Seven Days | Horse Racing Free Tips

Seven Days: Reawakening

The curtain came up at Longchamp on Sunday, with the 'réouverture' being conducted in extremely testing conditions but nevertheless providing a welcome return to action at France's premier racecourse.

The most important thing on arrival in the Bois de Boulogne is to make it into the track without being mown down by one or more of the cyclists within the relentless peloton that streams past the gates of Longchamp of a weekend. Everything after that feels like a blessing.

And indeed we were blessed with an almost dry and definitely warm day. Every trainer, breeder, farmer and clerk of the course has been preoccupied with the exceptionally wet spring that has seen race meetings abandoned and paddocks poached. In assessing the results from Leopardstown to Longchamp on Sunday it will be hard to gauge how well these three-year-olds will fare on faster underfoot conditions but Christophe Ferland believes that his G3 Prix La Force winner Atlast (Fr) (Farhh {GB}) is simply a good horse who, as the old adage goes, will go on any ground.

A solid and flashy chestnut, the Wertheimers' homebred is certainly an imposing specimen and won decisively despite his slightly awkward head carriage. His Sangster-bred granddam Pitamakan (Danzig) had been bought as a Keeneland yearling for $400,000 and is herself a third-generation descendant of the influential matriarch Courtly Dee (Never Bend).

It remains regrettable that Atlast's sire Farhh is only able to cover small books of mares owing to his poor fertility, but perhaps that is key to his success, and this looks another really interesting prospect for the son of Pivotal (GB), who on Monday was represented by the G3 Prix Edmond Blanc winner Tribalist (GB). Atlast will surely now be aimed with the intention that he joins Fonteyn (GB) and King Of Change (GB) on the list of Group 1 winners by Farhh. The latter of that pair has his first two-year-old runners this season, as does Farhh's unusually fast son Far Above (Ire).

Hernon Dreams On

Gavin Hernon, who eschewed his native Ireland to start training in Chantilly six years ago, was the toast of the winner's enclosure at Longchamp on Sunday. His fellow Chantilly trainer Tim Donworth shouted “The Irish are taking over” as Hernon collected his trophy from sponsor Kieran Lalor after Dare To Dream (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) opened her season in portentous fashion with victory in the G3 Al Shira'aa Racing Prix Vanteaux.

Bred by Ecurie des Monceaux, Meridian International and Scuderia Waldeck, Dare To Dream was well bought by her trainer at €67,000 from Arqana's October Yearling Sale, especially when one considers that the mission Hernon was given by owner Dun Shing Lee was to buy a filly good enough to run in the Oaks. And that's not just any Oaks, either. Lee meant the original Oaks, at Epsom, where he was born and raised.

So far, so good, as Dare To Dream is the only French-trained filly among the 58 entries for the Betfred Oaks on May 31. With a Classic trial under her belt, a Derby winner as a sire and Arc winner Danedream (Ger) as her aunt, she will have every right to be there.

Another Ballysax Star?

I've always loved the Ballysax Stakes. For a particularly heady period at the turn of this century its roll of honour featured Galileo (Ire), High Chaparral (Ire) and Yeats (Ire) in just four years. It ebbs and flows, of course, but since then there have been some proper names added, such as Fame And Glory (GB), Banimpire (Ire), Fascinating Rock (Ire) and Rekindling (GB). The most recent Derby winner to emanate from the Ballysax was Harzand (Ire) in 2016.

Dallas Star (Fr) took the 2024 Ballysax on Sunday and could be the horse to elevate the profile of his sire Cloth Of Stars (Ire), who was eighth behind Harzand at Epsom and went on to win the G1 Prix Ganay as well as finishing second and third in consecutive Arcs won by Enable (GB).

Dallas Star is another to have been sold by Monceaux, this time as a foal for breeders Eliane Dieuaide and Domaine Billard et Fils, for €30,000. He was picked up by Robson Aguiar for 50,000gns as a yearling at Tattersalls and, when he failed to sell, was retained at the Craven Breeze-up Sale for 180,000gns and now runs in the Amo Racing colours, which were so narrowly vanquished in last year's Derby aboard King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

Sent off at 50/1, Dallas Star's victory was clearly not expected, and he had two better fancied rivals from Ballydoyle behind him. The third home, Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), had been sent off favourite and he is a half-brother to Debutante (Fr) (Gold Away {Fr}), dam of the above-mentioned Dare To Dream, and to Danedream.

Cloth Of Stars was also responsible for the third-placed Birr Castle (Fr) in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt. The race provided yet another triumph for Jerome Reynier, and was won by Zarakem (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) on his second start for Ecurie Benaroussi Sofiane after being bought for €500,000 at Arqana's Arc Sale.

