Seven Days | Horse Racing Free Tips

Seven Days: Abundance

Can we have too much of a good thing? When it comes to racing in the spring the answer is almost certainly not, but the rapidity with which all the decent action takes place can make it difficult to take it all in. For example, in the last 11 days we have had three Derby favourites. First the horse who had held that honour all winter, Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was then replaced by his stable-mate Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), all the rage after his Derby Trial victory at Leopardstown following the defection of Luxembourg from Epsom. But Stone Age held his position for only four days before he was pipped by the Dante S. winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), about whom the dogs had apparently been howling that Sir Michael Stoute was on his way to claim the Derby for a sixth time, 41 years after Shergar (Ire) galloped his way into the history books.

By Derby day itself, Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) will almost certainly shorten merely for the fact that Frankie Dettori has been booked to ride him, but there is plenty to suggest that he would not be unworthy of that support. We'll see.

In the meantime, thoughts have turned to the Prix du Jockey Club, a great stopgap between the Guineas and Derby since its distance was shortened to 2,100m back in 2005. On Sunday, Charlie Appleby said of his Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), “I always had it in the back of my mind that he might be a French Derby horse.” With that colt having become the first British-trained winner of the race for 17 years, it would be no surprise to see him attempt to emulate the last one, Shamardal, by snaring a French Classic double. It would also help to alleviate one problem faced by Appleby in attempting to keep Modern Games, Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) apart. But let's face it, as problems go, it's high on the first-world list.

Jean-Claude Rouget has also been waxing lyrical about the Prix des Suresnes winner Al Hakeem (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), drawing flattering comparisons to Sottsass (Ire), and seemingly not just for the very similar pattern of his breeding. Then there is the good-looking Lassaut (Fr), from the first crop of Jockey Club winner Almanzor (Fr), whose running-on fifth in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains can be regarded as a decent trial for June 5.

It would also be folly to overlook the claims of G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Onesto (Ire), the colt by Frankel (GB) who returned to Europe after being an unlikely candidate for a Florida breeze-up sale. But he breezed with ease, earning himself a $535,000 price tag and a place in Fabrice Chappet's Chantilly stable. We'll be hearing more about Onesto later this week in TDN, but a viewing of him during Chappet's second lot on Monday morning was enough to leave a strong impression that he is a horse with a perfect temperament for the big day.

Mosse Pockets His Plans

The indefatigable Gerald Mosse, impeccably bedecked in his trademark white gloves and a silver brooch of two horses' head at the collar of his silks, rode his 15th French Classic winner at Longchamp on Sunday. It was his first since winning the Prix du Jockey Club on Reliable Man (GB) in 2011.

Of his latest, Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), he said, “She really kicked strongly and fought all the way to the line. She kept something in the pocket for the end.”

Mangoustine was not the only one. The 55-year-old jockey has already passed the necessary exams to start a secondary career as a trainer but, understandably after the elation of his second win in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches following Zalaiyka (Fr) (Royal Academy) 24 years ago, he said thoughts of retirement are far from his mind.

“For now I'll keep my training licence in my pocket,” added Mosse.

Born To Run

Somewhat unusually, four of the top five lots at last year's Arqana Breeding Stock Sale have remained in training this season, and three of them have enjoyed a real purple patch of late.

On Saturday, Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), the sale-topper at €3 million, made a triumphant comeback in her new home country of America, where she was the impressive victrix of the GIII Beaugay S. for Peter Brant, Michael Tabor and trainer Chad Brown.

Brant and Brown also teamed up with Speak Of The Devil (Fr) Wootton Bassett {GB}), a €1.95 million purchase, to win the GII Longines Churchill Distaff S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Meanwhile Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), now six, has remained in training in France with Gianluca Bietolini for her new owner Haras de Hus, and she has added the Listed Prix Zarkava and G3 Prix Allez France to her tally of wins this season.

The World's Gone Mad

It would be churlish to present a round-up of the action of the past week and not mention the mighty Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who won his third G2 Yorkshire Cup. It seems extraordinary that the horse who last week set a new European record for the number of Group wins (18) should have an invisible question mark hanging over him with regard to his future stud career.

