Across The Codes: Late Starter, Supa Finisher

Emma Berry’s occasional look at the narrow divide between the Flat and National Hunt

Supasundae (GB) was bred for those high summer days at Epsom, Ascot and Goodwood. By Galileo (Ire) and out of a Danehill half-sister to Group 1 winners Nathaniel (Ire) and Great Heavens (Ire), both of whom are also by Galileo, it was no stretch for his breeder Newsells Park Stud to have Classic aspirations for him when he arrived in this world in January 2010.

Plan A didn’t quite work out: Supasundae was bought in at 195,000gns when failing to reach his Book 1 reserve at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and, two years later, he was bought for a now scarcely believable £5,000 at Goffs UK as an unnamed and unraced gelding.

The note on his catalogue page that day read, “This gelding is a fine individual whose looks and appearance clearly indicate that he has needed time”. He transpired to have been a shrewd purchase by Tim Fitzgerald and, given that time, he gave back in spades.

Supasundae won his first two bumpers readily—the first for Fitzgerald and the second on his sole start for Andrew Balding. Then, bought privately by the late Ann and Alan Potts, he was transferred to Ireland, initially to the care of Henry de Bromhead and subsequently, during 2016, to Jessica Harrington, who this week announced his retirement from racing.

Supasundae may have been a late starter but he has packed plenty into his six years of racing, with three Grade 1 triumphs to his credit, including the Irish Champion Hurdle (beating the mighty Faugheen (Ire)), victories at Aintree’s Grand National meeting and the Cheltenham Festival, at which he appeared in six consecutive years.

With 31 runs, eight wins, 11 places and more than £750,000 in prize-money to his credit, he now takes his bow from a successful career. Not the one he was intended for, but an honourable one nonetheless.

Mesnil Casts Potential New Star
As one jumping star is retired, another appears to be enjoying something of a renaissance. There was much consternation regarding the withdrawal of Altior (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) from last Saturday’s G1 Betfair Tingle Creek Chase but that should take nothing away from the winner, Politologue (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}), who made a superb start to this season, having ended the last one on his rousing G1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase victory at the Cheltenham Festival.

Now nine, the grey gelding made his first two starts as a 4-year-old in France in the colours of Sophie Devin, the daughter of his breeder Antonia Devin of Haras du Mesnil. Since then, he has been a stalwart of the Paul Nicholls stable, winning 11 of his 25 races in Britain, including two Tingle Creeks and the G1 Melling Chase at Aintree.

In the saddle for his last two Grade 1 wins has been Harry Skelton, more usually seen riding for his trainer brother Dan, a former assistant to Nicholls. The brothers have close links to Politologue’s owner John Hales, who, as well as consistently racing decent National Hunt horses over many years, is an ardent supporter of show jumping and owned Arko III, one of the best horses ridden by their Olympic gold medal-winning father Nick Skelton.

Politologue’s sire Poliglote, who died at Haras d’Etreham in 2018, was a true dual-purpose stallion and holds the rare distinction of having been champion sire both on the Flat and over jumps in France. The son of Sadler’s Wells was bred by the Wertheimer family and provided them with their 2012 Arc winner Solemia (Fr).

In similar vein, Antonia Devin and her husband Henri can be considered breeders of distinction in both codes. Two years in a row they have bred a Cheltenham Festival winner, with A Plus Tard (Fr) (Kapgrade {Fr}) having won there in the Cheveley Park Stud colours in 2019. They have also enjoyed much success with their own stallions over the years. Politologue is out of a mare by their former stalwart, Turgeon, who died last year at the age of 33 having covered 26 mares the previous season.

As he entered his twilight years, Turgeon’s stud mate Doctor Dino (Fr) came to the fore and is now one of France’s busiest stallions. In 2019 the dual G1 Hong Kong Vase winner was sent 155 mares and, while he is principally regarded as a Nation Hunt stallion, with the likes of Sceau Royal (Fr), Docteur De Ballon (Fr), Sharjah (Fr) and La Bague Au Roi (Fr) as his major flagbearers, he is also responsible for the Flat group winners Golden Legend (Fr), Villa Rosa (Fr) and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Physiocrate (Fr), all three having been bred by the Devins and trained by their son Henri-Francois.

The latest addition to the stallion yard at Mesnil is Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {GB}), who won the G2 Dante S. for his breeders Mark Weinfeld and Helena Ellingsen of Meon Valley Stud in 2019 before returning to post two wide-margin victories in France this season, including his swansong in the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville.