The previous weekend, Reynier, who is currently top of the French trainers' table, had enjoyed his first winner on Dubai World Cup night when Facteur Cheval (Ire) won the G1 Dubai Turf.

Third Classic Contender for Wellenspiel

If you saddle a horse with the name Weltbeste (Ger) you'd better hope that she can live up to it, but Gestut Rottgen had something of a clue in the fact that the daughter of Soldier Hollow (GB) is a full-sister to a Deutsches Derby winner, Weltstar (Ger), and a half-sister to another, Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco Ger}).

Now two from two in her races to date following victory at Mulheim on Sunday for Rottgen's new trainer Maxim Pecheur, Weltbeste heads the market for the G1 Preis der Diana on August 4. That's a long way off, of course, but if it seems too fantastical to imagine that their dam Wellenspiel (Ger) (Sternkoenig {Ire}) could produce three German Classic winners, it is worth remembering that that feat was achieved not too long ago by Sacarina (GB) (Old Vic {GB}), the dam of Samum (Ger), Schiaparelli (Ger) and Salve Regina (Ger), all sired by Monsun (Ger),

Ward Starts Ascot Hype Rolling

These days, nothing quite says spring is here like a Wesley Ward speedball rocketing from the gates to tear up the early Keeneland juvenile races and book a place on the plane for Royal Ascot.

Step forward Shoot It True, a daughter of Munnings, who claimed a TDN Rising Star with her victory in the first two-year-old race of the season after scoring in emphatic fashion by an eased-down seven and a half lengths.

Queen Mary ahoy? It would be no surprise.

Stefano Cherchi Remembered at Santa Anita and Beyond

At Santa Anita on Saturday, Frankie Dettori stole the show as only he can do, winning six races in a row, including the GII Santa Anita Oaks aboard Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon) for his main ally Bob Baffert.

Dettori wasn't the only Italian to triumph at the 'Great Race Place', however, with Umberto Rispoli winning the GIII Monrovia S., before Antonio Fresu claimed the major race of the day, the GI Santa Anita Derby, on the Phil d'Amato-trained Stronghold (Ghostzapper).

Of course, the Italian jockey who has been in the thoughts of racing folk the world over this week is Stefano Cherchi, who died last Wednesday, a fortnight after sustaining devastating head injuries in a race fall at Canberra, Australia.

Fresu paid an emotional tribute to his compatriot after his first Grade I win on American soil. He said, “I want to dedicate this to my friend who passed away the other day. I felt like he was there with me today. Stefano Cherchi was an amazing guy.”

The death of Cherchi at the age of just 23 has rocked so many of his friends and colleagues in the business. In Newmarket, where the Sardinian had been based since the age of 16 with Marco Botti, the trainer said simply, “I feel like I've lost a son.”

Cherchi's former weighing-room colleague in Britain, Callum Shepherd, perhaps summed up his loss most eloquently.

“He was not defined by his abilities in the saddle, or by the races he has won,” Shepherd said. “What defined him to us, those lucky enough to have known him, and I really do mean lucky, was the human being he was.

“He was a great friend, he was incredibly kind, and I think he thrived off making those around him happy. Certainly he was far more bothered about others than he was about himself.”

There can really be no finer tribute than that. It has been a terribly sad week, and we offer sincere condolences to Stefano Cherchi's family and friends. His life was celebrated at a remembrance mass in Sydney on Monday and another service will take place on Sunday, April 28, at Our Lady Immaculate and Saint Etheldreda Church in Newmarket. He will not be forgotten.

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Seven Days: Bring on the Classic Trials

I love Paris in the springtime, sang Ella Fitzgerald, and I'm pretty sure it was a thinly-veiled reference to her secret passion for heavy ground three-year-old maidens at Saint-Cloud.

What Classic clues may we glean there? Well, maybe none. But I liked the look of Narkez (Fr), who gave his rivals a six-length walloping in the Prix Comrade last Tuesday, picking up where he left off after winning at Clairefontaine last October. Bred by Nurlan Bizakov under his Sumbe banner, the colt represents that magic Siyouni (Fr)-Galileo (Ire) cross, though let's face it, Galileo mares work well all over the place. Narkez, trained by Andre Fabre, has helped to give his owner a great start to the season following the Listed win of Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the Doncaster Mile.