Too small and the wrong colour for a National Hunt stallion, some say, but frankly that option shouldn't even be in the reckoning. Wouldn't it be refreshing if a son of one of the best horses most of us have ever seen, from a Wildenstein dynasty deep with talent, who has proved his own abundant ability and soundness year after year, be afforded the respect he deserves by Flat breeders. After all, who among us would not love to race a horse such as this?

Too much to ask? Let's hope not.

Titannia Upholds Family Honour

Two years ago we noted the Danish Classic double of Tassmania (Den), the filly whose existence is largely owing to her dam Transsylvania (Den) (Le Havre {Ire}) having won a nomination to Sir Percy (GB) as part of her prize for landing the Listed Lanwades Stud S. in Norway in 2015.

Transsylvania's owner/breeders Dean and Mette Olsen duly bred her to Sir Percy, resulting in victory in the Danish 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas for her daughter Tassmania. Now the family is at it again.

Transsylvania's current 3-year-old Titannia (Den), by Appel Au Maitre (Fr), won the Danish 1000 Guineas on May 7 and is now poised to attempt to emulate her half-sister by taking on the colts. The filly, who was retained by the Olsens, also provided Lars Kelp with his first Classic victory since returning to the training ranks with just five horses under his care.

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Seven Days: Sharing The Joy

The first Classics of the year are in the book: four in total, in Britain and Italy. Charlie Appleby sends out major winners with such metronomic regularity that it is easy to forget that there was a time when the Godolphin blue silks were a scarcity in Classic fields.

Having gone so close in last year's 2000 Guineas with Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was narrowly denied by the Jim Bolger-trained Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), Appleby left nothing to chance this year when aiming both barrels at the Rowley Mile and firing in a one-two with Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Though the second-favourite overturned the favourite, for the Godolphin team that was very much the right result, the winner being a homebred by the operation's beloved flag-bearer Dubawi and a member of a family which has brought repeated success for Sheikh Mohammed. That includes two Dubai World Cups courtesy of Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}), a half-brother to Coroebus's dam First Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). The 2000 Guineas was just the first of an extraordinary run of success for Teofilo as a broodmare sire over the weekend. He popped up again as the damsire of 1000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), just 40 minutes after he filled the same role in the breeding of Ed Walker's G2 Dahlia S. winner Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

Fifteen years ago, Teofilo's own Classic season spluttered to a halt without ever really getting started. Having finished the previous season as champion 2-year-old in Europe, a tendon problem ruled him out of the 2000 Guineas, and his trainer and breeder Jim Bolger eventually retired him in August with just his juvenile credentials to his name as he joined the Darley roster. But what credentials they were, representing a faultless progression through the summer of 2006, from maiden, to Listed and Group 2 success, followed by a brace of Group 1s, both at the expense of Coolmore's Holy Roman Emperor (Ire).

At stud, Teofilo has never quite had the flashy profile of some of his major rivals in the stallion list, which include of course his own over-achiever of a sire, Galileo (Ire). But as we have discussed in these pages before, Teofilo has steadily compiled an admirable record, with 22 Group 1 winners worldwide, and as every proper stallion should become as they age, he is now a force to be reckoned with as a broodmare sire. His three Classic winners in this sphere include the Bolger-bred Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}).

Though Teofilo is not represented by many sons at stud, it is worth nothing that the speedy Havana Gold (Ire) has already notched three stakes winners this season–among the British-based sires only Dubawi and Frankel (GB) have had more–and Havana Gold's son Havana Grey (GB) is currently the co-leader with Sioux Nation in the freshman sires' table with four winners apiece.

Riotous Response For Cachet

The 1000 Guineas winner Cachet turns out to have been very well named. Her antics have not only brought her much respect and distinction, but also for her trainer George Boughey, for whom she was a first Classic winner in only his third full season with a licence. She is not the first to have demonstrated Boughey's prowess, of course. Mystery Angel (Ire) became the trainer's first black-type winner exactly a year earlier when landing the Listed Pretty Polly S. and, after being boldly supplemented for the Oaks, she ran a mighty race to be second to Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Cachet only had to leave her back gate at Saffron House Stables and stroll across Southfields to land the biggest victory of her career to date, but some longer-distance travel may soon be required again.

“She makes my job very easy,” Boughey told TDN on Monday. “She has always been sound, she eats up and trains. She's very hard to fault because she's so willing. I had a long chat to Jake Warren and Harry Herbert and it's almost not doing her justice to not consider another Guineas.

