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Power-Packed Premier Sale Kicks Off

The opening hour of last week's Yorkshire Oaks card was about as good as it gets for a sales firm just days out from its flagship stand. Thirty-five minutes before Goffs UK was firmly in the spotlight with the running of its time-honoured Premier Yearling S., Premier Yearling Sale graduate Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never) provided a welcome introduction with victory in the G2 Lowther S. Bought for what now feels like a staggering bargain (£20,000) last summer, Zain Claudette has won three of her first four starts including two group races and has compiled earnings of £123,411 for owner Saeed H Al Tayer and trainer Ismail Mohammed.

Ever Given (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) cost the Dandy Boys £40,000 last September, but he proved that was money well spent when taking home the lion's share of the £200,000 purse of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale S., pushing his account to £118,897.

The latest renewal of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale begins on Tuesday and concludes on Wednesday, with 400 yearlings set to go under the hammer. The Silver Yearling Sale will immediately follow the Premier on Wednesday, with 90 commercial yearlings set to sell.

Michael Owen has been a staunch supporter of the Premier Sale in recent years, and in the aftermath of his syndicate the Dandy Boys winning the Goffs UK Premier Yearling S. with Ever Given, Owen confirmed he would be back shopping this week. And he comes armed with a £34,007 voucher, thanks to the new 'Premier Prizes' incentives attached to the race for the first time this year. The Premier Prizes include a voucher for a 'free horse' for the race's winning owner-a voucher of value equal to the average of the prior year's Premier sale-plus a day of hospitality at York Racecourse, and a free six-month rental of a horse box for the winning trainer, in this case Tom Dascombe.

“When we are talking about ways to improve racing, ultimately it all comes down to owners,” said Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent. “The Goffs UK Premier Yearling S. is often targeted by the leading syndicates. Happy Romance won the race last year and the owners of Happy Romance were first-time owners, and it was a great story. So we thought, 'how do we add a bit more to that race to try to incentivize ownership?' We felt this was a way to bring people back in and hopefully help those syndicates. Not only does [the race winner] have a good 2-year-old, they now also have the chance to buy another one for the following year.”

Kent said he hopes the added incentives now attached to the sale race will encourage buyers to have an extra bid or two.

“Hopefully it causes people to think a bit differently,” he said. “The race has been very popular, and some good horses have won it: the likes of Acclamation, Dark Angel and Wootton Bassett are the headline horses for it. Hopefully it has something for everyone and gets people thinking a bit differently.”

The Goffs UK Premier Yearling S., of course, is just one reason for buyers to shop the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale: others include the numerous Royal Ascot 2-year-olds, Group 1-winning sprinters and Classic winners, like the six-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), to have emanated from the sale's ranks. This year has proven another very fruitful one for Premier graduates on the track, its star graduates in addition to the aforementioned Zain Claudette including Dream Of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead), the popular winner of the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. after twice finishing second in the race; Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), last year's sale race winner who has won a pair of Group 3 sprints since; Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}), last year's G2 Prix du Calvados winner who was third in the G1 1000 Guineas; Mystery Angel (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), the Listed Pretty Polly S. winner who was second in the G1 Oaks and, like Fev Rover, was bought here by Nick Bradley; and multiple group-winning 3-year-old sprinter and Royal Ascot victor Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}). Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) also won last autumn's G1 Middle Park S. From last year's sale, there are currently more than 50 individual 2-year-old winners.

“It's been another good year on the racetrack and that's what this sale is all about,” Kent said. “It's less about the pedigree and more about the type of the horse. Buyers want to get there and see a ready-made racehorse. That's what people expect when they come to us and that's certainly what plays out on the racecourse. We've had a very good year, we've had some good winners and good runners and hopefully there is more of the same to come. People come to Doncaster expecting to see a certain type of horse and we're confident those in are play.”

