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Agave The Main Attraction On Sunday

Next month's Epsom Oaks looks more exciting than the Derby at present and Juddmonte's unbeaten Agave (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) could join the picture if she can master the colts in Sunday's G2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud. Kept at the same venue at which she has won twice this term and the same 10 1/2-furlong distance as the G3 Prix Penelope Apr. 2, the relative of Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is one of France's most fascinating members of the Classic crop at present. Olivier Peslier retains the ride and jumps off M Horse Racing and Ecurie Vivaldi's talented Maximus (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) as a result, with that Christophe Ferland-trained colt narrowly denied by Agave's stablemate Junko (GB) (Intello {Ger}) in the G3 Prix Noailles over this trip at ParisLongchamp Apr. 17.

A New Stone Age?

Ballydoyle's stranglehold on the Derby could be about to get even tighter at Leopardstown, with the G3 Derby Trial playing host to Peter Brant, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud runner-up Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Still a maiden entering 2022, he put paid to that tag with a nine-length success at Navan Mar. 29 and could be a different proposition at three. He is pitched back against Beauty Stable's unbeaten Atomic Jones (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who had his measure by a head in the track's G2 Champions Juvenile S. in September, while Teme Valley Racing's French Claim (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}) joins in, having also won by nine lengths over this 10-furlong trip at Cork Apr. 16. Add Newtown Anner Stud Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Duke de Sessa (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) to the mix and you have a Blue Riband trial of significant note.

Agartha On Trial

There are some promising types in the Foxrock venue's G3 Cornelscourt S. for Irish 1000 Guineas prospects over a mile, but first they have to get past Scott Heider's rock-solid Agartha (Ire) (Caravaggio). Last year's G2 Debutante S. and G3 Silver Flash S. winner and G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up has a penalty, as she had when second to Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the seven-furlong G3 Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. here

Apr. 2. Homeless Songs's trainer Dermot Weld is sending out the cream of his Classic crop at present and The Aga Khan's Suwayra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) retains intrigue having been absent since her debut defeat of the smart Cairde Go Deo (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) over this course and distance in July.

Click here for the group fields.

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Confidence Behind ‘The Next Sottsass’ Ahead of French Derby

Jean-Claude Rouget is not prone to hyperbole so, when the decorated French handler compared the unexposed Al Hakeem (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) to his only G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) earlier this week, some people did a double take.

Not Benoit Jeffroy, who manages Haras de Bouquetot on behalf of the Al Shaqab operation. Jeffroy has long been aware of the standing in which the multiple Classic-winning trainer has held Al Hakeem and, when the colt won the Listed Prix de Suresnes at Chantilly on Tuesday, he wasn't one bit surprised that Rouget told the French press that 'he reminds me a lot of Sottsass'.

“Jean-Claude is a straight-talking man and he says what he thinks. It was no surprise to us to hear what he said about Al Hakeem because he always told us that the horse was a colt with a lot of ability, he just needed to show it on the track,” Jeffroy explained.

High praise indeed for a horse who has graced the track just four times, winning three of those starts, with Tuesday's Chantilly victory a personal best by some way.

However, Jeffroy is predicting that Rouget's bold comparison between Sottsass and Al Hakeem can become evident to everyone when the highly progressive colt tackles the G1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly on June 5.

“Who knows, maybe after the French Derby we can really start comparing him to Sottsass, let's wait and see,” he said.

“He is a great physical and, the fact that he showed what he could do at Chantilly the other day is very exciting with a view towards the French Derby.”

Jeffroy added, “There are a lot of similarities between Al Hakeem and Sottsass. They are by the same sire and have the same broodmare sire in Galileo (Ire).

“But the way this horse has been training, that's what reminds Jean-Claude most of Sottsass, as his work has been very good.

“Even as a 2-year-old, Jean Claude said that this might be the next Sottsass, the way he was training and behaving at home. Let's hope he is.”

It is that Siyouni cross with Galileo mares that not only produced one high-class colt in Sottsass but also St Mark's Basilica (Ire), hailed by Aidan O'Brien as 'possibly the best horse we've ever had at Ballydoyle,' after he scooped the prize for Horse of the Year at the 31st annual Cartier Racing Awards.

It may well be written in the stars for Al Hakeem but the comparables to Sottsass don't end with his pedigree. His dam, Jadhaba (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who showed classy form for Rouget before her career was cut short after she suffered a setback, was purchased by Al Shaqab for €620,000 at Arqana in 2014 from Ecurie des Monceaux, who also produced Sottsass.

“Jadhaba is a Galileo mare and, when it came to mating her, we felt that she needed a bit of speed, which is why we went to Siyouni,” he said.

“We thought the cross might work well and, not long afterwards, along came Sottsass and St Mark's Basilica, on the exact same cross. It just made a lot of sense.

“Galileo (Ire) crossed with Danehill has worked really well, as has Galileo and Pivotal, and she has got both. Hopefully Al Hakeem can be the third top-class colt from this cross.”