“The French Guineas might just suit her a bit better than Ireland and she loves her racing. I've never thought I've over-raced her. I'm sure some people would say that they thought I have, but she loves it and I think we are going to consider the French Guineas before Royal Ascot.”

Six of Cachet's ten starts have come on her neighbouring racecourses in Newmarket, but she has already made overseas trips to Longchamp and to Del Mar, when she was fourth, beaten only a length, in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Boughey added, “It's a long year and I quite want to end up in the Breeders' Cup again. For me, having a Breeders' Cup winner is perhaps my biggest career goal. Of course everyone wants to win the Derby but travelling horses is something I really want to do, and we've done it with a degree of success already to France.”

He added of his home track, “The good thing about racing at Newmarket is that they're back in their box in an hour. She's had two runs [this season], and obviously [the 1000 Guineas] was a hard race, but the run before was like a racecourse gallop. She hardly did a stroke. It's a big advantage being here.”

The Newmarket faithful certainly gave Boughey and Cachet a rousing return to the winner's enclosure on Sunday. The Rowley Mile can sometimes lack atmosphere but that was not the case after the 1000 Guineas, when the sense of collective joy was infectious.

“I've never known a reception like it,” said the trainer. “It was almost like Best Mate winning a third Gold Cup. My biggest task now is trying to get through my messages. I've got 400 to read still. All my family was there yesterday–aunts, uncles, brother, sisters, cousins, mum, dad, it was amazing. That was probably where quite a lot of the noise came from.”

A lot of the noise also came from the 20 members of the Highclere Racing Syndicate which owns Cachet. As one of the Coolmore contingent mentioned as he passed by the winner's enclosure, a major winner for a syndicate is a superb result for racing's broader appeal, as that joy was multiplied and shared by so many.

“That's the families of all those owners celebrating now, and it's great to see,” he said.

With one riotously happy weekend stored in the memory banks to sustain them through the darker months of winters, the smiling riders of George Boughey's string pulled out on Monday morning as usual. It may have been a Bank Holiday in Britain but the work never stops in a racing stable, even if it started a little later than usual, with eyes a bit blearier following the previous night's celebrations. The trainer was back in his usual spot atop Warren Hill, keenly observing his string as they completed a steady canter. As he drove back down the Moulton Road, he received a cheery wave of congratulation from fellow trainer Chris Wall, cycling by.

Chatting to TDN a little later on, the equable Boughey confessed, “I never thought I'd have one like her in a lifetime. The first horse I bought, I made Sam Haggas buy me something to try to win a classified race, so it's come a long way for sure.”

That was only in 2019. Boughey has indeed come a long way. He'll go farther still, for sure.

Acclaim For Aclaim

There has been plenty of interest in the offspring of Time Test (GB) at recent sales but he has been firmly usurped by his National Stud mate Aclaim (Ire) in the second-crop sires' race. A Group 1-winning son of Acclamation (GB) from the family of Montjeu (Ire), Aclaim is the first of that intake to sire a Group 1 winner this year. Cachet remains his sole black-type winner, but his first crop also contains the Group 2-placed Jacinda (GB), and he has the clearly highly regarded Royal Aclaim (Ire) entered for both the G1 King's Stand S. and the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Trained by James Tate, Royal Aclaim is on the comeback trail since her sole run at Newcastle in May 2021, three weeks after graduating from the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up Sale with a price tag of 60,000gns, the same amount paid by Highclere for Cachet at the earlier Craven Sale. We may have seen nothing of Royal Aclaim since her maiden victory but she had some pretty smart horses behind her that day, notably the subsequent dual Group 1 winner Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) and the Listed winner and multiple Group-placed Fearby (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}).

Like Dark Angel (Ire) and Mehmas (Ire) before him, Aclaim could yet prove to be another influential member of the expanding line of one of Northern Dancer's less heralded sons, Try My Best, through grandson Royal Applause (GB). The latter remains in luxurious retirement at The Royal Studs in Sandringham at the age of 29.

On The Attack

In Rome on Sunday, the Endo Botti-trained Swipe Up (Ire) rather appropriately became the 50th group winner for Teofilo's old friend Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) when landing the G3 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas). Bred by George Kent at Knockenduff Stud and sold for just £6,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, she was followed home, at a five-length distance, by another daughter of the same sire, Nonna Ercolina (Ire). Another Coolmore stallion Highland Reel (Ire) provided the third home, Atamisque (Ire), to bring up an Irish-bred trifecta.

