During the first session of the BSA August Two-Year-Old Sale, a colt by Rafeef (SAf) topped proceedings at R1 million to Jonathan Snaith.
Part of the Wilgerbosdrift draft, the bay has already been named Aristotle (SAf) and is out of the Ford Wood mare Athina (SAf). The dam won the G1 SA Fillies Classic and is a relative to Grade 1 winner Heir Apparent (SAf) (Fort Wood).
Of the 137 lots offered, 127 sold (93%) for a gross of R25,905,000. The average was R203,976 and the median was R150,000.
Marc Chan's 2021 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International hero Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}–Cercle De La Vie {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) had been in and out of form in eight outings since registering those career highlights as a juvenile and backed up a fourth in last month's G2 Summer Mile with a last-gasp win in Saturday's G2 William Hill Celebration Mile at Goodwood.
Fourth through halfway and scrubbed along approaching the quarter-mile marker, the 9-2 chance was afforded a dream seam underneath the stands' side rail inside the final furlong and kept on strongly under late rousting to deny 'TDN Rising Star' Knight (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) by a half-length in the dying embers. Nurlan Bizakov's slow-starting Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) made relentless headway in the straight and finished 1 1/4 lengths adrift in third.
Newtown Anner Stud's homebred Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}–Monday Monday {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) improved off a debut third at Haydock to post an impressive 10-length tally over the same seven-furlong distance at Thirsk last month and made a smooth transition upped to pattern-race level with a game tally in Saturday's G3 William Hill Prestige Fillies' S. at Goodwood.
Positioned in a stalking second after a smart getaway, the 5-2 favourite fanned wide with the field off the home turn and kept on relentlessly under a drive inside the final quarter-mile to prevail by an ultimately comfortable two lengths from 11-4 market rival Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Flight Plan (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) held every chance entering the final furlong and was outbobbed by a head for second.
Pedigree Notes
Darnation, half-sister to a yearling filly by Fastnet Rock (Aus), is the first of two foals produced by an unraced full-sister to dual Group-placed G2 Beresford S. third Exemplar (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay's dam is also a half-sister to G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Blue Bunting (Dynaformer). Descendants of her second dam Miarixa (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}), herself out of stakes-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Mrs Arkada (Fr) (Akarad {Fr}), include dual stakes-winning GIII Intercontinental S. and GIII Franklin S. placegetter Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and G3 Earl of Sefton S. runner-up Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).
In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Niigata and Sapporo Racecourses:
Saturday, August 26, 2023 5th-SAP, Â¥13,720,000 ($94k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1700m CLARIFY (c, 2, Justify–Quote {GB}, by Galileo {Ire}) is the first foal from his dam, an €400,000 Arqana October yearling purchase by M.V. Magnier in 2017 who was stakes-placed in Ireland before heading to the U.S. to be part of this Triple Crown winner's second book. Quote, a half-sister to German Group 3 winner Samba Brazil (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}), produced this colt Jan. 14, was bred to Maximum Security shortly thereafter and was exported to Japan. She produced a filly last April and a Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) filly this season. Christophe Lemaire rides from the rail. English Group 2 winner City of Troy and listed winner Unless are bred on this exact cross. B-Shadai Corporation (KY)
Sunday, August 27, 2023 9th-NII, Â¥29,450,000 ($201k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1600mT T O GRANVILLE (c, 3, Lea–All In Fun, by Tapit) defied long odds to open his account at first asking over this course and distance May 20 (video, SC 10) and made it two straight with a last-out success at Hanshin June 18. The stakes-placed All In Fun, a full-sister to MGSP Tight Ten, was acquired with this colt in utero for $125,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale. T O Granville's third dam was dual Grade I winner Fleet Renee (Seattle Slew). B-Mishima Stud Ltd (KY)
11th-NII, Niigata Nisai S.-G3, Â¥59.2m ($404k), 2yo, 1600mT ROUGE STUNNING (f, 2, Into Mischief–Boyne Beauty, by Giant's Causeway) opened her account at first asking with a comfortable victory going a mile at Chukyo July 2 (video, SC 7). The bay filly's unraced dam, a $700,000 purchase by Nobutaka Tada at Fasig-Tipton November in 2020, is a daughter of MSW/GSP Bubbler (Distorted Humor), the dam of champion Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) and SW Osare (Medaglia d'Oro).