While, as Kent alluded to, there will be numerous star graduates to come from the sale that may not have lit up the catalogue page, there are nonetheless plenty of pedigrees in the book that fit the advertisement of fast, powerful racehorses. Those include lot 40, a Dark Angel (Ire) half-brother to G2 Coventry S. winner Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}); lot 57, a Kodiac (GB) half-brother to G3 Superior Mile scorer Balty Boys (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}); lot 88, a Hot Streak (Ire) half-sister to champion 3-year-old sprinter Total Gallery (Ire) (Namid {GB}); lot 125, a Showcasing (GB) son of the listed winner Fig Roll (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), already a stakes producer thanks to the G3 Prix d'Arenberg scorer Al Raya (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}); and lot 291, a full-brother to G2 Duchess of Cambridge and G3 Albany S. winner and G1 Cheveley Park S. second Illuminate (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

Describing the typical Donny yearling, Kent said, “It's going to be a 2-year-old, and it has to have a good walk; that's one thing people really want to see in a Doncaster yearling. It's got to be an athlete and it's got to be ready to go. It's got to show a bit of speed and it's likely to be running over sprint distances as a 2-year-old and may progress up to a mile as a 3-year-old, but really a mile is the maximum capacity for the sort of thing we're selling. They have to have a toughness and determination about them that means you can get the tack on them and get on with them and get running. They're not just whiz-bang 2-year-olds, but they're 2-year-olds that can give you a shot at Ascot and those big 2-year-old meetings and train on. Something like a Guineas horse would be what we'd like to aspire to in the future.”

There are yearlings catalogued, too, that fit that Classic profile, like lot 74, the Kingman (GB) filly out of G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner and G1 1000 Guineas third Daban (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}); lot 101, a Kingman (GB) colt out of G2 Kilboy Estate S. second Earring (Dansili {GB}), whose own dam Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and was second in the 1000 and Irish 1000 Guineas, the G1 Fillies' Mile and G1 Matron S.; lot 102, an Invincible Spirit (Ire) grandson of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Mehthaaf; and lot 169, a Lope De Vega (Ire) colt whose dam is a half-sister to G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. victress Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

Premier graduates are going on to success not only on the racecourse, but also in the breeding barn. Acclamation and his son Dark Angel, as well as Wootton Bassett, have been excellent ambassadors for the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale as sale race winners that have gone on to success at stud. Those looking to follow in their footsteps include Group 1-winning Premier graduates Advertise (GB), Golden Horde (GB) and Harry Angel (Ire). Champion sprinter Harry Angel, a son of Dark Angel, has five first-crop yearlings catalogued to this year's Premier sale.

“It's great to see them come full circle like that, to see a graduate of the sale's progeny coming through,” Kent said. “We've seen some lovely horses by Harry Angel, I've seen a couple lovely yearlings by him and I know my colleagues have done the same. He's an exciting one; he was a brilliant racehorse. Clive Cox did a wonderful job with him and hopefully he can continue that line going forward.

“If you look at what Acclamation has done, he's been a phenomenal stallion. Dark Angel has re-written the history books in many ways and to be honest, there aren't that many stallions in the world that are hotter than Wootton Bassett after his move from France to Ireland. It gives the whole team an immense amount of personal satisfaction that a horse that won our sales race can go on to win a Group 1 in France and has now been bought by one of the leading stallion operations in the world and has been given the very best chance at stud.”

The European yearling sale caravan rolls into its second sale of the season with vibes positive after the Arqana August Yearling Sale 10 days ago, and Kent's enthusiasm is palpable heading into Goffs UK's headline sale.

“It's the physical that really will get people going when they get here,” he said. “Whatever you see on the page, we think it will be even better in real life, and that's what is exciting us. We've seen videos and photographs of these horses and seen how they've improved since we saw them however many months ago. All of the nominations team have horses they think will top the sale, and we're having a bit of fun between us, telling each other that we're going to do better than our colleagues. It's great that we all have horses we're really excited about. They're a great bunch of physicals and these horses do what it says on the tin. It's athletic racehorses we're looking for and we think we've chosen almost 500 horses that fit that mould over two days and we're excited to show them to purchasers at Doncaster.”

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Donworth Joins The Chantilly Training Ranks

Among the current top ten trainers in France are two graduates of the Godolphin Flying Start course: Francis Graffard and Jerome Reynier. These are big footsteps in which to follow for the latest former Flying Start student to try his hand at training, and what sets Tim Donworth apart is that France is not his native country.

He was, however, born to a life with horses. The 27-year-old grew up on Round Hill Stud in Co Limerick, which is owned by his parents Bobby and Honora and has also been the birthplace of plenty of decent Thoroughbreds down the years, including dual Group 1 winner Rizeena (Ire) and the stallions Puissance De Lune (Ire) and Bow Creek (Ire).