In the Italian 2000 Guineas, the G3 Premio Parioli, the winner See Hector (Ger) represented, like Cachet, another European second-season sire in Counterattack (Aus). The son of Redoute's Choice (Aus) may be less familiar to European breeders as he did all of his racing in Australia, where he won a Group 3 sprint and earned three Group 1 placings. Bred on the same Redoute's Choice-Snippets cross as Australian supersire Snitzel (Aus) and a half-brother to the Dane Shadow-sired Group 1 winners Red Tracer (Aus) and Shellscrape (Aus), Counterattack joined the Faust family's Gestut Karlshof in 2018. He was represented by his first stakes winner, Pirouz (Ger), in the Listed Premio Emanuele Filiberto, a trial for the Derby Italiano, in Milan on Saturday. This was swiftly followed by his first group success with See Hector, both winners having been bred by Gestut Karlshof.

“It's extraordinary. We're very happy to see Counterattack have a Classic winner in his first crop, especially as he has only 20 to 25 horses in training,” said Holger Faust, the racing manager for See Hector's owner Cometica Ag and whose parents run Gestut Karlshof.

He added, “We were looking for a son of Redoute's Choice. Back in the days when Counterattack started at our place Redoute's Choice was the sire of 11 stallions who have produced a Group 1 winner, and now I think that number is 15. We are very keen to stand stallions by a good sire of sires. In our opinion that is very important.”

He added, “So Redoute's Choice was one factor, but the other was that Counterattack ran 27 times in three years, so he was tough. Also it was a question of quality, because the Australians maybe have the best sprinters in the world. Last but not least, on his dam side, he is a brother to two Group 1 winners. The fact also that he is out of a Snippets mare made it more and more exciting.”

Along with See Hector, potential forthcoming runners for Counterattack in Classics in Germany and Italy include Pirouz, Open Skies (Ger), and Zandjan (Ger), who broke his maiden in Munich on Saturday.

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Seven Days: Bringing Out The Big Guns

A few weeks ago the bookmaker Fitzdares made Dubawi (Ire) favourite to be champion sire this year for the first time, and perhaps no horse deserves it more than Darley's utterly dependable 20-year-old. However, the race to the top will not be easy, particularly judging by the apparent strength in depth of the challenge of Frankel's offspring for this year's major races.

Though the reigning champion, as well as the Gosden stable and owner-breeders Cheveley Park Stud, were dealt a blow by the withdrawal of Inspiral (GB) from Sunday's QIPCO 1000 Guineas, the season is but young. The G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot now seems to be the favoured target for Inspiral's reappearance, and naturally she also holds entries for the Irish 1000 Guineas and the Oaks.

In the meantime, Frankel has not been short of promising 3-year-olds to represent him in the past week, with a number of them signalling the blossoming of the Gosden yard, which had been a little slower to spring to life this season compared to last. The six winners from Clarehaven Stables over the last seven days included a Saturday double from Nashwa (GB) and Magisterial (GB), both by Frankel and both with Epsom on their agenda.

Nashwa represents the 'Cracksman cross' of Frankel on Pivotal (GB), the filly's dam, Princess Loulou (Ire) having been bought as a yearling from breeder David Brown of Furnace Mill Stud for 310,000gns. Having raced for the partnership of Imad Al Sagar and Saleh Al Homaizi, finishing runner-up in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet and then landing the Listed Gillies Fillies' S. on her final start, Princess Loulou is now wholly owned by Al Sagar. The Kuwaiti owner-breeder has continued to be a significant solo presence among the British ranks and earlier this year bolstered his team at Blue Diamond Stud with the appointments of Teddy Grimthorpe and Ted Voute. Nashwa's odds quartered for the Oaks following her facile win on Saturday, and she would be fully deserving of a place at Epsom in a bid to give her owner his chance of celebrating a third Classic success following Authorized (Ire) in the Derby and Araafa (Ire) in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

Owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen has made no secret of how he yearns to win the Derby, and he has a potential candidate this year in Magisterial, the Frankel colt out of Hoity Toity (GB) (Darshaan {GB}). Epsom omens can be found not too far away in his pedigree as Magisterial's half-sister Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) is the dam of the 2016 Oaks heroine Minding (Ire), by Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire), and indeed that mighty racemare's full-sister Tuesday (Ire) is currently favourite for this year's Oaks following her maiden win at Naas in March.

