw him go on to win the G1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville followed by Newmarket's G1 Middle Park S., emulating the Norfolk-Morny-Middle Park treble of Scat Daddy's sire Johannesburg in 2001.

This year, Perfect Power started his season in style with victory in the G3 Greenham S. at Newbury over seven furlongs. Finding the mile of the G1 2000 Guineas beyond his reserves of stamina, he returned to six furlongs to triumph again at Royal Ascot in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, becoming the only horse to have won three six-furlong Group 1 races at both two and three in the history of the Pattern.

Bred, like his sire, by Tally-Ho Stud, who sold for him for £110,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale, Perfect Power comes from a stout female family which includes the Arc winner Sagamix (Fr).

Richard Brown, who bought both Perfect Power and Ardad, said, “When I saw this fellow at the breeze-ups, I couldn't believe how similar he was [to Ardad]: the same strength and power, the same fluent movement and great walk. Above all, the same bombproof, laid-back temperament. If Perfect Power stamps his stock as well as his sire, what a hot property he will be.”

Sam Bullard, Darley's Director of Stallions, said, “We are delighted Perfect Power is coming to Dalham Hall Stud. Breeders from all around Europe will have admired his performances in many of the great races for 2- and 3-year-old sprinters and it is a rare opportunity for British breeders to have access to a stallion with such precocity and speed.

“His powers of acceleration are exactly the sort of thing that makes our sport so thrilling. What's more, he's a fantastically muscular colt, and an especially good mover: he is very likely to throw commercial youngstock in his own speedy image.”

Perfect Power's fee will be announced in due course.

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