He added, “Jadhaba was in training with Jean-Claude as well. She was highly regarded and won twice as a 2-year-old and, after finishing third in a Group 3 on her only start at three, she developed a little issue so we had to stop. But she seems to have passed on a lot of her ability.”

If Al Hakeem can come good on Rouget's praise, it will stand the Al Shaqab operation in good stead for the future as she has a Siyouni filly at foot and is back in foal to the sire.

“Her first colt, Dahiya (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), won for Andre Fabre and Al Hakeem is only her second produce,” said Jeffroy of the broodmare.

“She also has a lovely Kingman (GB) filly in training with Jean-Claude, a very good looking Siyouni filly foal at foot and she is back in foal to Siyouni, so she could be an exciting young mare for us. She also has a Shalaa (Ire) yearling filly that is very similar to Jadhaba, a nice filly with good depth.

“Sheikh Joaan al Thani deserves it. He is passionate about the game and has invested a lot of money into it. He deserves to have bred a good one as a reward for all his investment.”

New dreams abound for a team that will forever be associated with Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), who carried the colours of Al Shaqab Racing en route to recording back-to-back Arcs in 2014.

Given Al Hakeem is being compared to another Arc winner in Sottsass, it seems fitting to ask if the mind has been allowed to wander as far as the great race on Oct. 1.

“No, step by step,” Jeffroy laughed. “The Arc is an important race and of course it's in the back of our minds but let's take it race by race and hopefully–hopefully it takes him one year less than it did for Sottsass!”

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Australia’s Tranquil Lady Outclasses Blue Wind Opposition

Six days after the G1 Prix Ganay victory of her half-brother State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Teme Valley Racing's Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}–Repose) kept the family honour well and truly intact with an authoritative success in Naas' G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Blue Wind S. Sent off the 3-1 joint-second favourite in what appeared to be a tight contest, the chestnut who had been fourth in Navan's Listed Salsabil S. on her 3-year-old bow Apr. 23 travelled sweetly in third early under Dylan Browne McMonagle. Cruising to Ballydoyle's 11-4 favourite Lily Pond (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) two out, she was sent on into a clear advantage soon after and relished the run to the line to hand that rival a four-length thrashing, with another 5 1/2 lengths back to the winner's stablemate Tosen Lydia (Ire) (The Gurkha {Ire}) in third. Joseph O'Brien admitted he hadn't been considering the G1 Cazoo Oaks for the impressive winner, but could be in for a change of heart. “She popped her head up today as if she should be going there,” he said. “It wasn't the plan, but it's definitely a conversation we'll have with Richard and Jim [Cockburn] now. We kind of had the Curragh in our minds, but we have to certainly talk about it now.”

Tranquil Lady, who had been second to the smart Limiti di Greccio (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) in The Curragh's Listed Staffordstown Stud S. in October, was paying a compliment to the Salsabil one-two Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) here but her trainer believes she was not seen at her best on that occasion. “I don't know why she didn't really fire in Navan, it wasn't a bad run and it was probably a good race but we were hoping for more and it's nice to see her doing it today,” he revealed. “This was plan b to come here, to be honest, but she came out of Navan well and we thought it was a suitable race. I was a bit worried about the [easy] ground and [Teme Valley racing manager] Richard [Ryan] convinced me to run her. I don't think she wants it too soft, but she handled it well and Dylan gave her a lovely ride.” Of the yard's well-regarded Tosen Lydia, who met with defeat for the first time and was left behind by the front two, he added, “She probably won't go to the Oaks. We think she's a good filly, but I'm not sure if she might be best at a mile.”

Tranquil Lady is the third foal out of the unraced dam, with the second State of Rest already a G1 Cox Plate and GI Saratoga Derby Invitational hero prior to his weekend exploits in ParisLongchamp. The second dam Monaassabaat (Zilzal) took the Listed Virginia S. before producing the listed scorers Prince Alzain (Street Sense) and Echo River (Irish River {Fr}), with the latter also second inn the G3 May Hill S. She is also the second dam of the G2 Royal Lodge S. and G2 Vintage S. runner-up Artigiano (Distorted Humor) and listed-placed Dubai Legacy (Discreet Cat).

The third dam is the 16-times-winning dual GI Vanity H. heroine and champion It's In the Air (Mr. Prospector), whose descendants include the triple group 1-winning Champion S. hero Storming Home (GB) (Machiavellian), the GI American Oaks heroine Music Note (A. P. Indy) and her G1 Dubai World Cup-winning son Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), plus the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Musical Chimes (In Excess {Ire}). Repose's 2-year-old filly Double Scoop (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) was a €180,000 purchase by Anthony Dutrow at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale.