A Day At The Races

Second-favourite to Tuesday in the Oaks betting following the most visually impressive performance of last week is another Gosden trainee, Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Bred under a foal-share arrangement between her sire's owner, the Tsuis' Sunderland Holdings, and Lordship Stud, the statuesque filly was let go as a yearling for 60,000gns at October Book 2. She now has two wins to her name from two starts, and carried seven pounds more than her 11 rivals on Friday for her initial victory at Wolverhampton last November, which makes her nine-and-a-half-length win even more noteworthy.

“Not many horses take my breath away,” said Frankie Dettori after dismounting from Emily Upjohn, who takes her name from a character in the Marx Brothers film A Day At The Races and hails from the immediate family of Sea The Stars's Derby winner Harzand (Ire). The jockey, who would know better than anyone, added ominously, “Enable was big and it never stopped her.”

John Gosden has won the Oaks three times in the last eight years, starting with another daughter of Sea The Stars, Taghrooda (Ire). The stable looks well placed to add Thady Gosden's name to a Classic roll of honour this season, even without Inspiral lining up this Sunday at Newmarket.

Frankel Abounds

Godolphin weren't exactly short of Derby entries, with 13 remaining in the list, but that number was boosted by one last Tuesday when a rare well-bred colt without an entry, Nahanni (GB)–yep, you've guessed it, another son of Frankel–landed the 'win and you're in' Listed Cazoo Blue Riband Trial at Epsom. Out of a Street Cry (Ire) half-sister to Godolphin's St Leger winner Mastery (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}), Nahanni is already a winner over the Derby distance, but at least four of his Charlie Appleby stable-mates remain ahead of him in the betting.

Friday's G3 Classic Trial at Sandown went the way of yet another Frankel, the Juddmonte homebred Westover (GB), who narrowly came out on top after a tussle with Cash (Ire) (Shamardal). Trained by Ralph Beckett, Westover is a full-brother to Monarchs Glen (GB), one of Frankel's earliest stakes winners. Their dam Mirabilis (Lear Fan)–a Grade III winner in 2006 for the man whom Frankel was named–is a half-sister to the G1 Prix de Diane winner Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat).

It was disappointing to see only three runners for the G3 Gordon Richards S. on Sandown's Friday card and, with two of those being by Frankel, it was no surprise to see him with yet another back-type victor to his credit. This time it was his 4-year-old son Mostahdaf (GB), owned and bred by Shadwell, and it was another good result for the resurgent Gosden stable, which was also previously home to Mostahdaf's dual Group 1-winning half-sister Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

Mountain High

Among a potentially strong team of older horses for Frankel this season is Kirsten Rausing's treble Group 1 winner Alpinista (GB), who looks set to return in the G1 Coronation Cup, in which she could face last year's Derby winner Adayar (Ire), who shares her sire.

Alpinista was the first foal of her dam Alwilda (GB), a Listed-winning daughter of the late Lanwades sire Hernando (Fr) and Albanova (GB) (Alzao), who, like her grand-daughter, also won three Group 1 races in Germany.

Alwilda's second foal, a 3-year-old filly named Alpenblume (GB) (Kendargent {Fr}), has been entrusted by her breeder to second-season Chantilly trainer and old family friend Tim Donworth, who on Sunday sent the filly out to win on debut at Le Pin au Haras.

Interestingly, Scandinavian legend cites Alwilda as a princess-turned-pirate, and she was the inspiration for the tragic poem Il Re Torrismondo, by Torquato Tasso. Food for thought for future mating plans when last year's Arc winner retires to stud.

Ascot Pointers

While Frankel's runners have been dominating the news this week, the name currently at the head of the general sires' list in Europe is Dark Angel (Ire), and he was represented by a hotly anticipated runner on Thursday when Battaash's full-brother The Antarctic (Ire) overcame a little unrest in the stalls to win well on debut for Aidan O'Brien.

The colt, out of Anna Law (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), was the first of two winners on the Tipperary card for his breeder Ballyphilip Stud. The second came in the following race when Messa Concertata (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), who is also out of a Lawman mare, took the 3-year-old maiden for Joseph Murphy.