“I'd be nowhere only for Round Hill, but I never really wanted to be a breeder,” says the Irishman, who will be up and running as a trainer in Chantilly from the start of September.

“I knew I could never be as good as my mum and dad at it, so I wanted to do my own thing and make my own name. When I got it out of my head that I was going to be a jockey, I always wanted to train. I always knew Ireland would be very hard as it's dominated by a couple of stables and it's just highly competitive. Training in France is, I suppose, a good example of how you just don't know where life is going to take you.”

A former point-to-point rider, Donworth's initial major racing foray outside Ireland was to the Newmarket stable of William Haggas, where he was pupil assistant alongside Michael Kent Jr, who is now training in partnership back home in Australia with Mick Price. While there he was lured to apply for the Flying Start apprenticeship and, having been accepted, he later completed a placement with another former Flying Starter-turned-trainer, Tom Morley. On completion of his course, Donworth was initially offered a job back in the United States assisting French ex-pat Christophe Clement, but fate intervened in the form of Clement's elder brother Nicolas, the doyen of the Chantilly training fraternity, who poached him to be his own assistant.

“Christophe had said he didn't need me until the spring when New York, Florida, and Keeneland are all in operation at the one time,” Donworth explains. “So I was very keen to do it, but I had four months without anything to do. Christophe organised for me to go to Chantilly for some more experience and then I guess after four or five months, Nicolas took it upon himself to try and nick me. So I never went back.”

One brother's loss then was another's gain, but Donworth clearly appreciated learning not just from one of the masters of the French scene, but also the chance to try to master the French language. In Chantilly, one can get by on a bit of Franglaise, but it was a different story when the Irishman headed south-west to broaden his experience with Jean-Claude Rouget in Pau.

“I couldn't speak French when I arrived. So it was a massive challenge and I love a challenge,” says Donworth. “I decided to stay and then when I went to Pau, I found I was speaking French all day every day because nobody spoke English, and with Mr Rouget I only ever had a relationship in French. So it got good thankfully, and now it's a sufficient level to run a business in the country.”

The aspiring trainer's year-long stint with Rouget was split between Pau and Deauville, and it is in the latter where Donworth has been hard at work recently, attempting to recruit youngsters to his stable from the yearling sales. For his solo business venture, he has returned to familiar territory in Chantilly and will be renting a portion of Clement's yard.

“I will have around 20 boxes to start with and hopefully with the room to expand as well,” he says. “I have 10 horses ready to come in and then I will probably have another three or four yearlings. I claimed a horse about two or three weeks ago that will run in October. I have another owner that is very into claimers, so I was lucky to find him. Then I have a 2-year-old for someone else that will be running straight away. I'm very lucky in that I had a background involved in breeding. So I was always going to sales, always meeting people.”

Donworth will of course be able to rely on some support from his parents, who were at the Arqana sale on the lookout for yearlings with French premiums, and he has also been sent a horse by long-term family friend Kirsten Rausing, who is currently enjoying a tremendous season with her homebred runners.

“She's a brilliant woman. She's been a massive support and always been good for advice my whole life,” says Donworth of the owner of Lanwades Stud.

He is also appreciative of the support shown to him by his former boss, with whom he will be involved in a new Franco-Irish racing club.

He adds, “Nicolas is head of the Trainers' Federation for a reason, because he's always been a man to get things done. He's a very well-respected trainer who won an Arc when he was probably younger than me. He knows what he's doing and he's always had a very good reputation for helping young people, just like Christophe in the States. Between Nicolas and Christophe, they've had some top-class people pass through their hands, so I guess I'm lucky to be part of that Clement family fraternity.”

Donworth continues, “I was his assistant for two years and I don't want people to be confused and think that we are training together. We're very separate operations, but at the same time, Nicolas has been a bit of a role model for me. So I'm delighted to be in his yard, delighted to have him there for advice if I ever needed it.

“Nicolas is setting up a racing club and he's been very kind to say he's going to give me half of the horses. I think the plan is to buy four to six horses. For an owner buying into it, it's a good mixture because you have someone with an awful lot of experience. Then you have a young guy who's very ambitious. I want to take over the world, whether I can do it or not, nobody knows, but we'll give it a go.”