Meon Valley Stud has already provided arguably the best British-based National Hunt stallion of the modern era in the recently retired Kayf Tara (GB) (Sadler’s Wells). In Telecaster, who is out of the Oaks and Irish Oaks runner-up Shirocco Star (GB), we find not just Sadler’s Wells in his top line, but the much-vaunted Monsun (Ger) underneath. Though both these top-class stallions have been hugely influential on the Flat, they are also ubiquitous in the pedigrees of jumpers.

With the support in particular of the Devins’ own broodmare band, which features plenty of outcross daughters of their former stallions Turgeon, Kaldounevees (Fr) and his son Ange Gabriel (Fr), don’t be surprised to see Telecaster loom large in the jumps division in years to come.

Come On Eileen
In many respects, 2006 was a vintage year for those who enjoy seeing some of the game’s smaller players gain the upper hand in major races. The 16,000-guinea yearling Sir Percy (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) won the Derby for Victoria and Anthony Pakenham, whose previous star performer had been the prolific jumps winner The Dark Lord (Ire) (Lord Americo {Ire}).

A month earlier, Speciosa (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) had plotted a wayward course to triumph in the 1000 Guineas for her small dual-purpose trainer Pam Sly, who owned the filly with her son Michael and Dr Tom Davies. The victory not only made Sly the first British woman to train a British Classic winner, but Speciosa, bred by Kevin and Meta Cullen, became the first graduate of a breeze-up sale to win a Classic.

Having turned down a seven-figure offer for Speciosa before her Classic season, the Slys and Davies retained her as a broodmare and she is still at her former trainer’s farm near Thorney, some 40 miles from Newmarket. She has been joined in the paddocks by her three winning daughters Asteroidea (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Vernatti (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Specialty (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The latter is responsible for the latest exciting member of the dynasty in 3-year-old Eileendover (GB) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), who has won her only two bumper starts to date by a collective 45 lengths in the colours made famous by her grandam.

Eileendover may be seen next in the listed juvenile bumper at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, according to Pam Sly, who told TDN after last Saturday’s rout at Wetherby, “I’m going to try to get a bit of black type with her, then give her a break and have a go on the Flat as I think she goes on any sort of ground.”

The breeder/trainer has her horses in tremendous form and, as well as Eileendover, she has also won with her homebreds Xcitations (GB) (Universal {Ire}), Fransham (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) and Takeit Easy (GB) Malinas {Ger}) in recent weeks. Furthermore, Rainyday Woman (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB}), whom she bred and trained for her first two starts, recently won on her bumper debut for champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

Sly says of her 17-year-old former stable star, “Speciosa had a Cracksman (GB) filly this year and is not in foal this time. She’s still as feisty as ever. Her 2-year-old by Nathaniel (Ire) is enormous and is in my front paddock. I’ll get on with him in the new year.”

Meanwhile, Speciosa’s daughter Asteroidea has a 3-year-old War Command filly named Bellica (GB), also described by the trainer as “enormous, so I’m going to try to run her in a bumper”.

The bumper-to-Flat route has worked well in the past for middle-distance fillies, with the Hughie Morrison-trained Urban Artist (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) winning last year’s listed mares’ bumper at Cheltenham before notching three consecutive wins and some black type on the Flat this season to push her rating to 98. The most notable example of all, however, was perhaps Turbo Linn (GB) (Turbo Speed {GB}), who was reared on a Scottish hillside by her owner-breeder James Nelson before being deftly trained by the late Alan Swinbank to progress from Carlisle bumper winner to G2 Lancashire Oaks winner from seven consecutive wins in nine months. The stuff of dreams for all small breeders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Weekly Wrap: Blue Is The Colour

A sea of blue dominated winner’s enclosures in Britain and France this week, largely owing to the successful season currently being enjoyed by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation and Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell team. The brothers occupy the top two slots in the owners’ table in Britain, and Godolphin is also currently the leading owner in France.

While Sheikh Mohammed has a significant number of horses in Chantilly with Andre Fabre, who oversaw the successful return of France’s champion 2-year-old of last year, Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), in the Listed Prix Kistena, it was the marauding team of visitors from Charlie Appleby’s stable which really took Deauville by storm on Sunday. At the top of the list was Pinatubo (Shamardal), making a return to winning ways in the G1 Prix Jean Prat. But, let’s face it, if a third-place finish in the 2000 Guineas and a second in the St James’s Palace S. are the only blots on an otherwise spotless copybook, he was hardly a horse coming back from the doldrums. Nonetheless, it is always satisfying to see the champion 2-year-old add to his tally at three and beyond, and it was pleasing to see the hugely likeable Pinatubo triumph in the same race used as a ‘recovery mission’ for the previous season’s champion juvenile Too Darn Hot (GB).