While it seems fair to assume that O'Brien will be aiming The Antarctic towards Royal Ascot, one of his winners last week who confirmed his ticket to Berkshire was New York City (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who has the G1 Commonwealth Cup on his agenda after winning the Listed Committed S. at Navan. Both Aidan and Joseph O'Brien will now be high on the Christmas card list for the Cantillon family of Tinnakill House, who bred New York City from the G1 Falmouth S. winner Rajeem (GB) (Diktat {GB}), whom they purchased from Darley for €26,000 in 2015. Earlier that year the mare had foaled subsequent G2 Duke Of York S. winner Invincible Army (Ire), a full-brother to New York City who is now at Yeomanstown Stud alongside Dark Angel. The Tinnakill team also bred Joseph O'Brien's globetrotting stable star State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), winner of the G1 Cox Plate and GI Saratoga Derby.

A True Gem

Moyglare Stud has enjoyed a decent start to the season, with Group 3 winner Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who remains in the picture for Sunday's 1000 Guineas, and first-time-out juvenile winner Tough Talk (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). Better still, on Saturday Eva Bucher-Haefner's operation had the first two home in the Listed Vintage Crop S with full-siblings, the third-generation homebreds Kyprios (Ire) and Search For A Song (Ire), both by Galileo and aged four and six respectively.

They are but two of eight black-type winners for their dam Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill), two of whom, Search For A Song and Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), are Group 1 winners. Now a true blue hen for Moyglare, Polished Gem's sole win in five starts came in a Leopardstown maiden, and she was outshone on the track by her full-sister, the GI Matriarch S. winner Dress To Thrill (Ire), who won six stakes races and was runner-up in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. Less fortunate at stud, however, Dress To Thrill left six foals, only two of whom won, before she died as an 11-year-old.

Another of their siblings, Trust In Luck (Ire) (Nashwan), features as the grand-dam of the G1 National S. winner Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

Chez Pierre Remains Unbeaten

Mehmas (Ire) hasn't put a foot wrong since retiring to Tally-Ho Stud, and has been both the leading first- and second-crop sire in Europe. His statistics in the U.S. make for interesting reading, too, albeit from a small sample to date, though it's easy to see that changing in the coming years, especially with the renewed participation of American buyers at European yearling sales.

Over the weekend, Chez Pierre (Fr), who was unbeaten in France when trained by Francis Graffard, has kept a clean sheet since being sold to race in the States, winning at Tampa Bay in March before landing his first stakes success in the Listed Henry S Clark S. at Laurel Park for Lael Stables and trainer Arnaud Delacour.

Chez Pierre is the third black-type winner in America for Mehmas following GI Del Mar Oaks victrix Going Global (Ire), who is a winning machine across the Atlantic with six graded stakes to her name, and the listed winner Quatroelle (Ire).

Malavath (Ire), who has to have a decent chance of giving Mehmas his first Classic winner in Sunday's 1000 Guineas, was second in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, while Tetragonal (Ire), Keeper Of Time (Ire) and Optimising (Ire) are also stakes placed. In total, of Mehmas's 14 runners in America, eight have won.

Rogue In Vogue

There aren't too many Dubawi fillies who change hands for 35,000gns, but that was the price paid for Rogue Millennium (Ire), who was bought by Billy Jackson-Stops on behalf of trainer Tom Clover and owners The Rogues Gallery from the Shadwell draft last December.

In a good week for the Newmarket trainer, the 3-year-old out of the G3 Cumberland Lodge S. winner Hawaafez (GB) (Nayef) made her debut at Wetherby and hinted at a bright future ahead with a decisive win. Her page also has plenty of depth to it, featuring Group 1 winners Moonlight Cloud (GB), Generous (Ire) and Imagine (Ire).

It wasn't only the Clover stable celebrating the victory as Robbie Mills of RMM Bloodstock consigns Rogue Millennium's half-sister by Awtaad (Ire) to this week's Guineas Breeze-up Sale at Tattersalls as Lot 315. With a perfectly-timed update, let's hope she posts a similarly well-timed breeze on the Rowley Mile on Tuesday morning.

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Seven Days: Advance Appleby Fair

As statements of intent go, the results for Charlie Appleby's stable over recent weeks speak loudly as to his determination to retain the trainers' championship in 2022.