Donworth may have long-term plans for world domination but he is keeping his immediate expectations in check as he prepares to send out his first runners.

He says, “I think when you start in September, the goal is next year, really, but it would be lovely just to have a couple of runners this year, and if I could win a race or two before Christmas, brilliant.”

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Sodashi Game in G2 Sapporo Kinen Victory

Japan's Champion 2-Year-Old Filly and G1 Japanese 1000 Guineas heroine Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) returned to the winner's circle with a game victory in the G2 Sapporo Kinen on Sunday.

Second choice behind favoured 4-5 pick and 2019 Apr. 25 G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup victress Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) at 5-2, Sodashi broke widest of all in the 13-horse field and stalked the pacesetter Taurus Gemini (Jpn) (King's Best) from second through splits of :23.40 for the quarter and :47.40 for the half. Despite the drizzle, the 1000-metre split was :59.90 over the firm turf and the 2-year-old champ appeared poised through six furlongs in 1:12.30. She picked up leadership duties shortly before the 600-metre marker and fended off an early rush from Blast Onepiece (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}). Turning into the lane glued to the fence, Sodashi buckled down for the run to the line as more challengers began winding up for their runs. Loves Only You whittled into Sodashi's advantage inside the final furlong, with Persian Knight (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) mirroring that move from out in the centre of the course, but both rallying efforts would fall short. The winning margin was a measured three-quarters of a length over Loves Only You with a head back to Persian Knight.

After taking four straight starts at two culminating in the Dec. 13 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, the white wonder added the first fillies' Classic of the season on Apr. 11, but tired to eighth in the G1 Japanese Oaks when last seen on May 23.

Pedigree Notes
A daughter of the four-time winner Buchiko, Sodashi is the first foal from her dam and has a juvenile full-sister named Mama Cocha (Jpn) (Kurofune). Barren to Maurice (Jpn) for 2020, Buchiko has a 2021 colt by that sire.

Two half-sisters of Buchiko have celebrated victories as stakes producers or granddams to stakes winners in Japan, among them dual stakes winner Yukichan (Jpn) (Kurofune) whose granddaughter Meikei Yell (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) took the G2 Tulip Sho, G3 Kokura Nisai S. and G3 Fantasy S.; while Marshmallow (Jpn) (Kurofune) has already foaled G3 Leopard S. winner Hayayakko (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) and the listed-placed Pionono (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). This is the extended family of GII Test S. heroine Storm and Sunshine (Star de Naskra), responsible for a trio of stakes winners led by Grade II winner Smile Again (Wild Again).

Sunday, Sapporo, Japan
SAPPORO KINEN-G2, ¥135,300,000, Sapporo, 8-22, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 1:59.50, fm.
1–SODASHI (JPN), 115, f, 3, by Kurofune
                1st Dam: Buchiko (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Shirayukihime (Jpn), by Sunday Silence
                3rd Dam: Wave Wind, by Topsider
O-Makoto Kaneko Holdings; B-Northern Farm (Jpn);
T-Naosuke Sugai; J-Hayato Yoshida. ¥70,910,000. Lifetime
Record: Ch. 2yo Filly-Jpn, MG1SW-Jpn, 7-6-0-0. Werk Nick
   Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Loves Only You (Jpn), 121, m, 5, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Loves
Only Me, by Storm Cat. (¥160,000,000 Ylg '17 JRHAJUL).
O-DMM Dream Club; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥28,260,000.
3–Persian Knight (Jpn), 126, h, 7, Harbinger (GB)–Orient Charm
(Jpn), by Sunday Silence. O-G1 Racing; B-Oiwake Farm (Jpn);
¥18,130,000.
Margins: 3/4, HD, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.80, 0.90, 27.20.
Also Ran: Meiner Virtus (Jpn), Blast Onepiece (Jpn), You Can Smile (Jpn), Ice Bubble (Jpn), Diamant Minoru (Jpn), Win Kiitos (Jpn), Taurus Gemini (Jpn), Satono Cecil (GB). DNF: Stay Foolish (Jpn), Bio Spark (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The Weekly Wrap: It’s Good To Be Back

There are banners along the High Street of my home town of Newmarket saying 'Welcome back to racing'. Though we've been fortunate in England to have been able to allow crowds gradually to return to racecourses earlier than some other countries, it has only really been in the last few weeks that it has felt like the proper pre-pandemic experience. And where better to have the people back in force than at York, widely regarded by many to be the best racecourse in the country?