One person who is entitled to love Siyouni more than most is Peter Brant, who celebrated his first European Classic victory when Sottsass (Fr) won the Prix du Jockey Club before going on to deliver the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for Brant as well. We're looking forward to seeing his first runners emerge this season, but in the meantime Brant looks to have another decent prospect by Siyouni on his hands in the form of Louise Procter (Fr). Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, she became the second TDN Rising Star of the week for her sire when remaining unbeaten in her third start in the Prix du Belvedere at Chantilly on Thursday. She looks smart and has the entries to match.

Making Dreams (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) kept up her trainer Karl Burke's great strike-rate in French stakes races by winning the G3 Prix Penelope by six lengths on her seasonal debut at Saint-Cloud. She is another who should enter considerations for the Classics, as should the Prix Caracalla winner Mister Gatz (Fr), who was born in the spring in which his sire Adlerflug (Ger) died. The flashy chestnut colt was somewhat reminiscent of his father as he bowled around the lush Parisian turf looking like he was having a mighty time before putting his head down to stride clear of the field by five lengths. Trained in Deauville by Stephanie Nigge for a collection of owners which includes his breeder Mathieu Boutin and Gerard Augustin-Normand, Mister Gatz holds an entry for the Deutsches Derby.

O'Shea Shines on Dubai's Big Day

Of course last week, or more specifically Saturday, was really all about the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan which could certainly be considered a triumph for internationalism. The trophies for the eight Group races were shared between horses trained in America, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, France, Britain and Dubai (x2).

It was also a great advertisement for keeping classy horses in training beyond the age of three. The winners of the five Group 1 contests were aged between five and seven, with Jerome Reynier's Dubai Turf winner Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) being the youngest of those, and the wide-margin Golden Shaheen winner, the former Russian-trained Tuz (Oxbow), enjoying his finest hour as a seven-year-old on his fourth appearance on Dubai World Cup night.

Tuz and the Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River (Into Mischief) won their races in a manner which must still have their trainer Bhupat Seemar and jockey Tadhg O'Shea blinking in disbelief. By six and a half and eight and a half lengths respectively, they each set a new record for the winning distance, with Laurel River, who broke from the outside gate, overturning that held by Dubai Millennium (GB) for 24 years.

O'Shea, now 42, has been champion jockey in the UAE 11 times and he is in pole position to claim his 12th title this season. But despite that consistent success, the Irishman had a sole Group 1 victory to his name until Saturday.

A modest and loyal grafter, O'Shea praised Laurel River's owner Juddmonte for keeping him on the horse, saying, “They could have any jockey in the world on him and they kept the faith with me. I'll be forever indebted to them.”

Juddmonte didn't need any other jockey to claim a second Dubai World Cup after Arrogate's victory in 2017. O'Shea, bold from the outset from the number 12 stall, simply rode his rivals ragged and very much deserved his night in the spotlight.

The Auguste Enigma

The last three winners of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) were all in action over the weekend, with Shahryar (Jpn) a good second in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, which also featured the last two Japanese Oaks winners Liberty Island (Jpn) and Stars On Earth (Jpn), while Do Deuce (Jpn) was not beaten far when fifth in the G1 Dubai Turf. Lest we think that Japan is completely depleted of its best runners during the big meetings in the Middle East, then look no further than Sunday's G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin. It featured last year's Japanese Derby and 2,000 Guineas winners, Tastiera (Jpn) and Sol Oriens (Jpn), along with Geoglyph (Jpn), who beat Equinox (Jpn) to win the Guineas in 2022, and the G1 Shuka Sho winner of that same year, Stunning Rose (Jpn).

So much of the Sheema Classic build-up had centred on the clash between Liberty Island and Auguste Rodin (Ire), but the latter, who won last year's Derby and Irish Derby before going on to land the Irish Champion and Breeders' Cup Turf, added to his enigmatic status by finishing last of the 12 runners.

Don't despair. When 12th in the Guineas on debut last season, Auguste Rodin bounced back to win at Epsom, and he put his last-place finish in the King George behind him to triumph next time out on Irish Champions Weekend. This column, at least, still holds the faith that when he's good, he's very, very good.

Epsom's honour was however upheld in Sydney over the weekend, where the 2020 Derby winner Serpentine (Ire) claimed his second consecutive stakes win for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the G3 Neville Selwood S.

It's Whitsbury's World

It is important not to get too carried away with the early two-year-old races. Despite the annual hullabaloo over Royal Ascot, nothing really matters until the autumn, right? But it's impossible not to watch the early skirmishes with interest and Whitsbury Manor Stud's Sergei Prokofiev was represented by his second winner from just two runners when Flicka's Girl triumphed at Wolverhampton on Easter Monday. The David Loughnane-trained filly was also bred by Whitsbury Manor and sold, as is the stud's usual practice, at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale for 22,000gns.