Twenty-three runners have emerged from Moulton Paddocks in the last fortnight, and 13 of them have returned home as winners, most importantly Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), the champion 2-year-old in Europe last year whose triumph return in the G3 Craven S. got the season off on a proper footing.

Of that baker's dozen, four were by the trainer's reliable old friend Dubawi (Ire), whose name must feature more than any other on doorcards around Moulton Paddocks. Appleby does seemingly have a new best friend, though, in Frankel (GB). The Juddmonte star played a hugely important role in helping the trainer to his first championship, just as he sealed his own first sires' championship with Godolphin's Derby-winning duo of Adayar (Ire) and Hurricane Lane (Ire) in the vanguard.

Frankel's offspring are appearing increasingly frequently in the royal blue silks, with his daughter Wild Beauty having won the G3 Fred Darling S. at Newbury, where the colt Natural World–bred on the same Frankel-Dubawi cross as Adayar–impressed on debut. In Tuesday's Cazoo Blue Riband Trial at Epsom, Appleby will saddle another son of Frankel, Nahanni (GB), the easy winner of a 1m4f novice contest at Leicester earlier this month.

As we await the return of Adayar in the Coronation Cup and Hurricane Lane in the Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot, in the wings Appleby has another 10 Frankel juveniles listed in training, including Adayar's full-brother named Military Order (Ire).

Those few people on course in the early morning last Wednesday witnessed the racecourse gallop of Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who swerved the Greenham S., with his trainer's reasoning being that he wanted to remain at Newmarket with the colt who has won on each of the town's two courses but has never run elsewhere. The guessing game now begins as to whether Coroebus might be able to overhaul his stable-mate Native Trail in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas after the latter became the third Craven S. winner for Appleby in the last four runnings of the race, following Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Breezing Into Contention

One young racegoer who was perhaps as thrilled as Charlie Appleby to see Native Trail return in such fine style was Josh Williamson, the son of Norman and Janet Williamson who sold the unbeaten colt through their Oak Tree Farm draft at the 2021 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale a year to the day before his victory in the Craven itself.

The 15-year-old schoolboy certainly has the pedigree to be a decent rider, and indeed he was entrusted to be aboard Native Trail for much of his work leading up to the sale. It was touching to see Josh's input into the horse's early career acknowledged by Appleby as he strode into the winner's enclosure and immediately went over to shake his hand and congratulate him.

We're betwixt breeze-up sales at the moment, with the Craven completed last week, and the horses for the Goffs UK Sale on Thursday set to breeze at Doncaster on Tuesday. That sector of the market could hardly have had a better advertisement than the results on course over the last week.

Not only did Native Trail fly the flag, but so too did Highclere Racing's G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), as well as the G3 Greenham S. winner Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), who was bred, like the runner-up Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), by the seemingly unstoppable force that is Tally-Ho Stud. These followed the previous week's G3 Prix Imprudence victory of Malavath (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), another Tally-Ho-bred breezer who appears to be on course for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Yet another Tally-Ho star graduate kept the ball rolling over the weekend when the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) returned for her 4-year-old debut at Keeneland with a classy win in the Listed Giant's Causeway S. Once again, trainer Wesley Ward looks to have been dealt a strong hand for his annual Royal Ascot challenge, with Campanelle being pointed towards the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. and the free-running speedball Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) heading to the G1 King's Stand S.–and that's before we consider Ward's juvenile contenders.

Trainers In Form

It should be noted that there are currently two Applebys in the top four in the British trainers' ranks, the other being Michael Appleby, no relation to Charlie and narrowly ahead of him following another excellent winter campaign which saw him crowned champion all-weather trainer for the fourth year in a row. Based in Leicestershire, Michael Appleby's stable may not feature as many bluebloods as some of his rivals in the table, but over the last decade it has become an operation which should be taken very seriously indeed, with Michael surpassing the 100-winner mark for the first time in 2021. Expect more of the same this time around.

Another trainer to have enjoyed a good week was Roger Varian, whose statuesque Eydon (GB) was a rare winner for the veteran Olden Times (GB) in the Listed Feilden S. at Newmarket. Having broken his maiden in some style on his third start, Eydon, whose name is taken from Eydon Hall Farm where he was born and raised, has the Classics on his agenda.