The two colts are sons, respectively, of the two stallions who have contributed enormously to Godolphin’s resurgence in recent years: Shamardal and Dubawi. The loss of the former in April will be rued for years to come, as just a quick glance at Sunday’s Deauville card shows. Along with Earthlight and Pinatubo, Shamardal is also the sire of the G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis winner Royal Crusade (GB), and is the damsire of listed Prix Amandine winner Althiqa (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who together formed the Appleby stakes treble along with Pinatubo. He was also the grandsire of the third horse home in the Jean Prat, the Marco Botti-trained Malotru (GB) (Casamento {Ire}), while in Germany, his 4-year-old daughter Half Light (Ire) struck in the G3 Sparkasse-Holstein Cup for Henri-Alex Pantall, who won last season’s Poule d’Essai des Pouliches with another Shamardal filly, Castle Lady (Ire).

Dubawi is no slacker himself and in the week following the triumph of his son Ghaiyyath (Ire) over Enable (GB) in the Eclipse, his stakes winners kept rolling in. It’s too much to hope that Master Of The Seas (Ire) could be another Pinatubo for Appleby so soon, but his G2 bet365 Superlative S. win after a tetchy start was pretty convincing and means he is now unbeaten in two races. Dubawi cannot take all the credit, however, as Master Of The Seas is out of Firth Of Lorne (Ire) (Danehill), a smart performer herself and notably runner up to Kingman’s dam Zenda (GB) (Zamindar) in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. She is also now the dam of five black-type performers among her seven winners.

Al Suhail (GB)—more of whom below—was another stakes winner for Appleby and Dubawi on the first day of racing on the July Course this season, while Too Darn Hot’s full-brother Darain (GB) made an impressive start to his racing career, winning a Newbury novice race by almost five lengths.

The decent start made by Dubawi’s first-crop son New Bay (GB) was noted in last week’s column but it is worth reiterating this following two more good winners—Jumby (GB) and Vafortino (Ire)—in Britain and Ireland on Saturday. From just ten runners to date, New Bay now has six winners.

It’s a strike-rate to crow about, as is the fact the last year’s champion freshman Night Of Thunder (Ire), also by Dubawi, has now sired eight black-type winners this season, including Thursday’s G2 Dante S. winner Thunderous (Ire), a welcome big-race success for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.

Oxted Provides First For Many
Away from these powerhouse operations and stallions, the result of the G1 Darley July Cup gave a lift to those operating on a smaller scale. Owned in partnership by his breeders Stephen Piper, Tony Hirschfield and David Fish,

Oxted (GB) not only provided a first Group 1 winner for his fellow July Cup-winning father Mayson (GB) but also for his trainer Roger Teal and young jockey Cieren Fallon.

He was the first foal of his dam Charlotte Rosina (GB), a daughter of July Cup runner-up Choisir (Aus), who was also trained by Teal for the same syndicate under the Homecroft Wealth Racing banner. His full-brother Chipstead (GB)—named after the Surrey village which is home to his birthplace of Hirschfield’s Cheval Court Stud, not far from the village of Oxted—is now also in training in the stable. To complete the July Cup omens, Oxted inhabits the same box as the winner of the race in 1993, Hamas (Ire) (Danzig), who was trained by Peter Walwyn at Windsor House Stables in Lambourn where Teal took up residency at the start of this year.

The move has certainly done the trainer no harm, and his biggest win to date followed the success of Gussy Mac (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the Listed Dragon S. the previous weekend.

Star Appeal
Before Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}) came along, Shirocco Star (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) had come closest to being a homebred Oaks winner for Meon Valley Stud when she was beaten just a neck by Was (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2012, finishing half a length in front of third-placed The Fugue (GB) (Dansili {GB}). She has been quick to consolidate her position in the Meon Valley broodmare band, too.

Her first foal is the 92-rated dual winner Starcaster (GB) ((Dansili {GB}), who is now in training with Anthony Freedman in Australia. His year-younger brother Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {GB}) won last year’s G2 Dante S. and recently bounced back to form with a wide-margin win in the G3 La Coupe at Longchamp. In the last week, 3-year-old Al Suhail (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a 1.1 million gns yearling who was group-placed last season, became the mare’s second black-type winner when landing the listed Sir Henry Cecil S. at Newmarket by six lengths.