Britain's other juvenile race on Monday over at Kempton went the way of Pont Neuf (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), a winner on debut for Eve Johnston Houghton, who also struck with the two-year-old Tanager (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) at Chelmsford on Good Friday.

The trainer has a well established partnership with bloodstock agent Anthony Bromley of Highflyer Bloodstock when it comes to working the sales and the pair has once again unearthed a couple of useful looking prospects for 24,000gns (Tattersalls Somerville) and €22,000 (Tattersalls Ireland) respectively.

Johnson Houghton has made a flying start to the new season with four winners and three placed horses from nine runners since the official 'start of the Flat'.

Jack Came Back

It was announced last week that Ben Curtis, who was been riding at Fair Grounds in New Orleans over the winter, would remain in America for “the foreseeable future” after riding 43 winners and netting more than $1.5 million in prize-money.

Last September, Curtis had ridden his 1,000th winner aboard Merrijig (GB) (Schiaparelli {Ger}) and as that horse resumed on Good Friday, the absent Curtis was replaced in the saddle by Jack Gilligan, who has recently returned after a decade in the US and now has Curtis's former agent Simon Dodds representing him.

Merrijig was the first of two winners for Gilligan from three rides on Good Friday, and the jockey struck again 24 hours later on his sole ride at Wolverhampton.

Not to be confused with the Irish conditional of the same name, Gilligan was born in Newmarket but left Britain at the age of 17 with his parents Pat, a racing writer and trainer, and Vicky, a barn foreman at WinStar Farm. With more than 400 wins in America, including two Grade III victories aboard Silver Dust (Tapit), he has been making the most of the opportunities handed to him since returning to his home town.

There are not many names in the jockeys' table with a better strike-rate than Gilligan so far this year. He is currently operating at 20% winners to rides. Backing all of his 45 mounts would have yielded a profit of almost £43 to a £1 stake.

Pecheur Swaps Roles for Rottgen

German Classic-winning jockey Maxim Pecheur retired at the end of last season to succeed Markus Klug as the trainer at Gestut Rottgen near Cologne. He had previously ridden Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}) in the famous Rottgen colours to win the 2017 G1 Deutsches Derby. The colt was trained by Klug, as was Pecheur's G1 Preis der Diana winner, Diamanta (Ger) (Maxios {GB}), for Gestut Brummerhof.

Pecheur is clearly adjusting well to his new role at the historic training centre and he could well have a Derby contender of his own this year after his first runner, Anspruch (Ger) (New Bay {GB}), won on debut at Cologne on Monday. The Rottgen-bred colt is out of the Group 3 winner Anna Katharina (Ger) (Kallisto {Ger}).

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Seven Days: A Good Week If Your Name is Egan

We've been waiting so long for the proper Flat to start that it seems almost criminal to veer straight off to the other side of the world, but there was plenty of interest for breeders from this side at Rosehill in Sydney on Saturday morning.

One person who managed to stay awake past 2am to watch the highly impressive last-to-first romp of Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G3 N E Manion Cup was his breeder Henrietta Egan, who is based at Corduff Stud with her husband David.

Now five, Post Impressionist is the first foal of Island Remede (GB) (Medicean {GB}), who was bought by Egan from the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 43,000gns. Already a winner for Ed Dunlop, she was put back into training with Henry de Bromhead the following season as a five-year-old and went on to be placed twice in Listed races at Leopardstown and Cork as well as winning over hurdles at Limerick. That National Hunt form didn't deter Shadwell from giving 260,000gns for her Teofilo colt at the yearling sales.

“I was a gibbering wreck when he sold as a yearling to Shadwell and this horse has taken me on the most extraordinary journey,” Egan told TDN on Saturday morning.

“We had dreams of winning the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham, which was a bit crackers. David is great mates with Henry and we had big dreams of having fun with her, and we did. She ran at Leopardstown first time out and finished third in a Listed race and I think that was the first black type on the Flat for Henry.”

Egan's association with Island Remede stretches back further than the sale ring at Tattersalls, however, to before she was even born.

“I was riding out for Ed Dunlop when she was in training with him, and weirdly I worked for her breeder Ian Quy, who had two mares, and I did the nomination for her, so we have a very long story,” she says.

“I'm slightly gobsmacked really. David had a foal last night. I was out to a birthday party and David had to stay behind to watch the mare. I came back to find David fast asleep and it was about one o'clock so I thought I'd pour myself a gin and tonic and try to stay awake for the race. I was screaming downstairs watching this horse and I ran upstairs and couldn't wake my husband who was out for the count. The foaling season is so exhausting, but this is why we do it. It's what dreams are made of.”