Any amount of time spent on the Knavesmire is time well spent indeed, and you really could have picked any of the days of the Ebor meeting to be able to enjoy a proper feature race with intrigue and stars aplenty. Even the queue for the bus to the track from the train station provided a level of fun. A group of men of advanced years huddled together like schoolboys, copies of the Racing Post tucked under their arms, clearly relishing the prospect of a midweek day at the races. When the bus arrived, they rushed for the long bench seat at the back, always the preserve of the naughtiest in class, and with a full load of passengers chattering about their fancies for the day, our chariot trundled off to the track.

Clarehaven Resurgent

Thady Gosden's name was added to his father's training licence just ahead of the start of the turf season in Britain and though the stable played a less prominent role in the Classics than is usually to be expected, it has now clicked into top gear.

A stellar run was launched eight days ago in Deauville, where Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) landed his second G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois, swiftly followed by the G3 Prix Minerve victory for George Strawbridge's Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Further big guns were wheeled out for York, with the mighty Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) sparking endless 'Is he the best in the world?' debates with his visually impressive first Group 1 victory in Britain in the Juddmonte International.

Whether he is the best or not will be settled at the end of the year in the international rankings–and even then the debate will likely rage on. What can be said with some certainty is that Mishriff is the most versatile at the highest level, with his wins coming on the Riyadh dirt track over nine furlongs in the Saudi Cup, the Meydan turf over 12 furlongs, and now 10.5 furlongs at York, not forgetting his Classic win at Chantilly last season. Victory at the Breeders' Cup–or even in Japan, as has been mooted, with that tempting $3 million bonus on offer–would go a long way to settling the argument once and for all.

While Palace Pier and Mishriff have strong claims to being the best in their divisions, the king of the stayers is still Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). It is to be hugely regretted that the half-brothers Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) are both sidelined with injuries as this has undoubtedly weakened the staying division in the second half of the season. But the 7-year-old stallion Stradivarius proved that even if the years have blunted his game a little, he has lost none of his will to win. Arguably, he's at his best when he has to knuckle down and fight, and this is exactly what he did when dispatching the Yorkshire Cup winner Spanish Mission (Noble Mission) on his return to the Knavesmire.

With a race record that now includes three Ascot Gold Cups, four Goodwood Cups, three Lonsdale Cups, two Yorkshire Cups and a Doncaster Cup, Stradivarius is truly one of the modern wonders of the Flat scene. We must continue to enjoy him while we can.

Arise, Sir John?

We already have Sir Mark and Sir Michael in Newmarket; could Sir John be next? If the Gosdens manage to turn the impressive G3 Solario S. winner Reach For The Moon (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) into a Classic winner for his breeder The Queen in her Platinum Jubilee year then surely a further mention in the honours' list could be on the cards for Gosden senior, who was awarded an OBE in 2017.

The Queen was just 25 when she acceded to the British throne in February 1952. Her coronation took place the following June, on what would have been Derby day, with the great race moved back to the Saturday to allow for the royal festivities. The celebrations within the royal household would have been greater still had the Queen's Derby contender Aureole (GB) not been beaten into second by Pinza (GB). More recently, the Queen's colours have been carried in the Derby by the Darley-bred Carlton House, a gift from Sheikh Mohammed, who was third behind Pour Moi (Ire) in 2011. Who would begrudge racing's greatest patron a Derby winner in the year she celebrates her extraordinary longevity as monarch?

Bred on the Sea The Stars-Sadler's Wells cross, Reach For The Moon's pedigree echoes that of the former Gosden trainee and Oaks winner Taghrooda (GB), and the Solario has good form of late for being won by some pretty special horses, including the Gosden-trained trio of Raven's Pass, Kingman (GB) and Too Darn Hot (GB), not to mention the 2018 Derby winner Masar (Ire).

Next June is an awful long way off in racing terms, but the prospect of Reach For The Moon giving the sport widespread publicity during the year-long jubilee celebrations is an enticing one.