“I did worry when we named him that it could be a disaster,” said Prince Faisal's racing and bloodstock manager Ted Voute with a grin after the colt romped to a comfortable victory at Newmarket.

Olden Times, now 24 and the winner of the G1 Prix Jean Prat for the owner/breeder, has had several homes during his stud career but has been at Throckmorton Court Stud for the last five years, where he is essentially used as a private stallion by the prince.

Voute added, “We bred a mare to him the other day. We're sending him two mares this year and hoping for fillies.”

Varian was also represented at the Craven meeting by the Godolphin-bred maiden winner Ameynah (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who holds a 1000 Guineas entry, while last season's G2 Champagne S. winner Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) will head straight to either Newmarket or ParisLongchamp for a Classic attempt without taking in a trial.

Ameynah wasn't the smartest daughter of Exceed And Excel on the Rowley Mile last week, however, as the Chris Wall-trained Double Or Bubble (Ire) took the G3 Abernant S. for owner/breeder Salah Fustok of Deerfield Farm. Lightly-raced for a 5-year-old, Double Or Bubble has done little wrong during her 11 starts, only ever finishing out of the first two twice, and winning five times, including last year's Listed Flying Fillies' S at Pontefract.

Wall, one of the most under-rated trainers in Newmarket who also trained this mare's full-sister, the G3 Chartwell Fillies' S. winner Mix And Mingle (Ire), outlined that after an “old school” winter being turned out back at Deerfield, Double Or Bubble has both strengthened and quickened. He is considering the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. for the mare's next start.

My Oh My

My Titania (Ire) already owns a footnote in history as the first stakes winner for her illustrious sire Sea The Stars (Ire) back in 2013, and as a broodmare she has had a fruitful week thanks to her first three foals, all of whom are trained by William Haggas for the Tsui family.

The first off the production line, 5-year-old My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), won the All-Weather Mile Championships at Newcastle on Good Friday having finished a respectable sixth in a competitive running of the G1 Dubai Turf on March 26. The mare's 3-year-old, My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), was a winner at the second time of asking in a Newbury maiden on Saturday and could head next for the Listed Heron S. at Sandown in May.

Meanwhile, 4-year-old My Astra (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) picked up another slice of black type when third in the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S. at Kempton. A lateish starter during July of last year, she won her first two races before finishing runner-up in the Listed Prix Solitude. There's surely more to come from this lightly-raced filly, who holds a G2 Dahlia S. entry on Guineas weekend.

Hit And Mist For Kildaragh

Also featuring prominently among the results of the last seven days is the Kavanagh family's Kildaragh Stud, most notably as the breeder of the winner of the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S., Roman Mist (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). The 4-year-old provided her young trainer Tom Ward with his first stakes victory when winning in the colours of Hot To Trot Racing.

Last Thursday, a brace of Kildaragh Stud graduates, both 3-year-olds by Churchill (Ire), returned to winner's enclosures of Newmarket and Ripon respectively. Tuscan (Ire), who struck last year at Thirsk for John and Jess Dance, took the British EBF Conditions S. for Charlie Hills, and this was followed less than an hour later by victory for the Richard-Fahey-trained Blenheim Boy (Ire) in the Cock o' the North H.

Meanwhile Roderick Kavanagh, son of Kildaragh owners Peter and Antoinette, had a successful week with his Glending Stables draft at the Craven Breeze-up Sale, selling all four horses for an average of 87,500gns.

Horton Won't Hear A Who

The well-liked James Horton left his position as Sir Michael Stoute's long-term assistant last year to start training in his own right for John and Jess Dance at Manor House Farm in Middleham, the birthplace of the Derby winner Dante. And on Monday, Horton ensured that his name will soon be widely known by announcing his presence on British racing's stage with his first three winners all on the same afternoon at Redcar.

The first came in the opening race, a novice event won by Phantom Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), who had finished runner-up on debut on March 25 as the trainer's first runner. Horton was back for more in the fourth and fifth races on the card, winning with Il Bandito (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and Asjad (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}). He also came close to securing a four-timer when Ghost Rider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) finished second by half a length at Wolverhampton.

On a day to remember for the trainer and owners, John Dance also announced on Twitter on Monday that his superstar mare Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) produced her second foal, a filly by Kingman (GB), overnight.

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