Later in the day, Island Remede's three-year-old filly Cabrera (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) ran a promising fourth on debut at Newcastle for Egan and Hot To Trot Racing. The mare is in foal to Cracksman (GB), carrying another filly, and will be sent to Native Trail (GB) this season.

There is likely to be more early-morning screaming in the Egan household this spring as Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who was bred by Corduff Stud and Tim Rooney, will be seeking his seventh Group 1 win when he lines up for the FWD QEII Cup on Sha Tin's Champions Day. As well as his wins in Hong Kong, the six-year-old also won last year's Cox Plate, and there could be more Group 1 success on the cards in Australia for Corduff Stud with Post Impressionist, now owned by Lloyd Williams, likely to head next for the Sydney Cup.

“With Romantic Warrior being such a success for the farm as well, it's just such a cool year,” Egan said. “I'm thrilled for David. He works so hard. Good stuff like this just makes it worthwhile.”

She added that Romantic Warrior's dam Folk Melody (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}) has a New Bay (GB) yearling colt but no foal this year. She is booked to Havana Grey (GB).

Haggas Gives Waller a Lead

Australian trainers must dread seeing the name William Haggas among the nominations for runners for Sydney's Autumn Carnival. His raids down under have shown him to be the ultimate target trainer and Post Impressionist gave Haggas his third win in the N E Manion Cup in the last five years after Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in 2020 and Favorite Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) 12 months later.

In 2020, while all of European racing was shuttered by Covid, Haggas sent out Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) to give us all something to cheer about when he won the G1 Ranvet and G1 Queen Elizabeth S., and that lovely old warrior returned the following year to tussle with Chris Waller's super mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), finishing second to her in the Ranvet before winning his second Queen Elizabeth.

Last year, Haggas pulled off that same Group 1 double with Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), while Protagonist (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) pitched in to take the G3 Sky High S. Frustratingly for all involved with Dubai Honour, a setback ruled him out of a return to Sydney, but that news will doubtless have come as a relief to Waller. He told Sky Racing World last week that he had taken a leaf out of the Haggas playbook in his training of Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who joined his team after being sold for 2.7 million gns last December at Tattersalls, having won the G1 Pretty Polly S. for George Boughey and owner Rebecca Hillen. “We prepared her in Newmarket, I kept a close eye on what Mr Haggas has done with a few of his horses which have beaten Verry Elleegant a number of times,” Waller said. “He just gets it right every year.”

Waller is not exactly a novice himself when it comes to winning Group 1 races. Born in New Zealand, he has been champion trainer in Sydney every year since the 2010/11 season. But it is a mark of his professionalism that he continues to look and learn, and his approach paid off handsomely when Via Sistina landed the Ranvet on her Australian debut.

The five-year-old now races in the colours of Yulong Investments, who also own the Ranvet runner-up Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), another expensive December purchase, bought for €4.025 million at Arqana. The European-bred trifecta was brought up by another Waller trainee, Buckaroo (GB), who was bred by The Roheryn Partnership at Tweenhills on that same productive Fastnet Rock-Galileo cross as Via Sistina.

It was a banner day at Rosehill for the Yulong team, whose stallions Written Tycoon (Aus) and Pierata (Aus) were responsible for the first two home in the G1 Golden Slipper, Lady Of Camelot (Aus) and Coleman (Aus). Another of the team's stallions, Grunt (NZ), sired the G1 George Ryder S. winner Veight (Aus), who was bred and sold by Yulong as a yearling.

A Different Egan

Let's return closer to home where another David Egan, this one the jockey, was in the spotlight on Saturday as turf racing commenced at Doncaster. Egan's major breakthrough came when, as retained rider to Prince AA Faisal, he rode the Prince's homebred Mishriff (Ire) to victory in the Saudi Cup, Dubai Sheema Classic and Juddmonte International. Signed by Amo Racing in December, Egan has grabbed that new opportunity with both hands.

He won the first Irish two-year-old race of the season last Monday aboard Arizona Blaze (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev) on the Curragh, where he grew up, and then delivered Mr Professor (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) to win the Lincoln at 33/1. He will be itching to hop aboard the Amo Racing star King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who was seen on Newmarket Heath in Saturday morning's sunshine looking a picture of health amid Roger Varian's string under Raul da Silva.