Saturday, Naas, Ireland
IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF BLUE WIND S.-G3, €65,000, Naas, 5-7, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:14.75, y/s.
1–TRANQUIL LADY (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: Repose, by Quiet American
2nd Dam: Monaassabaat, by Zilzal
3rd Dam: It's in the Air, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (€30,000 RNA Wlg '19 GOFNOV; £160,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR). O-Teme Valley; B-Tinnakill Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien; J-Dylan Browne McMonagle. €39,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $68,939. *1/2 to State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), G1SW-Aus, G1SW-Fr, GISW-US, GSP-Eng, SP-Ire, $3,050,924. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lily Pond (Ire), 128, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Alluringly, by Fastnet Rock (Aus).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs.J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith/Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €13,000.
3–Tosen Lydia (Ire), 128, f, 3, The Gurkha (Ire)–Early Addition (Ire), by Makfi (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Takaya Shimakawa; B-Michael Cunningham (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. €6,500.
Margins: 4, 5HF, 5. Odds: 3.00, 2.75, 3.00.
Also Ran: Eclat de Lumiere (Ire), River Rain (Ire), Sister Bridget (Ire). Scratched: Albula (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Dubawi’s Rogue Millennium Pounces Late For Oaks Trial Success

The Rogues Gallery's Rogue Millennium (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}–Hawaafez {GB}, by Nayef), who was plucked from the Shadwell operation for 35,000gns as an unraced 2-year-old at last year's Tattersalls December Mares sale, graduated over 10 furlongs in an Apr. 24 Wetherby maiden and punched her ticket to Epsom's June 3 G1 Cazoo Oaks with a narrow victory in Saturday's Listed SBK Oaks Trial at Lingfield. The February-foaled bay has yet to be entered for next month's Classic and connections are keen to stump up the £30,000 supplementary fee for the privilege. Settled off the pace in sixth for the most part, the 15-2 chance was coaxed forward once into the home straight and was unrelenting under a drive inside the final quarter mile to nail the pacesetting Mystic Wells (Kitten's Joy) by a head on the line for a career high. Coolmore and Westerberg's 5-6 favorite Emily Dickinson (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) raced prominently and threatened in the straight, but faded late to finish fifth.

“She's by the right sire and we decided, before coming here, that if she won she would be added to the Oaks field,” explained trainer Tom Clover. “She's still green and has improved with each piece of work. I actually feel a little guilty about asking her to go to Epsom, but we have to go. She's just flourished and I hope she can continue to progress. The owners [Rogues Gallery] are great sporting people, who absolutely adore it. Whether it's an owners' event or a day trip to watch the horses, their enthusiasm is boundless.” Winning rider Jack Mitchell added, “She was rolling about a bit coming down the hill, but once she levelled out she was strong right the way to the line.”

Rogue Millennium becomes the first black-type winner for G3 Cumberland Lodge S. victrix Hawaafez (GB) (Nayef), herself the leading performer bred from Merayaat (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}). Merayaat's second dam Wedding Bouquet (Ire) (Kings Lake) scored twice at pattern-race level, namely the G3 Park S. and GIII Monrovia H., and also ran second in both G1 Phoenix S. and G1 National S. during her juvenile campaign. Wedding Bouquet is kin to G1 Epsom Derby hero Generous (Ire) (Caerleon {GB}) and G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Imagine (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), herself the dam of five pattern-race winners headed by G1 Grand Criterium victor Horatio Nelson (Ire) (Danehill) and G1 Criterium International winner Van Gogh (American Pharoah). Wedding Bouquet is also the granddam of MG1SW distaffer and three-time G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest heroine Moonlight Cloud (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Hawaafez has a 2-year-old filly by Awtaad (Ire) and a yearling filly by Kingman (GB) to come.

Saturday, Lingfield, Britain
SBK OAKS TRIAL FILLIES' S.-Listed, £43,000, Lingfield, 5-7, 3yo, f, 11f 133yT, 2:28.80, g/f.
1–ROGUE MILLENNIUM (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Hawaafez (GB) (GSW-Eng, $111,512), by Nayef
2nd Dam: Merayaat (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Maddelina (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (35,000gns 2yo '21 TATMA). O-The Rogues Gallery; B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-Tom Clover; J-Jack Mitchell. £24,716. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $36,889.
2–Mystic Wells, 128, f, 3, Kitten's Joy–Cat On a Tin Roof, by Catienus. 1ST BLACK TYPE. ($75,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; 77,000gns 2yo '21 TATBRE). O-Mr & Mrs R Scott & Mr & Mrs D Bevan; B-Kenneth L Ramsey & Sarah K Ramsey (KY); T-George Boughey. £9,378.
3–Makinmedoit (Ire), 128, f, 3, Golden Horn (GB)–Tranquil Star (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. (10,000gns 2yo '21 TATBRG). O-Robert Levitt & Anthony Bromley; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Harry Eustace. £4,691.
Margins: HD, 2, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.50, 4.50, 16.00.
Also Ran: Belt Buckle (GB), Emily Dickinson (Ire), Three Priests (Jpn), Nikhi (GB), Suzy's Shoes (GB). Scratched: Speak (GB).

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