The form of the Chesham S. now has a pleasingly solid look to it, with Reach For The Moon and Great Max (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who finished second and third to Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}), each finishing one place better in the Solario, while the Chesham winner continued his unbeaten passage with victory in the G2 Galileo Irish EBF Futurity S., having previously landed the G3 JRA Tyros S. The Chesham fifth Masekela (Ire) (El Kabeir) has gone on to win the Listed Denford S., and the seventh-placed New Science (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) subsequently returned to Ascot to win the Listed Pat Eddery S.

Power Play

Fillies filled four of the first six places in the G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S., and while Suesa (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) was favoured to follow up on her Goodwood triumph, it was Winter Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) who went the early pace with Wesley Ward's Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), surging straight as an arrow down the centre of the track. As the American raider weakened and wobbled from his early blitz, Winter Power continued to blast home unchallenged to set the seal on a memorable week for her trainer Tim Easterby at one of his local tracks.

There was doubtless much celebration across the Irish Sea in various households of the Burns family, too. For her breeder Patrick Burns it was both a wonderful triumph and huge update for the full-brother to Winter Power that his Newlands House Stud is preparing to send to the Goffs Orby Sale. And for Patrick's brother Maurice, Winter Power became the first Group 1 winner for her speedy sire Bungle Inthejungle, who stands at the family's Rathasker Stud.

Good Week For Coolmore Clan

Wootton Bassett, who lent his name to the Nunthorpe, also enjoyed some success on the Knavesmire with two stakes-winning juveniles. Royal Patronage (Fr) may have been the least fancied of the quintet who lined up for the G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. but he has progressed nicely from his novice win at Epsom to give trainer Mark Johnston back-to-back wins in the race following the victory of Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) last year.

On Saturday it was the turn of Steve Parkin's homebred Attagirl (GB), conceived while Wootton Bassett was still standing in France but born and trained in Yorkshire. She bounced out of her narrow defeat the previous week in the listed St Hugh's S. at Newbury to land the listed Julia Graves Roses S., doubtless giving her breeder extra cause for celebration at his favourite meeting of the year.

Wootton Bassett's week was just a nostril away from ending on a high when his star daughter Audarya (Fr) was denied her second win in the G1 Darley Prix Jean Romanet when Grand Glory (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) snatched victory from her on the line in Deauville.

Caravaggio moved from Coolmore's Irish base to Ashford Stud for the most recent stud season but he is creeping up the freshman sires' table in Europe with three stakes winners to his name already, including Saturday's smooth G2 Debutante S. winner Agartha (Ire).

He's not the only son of Scat Daddy on a roll as No Nay Never is enjoying a terrific season, with Alcohol Free (Ire) as his 3-year-old poster girl and the increasingly impressive G2 Lowther S. winner Zain Claudette (Ire) the star of his juvenile crop.

Ho Ho Ho

Tally-Ho Stud is an unstoppable force this season, both as breeder and stallion master. Having had the record-breaking champion first-season sire of 2020 in Mehmas (Ire), who was represented by another top-flight winner over the weekend in the Nicky Hartery-bred GI Del Mar Oaks winner Going Global (Ire), Tally-Ho must now be odds-on to have this year's leading freshman sire.

Whether it will be Galileo Gold (GB) or Cotai Glory (GB) is hard to say. The latter is forging ahead with 23 winners, but Galileo Gold was the first of his peers to notch that all-important Group 1 winner. His leading son Ebro River (Ire), winner of the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S., was bred by Tally-Ho Stud, as was Lusail (Ire), who gave Mehmas back-to-back winners of the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack S. and is owned, like Ebro River, by Al Shaqab Racing, which also campaigned the sires of both youngsters.

Further top-level success came on Sunday in the G1 Darley Prix Morny with the Tally-Ho-bred Perfect Power (Ire), who became a first Group 1 winner for his sire Ardad (Ire). Though Ardad is not a Tally-Ho stallion–he stands at Overbury Stud in England –he was however bred by the O'Callaghan family and reflects further glory on the Tally-Ho team as he is a son of its headline stallion Kodiac (GB).

The latter in turn is the sire of the Tally-Ho-bred G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Campanelle (Ire), who was also the winner of last season's Prix Morny. It is a race which has been a particularly successful one for Tally-Ho Stud, which also bred the 2008 winner Bushranger (Ire) and Unfortunately (Ire), who landed the 2017 running of the Morny. Those two colts were also by Tally-Ho stallions, the late Danetime (Ire) and Society Rock (Ire) respectively.

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