Varian himself got off to a perfect start by saddling the first winner of the British turf season, Charyn (Ire), who bowled home in the Listed Doncaster Mile. He certainly should have won as he did as the son of Dark Angel (Ire), who was bred by Guy O'Callaghan at Grangemore Stud, is a classy individual and looks to have improved again physically over the winter. A Group 2 winner at two for Nurlan Bizakov, Charyn was fourth in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and third in both the St James's Palace and Sussex S. last year. If he continues to run as well as he looked on Saturday, he could well rival King Of Steel for the title of the best grey at Carlburg Stables and edge his way onto Bizakov's burgeoning roster of Sumbe stallions for next year, alongside the aforementioned Mishriff.

Less than 24 hours later, Charyn's sire Dark Angel was in the spotlight with a rare winner in Japan, and this one at the highest level. Mad Cool (Ire), bred by Moyglare Stud and sold to Katsumi Yoshida as a foal at Goffs for €225,000, landed the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo for Sunday Racing Co and trainer Manabu Ikezoe.

The five-year-old, who became the 16th Group/Grade 1 winner for Dark Angel, was beaten by a nose in the G1 The Sprinters S. last October and is from one of the families which has underpinned the success of Moyglare Stud over a number of generations. His dam Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) won the G3 Gladness S. and was runner-up in the both the Irish 1,000 Guineas and G1 Pretty Polly S. in the hands of Pat Smullen, and she is a half-sister to the G2 Ribblesdale S. winner Princess Highway (Street Cry {Ire}) and G1 Irish St Leger winner Royal Diamond (Ire) (King's Best).

Keep An Eye On Cunha

Profitable, who is now at stud in Turkey, was represented on Saturday by the Lincoln winner Mr Professor, while another son of Invincible Spirit (Ire), Territories (Ire), provided South African trainer Dylan Cunha with his first win in the Brocklesby. Cunha, a former airline pilot and also a Grade 1-winning trainer in his homeland, set up in Newmarket two years ago. His string has grown significantly for this season and, since William Jarvis ceased training, he is now occupying Phantom House Stables, having started out in the bottom yard there with a handful of horses.

Cunha, who spent some of his early years working in Newmarket for Robert Armstrong, certainly knows how to get one ready, and the game Zminiature (GB) battled his way home in heavy ground at Doncaster to take the first British two-year-old race of the season for owner-breeder Jonathan Sarkar and family, who have supported the trainer since his return.

There is an abundance of early races in an expanded spring programme for two-year-olds in Britain. The William Hill EBF Brocklesby S. kicked off the series of High-Value Development races and was worth £40,000, as is the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden at Chelmsford on Good Friday. They are two of 16 juvenile races that will be run in the UK before we even get to the Craven meeting on April 16.

No Escaping Scat Daddy

The vaunted Storm Boy (Aus) may have had to settle for third in the Golden Slipper, but we are guaranteed to be hearing plenty about his sire Justify this season as the likes of City Of Troy, Ramatuelle and Opera Singer swing back into action.

In the meantime two other sons of Scat Daddy are off the mark with their first winners in these very early days of the European juvenile programme. Sergei Prokofiev supplied Arizona Blaze to win at the Curragh's opening day, as mentioned above, while on Saturday at La Teste de Buch, Sweet Chop became the first winner for his sire, the G2 Railway S. winner Van Beethoven, who stands at Karwin Farm.

The only other freshman to have sired a winner in Europe is New Approach's son Hey Gaman (GB), who was beaten a neck when second to Olmedo (Fr) in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and now stands at Haras du Taillis. His son Eagle Gate (Fr) won in Marseille on Wednesday.

Vive Les Turistes

France has led the way on the Flat front in the last few weeks and the country's racing administrators are celebrating the fact that 2023 saw a 17% increase in attendance figures across French racecourses, including trotting tracks. This certainly bucks the trend being seen in other countries.

There has been an early TDN Rising Star among the French ranks in the three-year-old Puchkine (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who remains unbeaten in four starts for Jean-Claude Rouget after landing the Prix Torrestrella at Toulouse on Wednesday. While he is on course for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, his fellow Rising Star of the same day, Clipper Logistics' Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is on course for the 2,000 Guineas after keeping a clean sheet with an emphatic win at Southwell for Karl Burke.

Also at Toulouse, Dancing Queen (Fr), from the penultimate crop of Le Havre (Ire), enhanced the Classic dream of her trainer Fabrice Vermeulen when winning the mile maiden on Saturday. She carries the colours of Haras du Logis Saint Germain, which won the Poule d'Essai des Poucliches of 2020 with Dream And Do (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). Unlike that filly, Dancing Queen is not a homebred as she was bred by Peter Savill, for the former BHB chairman who has recently returned to the forefront of British racing politics, if not in an official capacity.

Another who had gone into the notebook last October when winning the Prix de Saint-Desir on debut was the Wertheimers' Bright Picture (Fr) (Intello {Ger}). He has done nothing but confirm that good impression with two further wins, the latest in the Listed Prix Francois Mathet on March 16. As a gelding, he cannot be aimed at the Classics but he is clearly highly regarded, and our colleagues at Jour de Galop dubbed him 'the next Junko' after his stakes victory at Saint-Cloud.

That is high praise indeed, and we will see the G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Junko (GB), another son of Intello, at Meydan in Saturday's tantalising G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. While Junko was bred by Wertheimer et Frere, Bright Picture is a rare sales purchase, bought from his breeder John Carrington for €72,000 at the Arqana October Yearling Sale. The brothers' support of their stallion Intello also led to the purchase of Pao Alto (Fr), who went on to win the G3 Prix La Force among his five victories.

Thinking of Stefano Cherchi

We end this column with a heavy heart while, at the time of writing, Stefano Cherchi remains in a serious condition in hospital in Canberra, Australia. The 23-year-old jockey sustained serious head and internal injuries when his mount Hasime (Aus) fell, bringing down two other horses, at Canberra's meeting last Wednesday.

An enormously popular figure in Newmarket, where he served his apprenticeship with Marco Botti, Cherchi is originally from Sardinia. He remains in the thoughts of his many friends throughout the racing world.

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Seven Days: Jumping Back to the Flat

Yes, I know. It's a bit early for this, isn't it? We usually have a strict No-Seven-Days rule until the week after the Brocklesby but this winter has dragged on and on and I just can't wait any longer.
We have the small matter of the Cheltenham Festival to get through this week, and we'll be giving it our full attention, but as we have counted down the days to the 'The Roar' it has been impossible to ignore the sneaky French getting their Turf season underway with a couple of Listed races at Saint-Cloud. And what better way to usher the Flat back in than with last season's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) exhibiting that he retains plenty of zest for racing with his victory in the Listed Prix Altipan? We may see him back in action as soon as the G3 Prix Edmond Blanc on Easter Monday as he gears up for a tilt at the G1 Prix d'Ispahan.
Marhaba Ya Sanafa's sire Muhaarar (GB) is now ensconced in his new home of Haras de Petit Tellier and has already been represented this year by the G2 1351 Turf Sprint winner Annaf (Ire) on Saudi Cup night.
On the subject of returning Classic winners, Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won Saturday's Listed Randwick City S. for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to claim his first stakes success since that extraordinary romp in the 'Covid' Derby at Epsom in 2020. It's almost unheard of for a Derby winner still to be in training at the age of seven, let alone to have been gelded.

Flags Flying High for Zoffany

Coolmore lost Zoffany (Ire) three years ago when he succumbed to liver failure at the age of just 13 ahead of the start of the 2021 covering season. Members of his final crop are now three, and they include the Jerome Reynier-trained Fun With Flags (Ire), who kept Classic hopes intact for her owner Erika Gilliar by claiming her third successive victory in the Listed Prix Rose de Mai.
Out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Marie Celeste (Ire), Fun With Flags was bred by Sonia Rogers from a family which has been at Airlie Stud for three generations and traces back to Rough Shod (GB) (Gold Bridge {Fr}) through her celebrated daughter Thong (Nantallah). The latter is in turn the dam of Special (Forli), whose offspring include Nureyev (Northern Dancer) and Sadler's Wells's dam Fairy Bridge (Bold Reason).
With entries in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane, Fun With Flags is one to follow as she attempts to become a Classic winner from her sire's farewell crop. She would be the first for her prolific trainer Reynier, who is currently behind only reigning champion Jean-Claude Rouget in the French trainers' table.

Listed Double for Scott at Home and Away

On Thursday it was a Dandy Man (Ire) gelding out of a Dark Angel (Ire) mare out in front in the Listed Spring Cup at Lingfield and 24 hours later the reverse of that cross was seen to good effect at Chantilly in the Listed Prix Maurice Cauillault.
Watch My Tracer (Ire) was the Dandy Man three-year-old in question, and he set up a thrilling 24 hours for his trainer George Scott and owners Victorious Racing with his debut success of the year, which was followed the next day by the triumph of Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in the King's Cup in Bahrain.
That second Listed win was hailed by Scott as “the highlight of my career to date, miles ahead of anything else”, and it is easy to see why he would be walking on air after the winter campaign his four-year-old has had in Bahrain. Having won twice at Newmarket and Newbury last summer in for his Bahraini owners, Isle Of Jura travelled to the Gulf to compete in Bahrain's lucrative turf series and he has been a near-unstoppable force there, winning four of his five starts, including two Listed races, and finishing second, beaten a short-head, on his only other run. Pattern company back in Europe now beckons for the Godolphin-bred gelding, who is a full-brother to the treble Australian Group 1 winner Cascadian (GB).
The aforementioned Prix Maurice Cauillault was yet another strike for Jerome Reynier, trainer of the easy winner Darlinghurst (Ire), who was bred by Yeomanstown Stud and, as noted, is by their kingpin Dark Angel. It was the second stakes winner of the day for the 19-year-old stallion after Godolphin's Real World (Ire) landed the Listed Al Methaq Mile in Bahrain.

Donworth Goes Dutch

There is nothing like seeing the Chateau de Chantilly in the backdrop of races to make one feel that life is again worth living and, though Friday's card was on the Polytrack, it provided plenty of interesting pointers for the season ahead.
There won't be many Dutch-bred stakes winners this year (or ever), but Tim Donworth, once of the parish of Roundhill but now a fully assimilated French dweller, saddled the Listed Prix Montenica Skylight Brochard (Hol) who may remain unique in that regard this year.
“I think he's probably the only Thoroughbred who's been bred in Holland in the last couple of years,” Donworth told TDN. “It's worked out great. His breeders happened upon the mare, they'd never had a horse before and they've now bred this horse.”
The son of Mehmas (Ire) was bred by his owner Jill Brochard and is a full-brother to eight-time winner The Covex Kid (Ire). Their dam is Fonseca (Ire), by the late Red Clubs (Ire) who has a notable record as a broodmare sire despite his having stood for only three seasons before dying at the age of seven. His daughters have produced the Group 1 winners Lucky Sweynesse (NZ), Snow Lantern (GB) and Lezoo (GB), as well as the useful sire and Group 2 winner Ardad (Ire), Group 3 winner Spycatcher (Ire), last season's Lincoln winner Migration (Ire) and the Listed-winning half-siblings Arthur Kitt (GB) and Eartha Kitt (GB).

Like Mother, Like Son

Perhaps the largest scribble in the notebook from Friday in Chantilly was the name Dolayli (Fr) after the running of the Prix Darshaan. The Aga Khan Studs-bred son of Siyouni (Fr) and Group 1 winner Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) has won six of his eight starts, including all three of his runs this year for Francis Graffard. It is a rare Aga Khan runner that remains in training at five, but Dolayli may well repay his owner further as he is aimed at classier assignments through the spring and summer. His trainer told the Jour de Galop that he is looking at the G2 Prix d'Harcourt and considering the Ganay and perhaps even the Ispahan as potential Group 1 targets. Dolayli had the G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Junko (GB) (Intello {Ger}) five lengths behind him in second as the latter winds up for a shot at the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic later this month.
It seems scarcely believable that it is nine years since Dolayli's dam Dolniya took the Sheema Classic herself after she too had won the Prix Darshaan, each time beating Flintshire (GB). She is now the dam of three black-type offspring, including Group 3 winner Dilawar (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Listed-placed Dolia (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her current two-year-old is an unnamed Frankel (GB) colt who is also assigned to Graffard.

Heating Up

Darley's second-season sire Too Darn Hot (GB) has four colts and two fillies entered for the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas in May, and he may well have a Classic hope even farther afield following the victory on Sunday of Etes Vous Prets in the G2 Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue at Hanshin. The daughter of G1 Falmouth S. winner Nahoodh (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) was bred by Godolphin and exported as a yearling to Japan, where she races in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.
She is the fifth Group/Graded winner in a fourth different country for Too Darn Hot following Fallen Angel (GB), Darnation (GB), Alyanaabi (Ire) and Carolina Reaper (GB).

A Fitting 19th G1 Winner for Exceed And Excel

In the week in which the retirement was announced of successful shuttle sire Exceed And Excel (Ire) there could have been no more appropriate winner of the G1 Newmarket H. at Flemington than his son Cylinder (Aus). The Godolphin homebred became his sire's 19th Group/Grade 1 winner in the race won by Exceed And Excel 20 years ago. Following that victory he was bought by Sheikh Mohammed and became a valuable addition to the Darley stallion ranks on both sides of the globe.
We may yet see Cylinder racing in Europe, with Godolphin Australia's Nacim Dilmi suggesting after his victory that a trip to Royal Ascot in June could now be on the cards.

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