All three of these sons could yet garner more stakes success and, while Shirocco Star has no current 2-year-old or yearling to represent her, she produced her first daughter, by Frankel, on Feb. 14.

Telecaster and Al Suhail are not the only male graduates to be flying the flag for the Hampshire nursery this year as Meon Valley Stud also bred the exciting staying prospect Dashing Willoughby (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), whose two runs in 2020 have resulted in victory in the listed Buckhounds S. and G3 Henry II S. to add to his win in the G2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot last year.

While Shirocco Star is a fifth-generation descendant of Reprocolor (GB) (Jimmy Reppin {GB}), the most celebrated of the Meon Valley foundation mares, Dashing Willoughby’s dam Miss Dashwood (GB) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) is the same number of generations removed from Reprocolor’s contemporary One In A Million (GB) (Rarity {GB}).

The reassuring longevity and success of a well-managed and relatively small British breeding operation continues.

Make Busy
Last week’s wrap touched on the start made by Ballylinch Stud’s Make Believe (GB) through his first-crop Classic winner Mishriff (GB) and it would be remiss not to acknowledge the continuing achievements of the filly who was a ‘breakthrough’ runner for the stallion. The Mark Johnston-trained Rose Of Kildare (Ire), bred by Wansdyke Farms Ltd at Oghill House Stud, was Make Believe’s first winner on May 20 last year. That was her third start; she won again nine days later and clinched another three races, including a pair of Group 3s, before her juvenile season was out. She headed for her winter break after running 12 times between Apr. 30 and Oct. 11 for five wins and three places.

Since racing resumed in June, Rose Of Kildare has run four times, finishing third in the G2 German 1000 Guineas and then third in the G3 Princess Elizabeth S. on ‘Derby day’. Just five days later she was back out to claim her first win of the year in the rescheduled G3 Tattersalls Musidora S.

The tough filly was partly responsible for a memorable day for Johnston and jockey Franny Norton, who also combined to win the G2 Dante S. with Thunderous (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}).

Norton, who turns 50 this year and is arguably riding better then ever, joked in a recent interview that if his children are naughty he threatens them by saying he’s going to send them to Mark Johnston. Certainly, the horses in his stable tend to work hard and race often, and Rose Of Kildare is not the only one who has shown that she thrives on a busy campaign.

Make Believe’s sire Makfi (GB) started his career at Tweenhills Farm & Stud and completed two terms at the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval before being exported to stand at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders’ Association’s Shizunai Stallion Station in 2017. He also appeared as grandsire of another stakes winner this week: The Queen’s G2 Tattersalls July S. winner Tactical (GB) (Toronado {Ire}) is out of his listed-placed daughter Make Fast (GB).

Hollie Go Brightly
Ben Curtis may be romping away with the British jockeys’ championship and is the only rider with more than 100 wins to his name at this stage, but heading the chasing pack is Hollie Doyle, whose season and profile goes from strength to strength.

After landing her first Royal Ascot victory and becoming only the third woman to ride a winner in the meeting’s history, Doyle secured her first group win on Anthony Oppenheimer’s Dame Malliot (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in the G2 Princess Of Wales’s S. at Newmarket last Thursday. The 4-year-old filly is a credit to her trainer Ed Vaughan, who had her in fine shape for her resumption after 301 days away from the racecourse. She also continued a fine season for Oppenheimer’s Hascombe & Valiant Studs, which has also been represented by G2 Ribblesdale S. winner and Oaks third Frankly Darling (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and has last year’s Irish Oaks and Prix Vermeille winner Starcatcher (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) waiting in the wings for her seasonal comeback.

Doyle’s Royal Ascot winner came aboard Scarlet Dragon (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}) for Alan King, who was busy restocking the Flat section of his yard at last week’s Tattersalls Guineas Sale, where he bought four juveniles, including the 140,000gns top lot. From five runners at Royal Ascot, King saddled three winners and a second. That runner-up, Tritonic (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), who was bought at last year’s Guineas Sale, will bid to improve on that good run in Thursday’s listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Glasgow S. at Hamilton with Doyle booked to ride.

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The Weekly Wrap: Long May They Run

It has been quite a week for the old boys. Continuing a fine season, Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) finally notched a deserved Group 1 victory for himself and his trainer Andrea Marcialis in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. At seven, he is a year younger than the sprinting duo of Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and Judicial (Ire)

(Iffraaj {GB}) who respectively recorded their 14th and 15th victories in Group 3 contests at Newmarket and Newcastle on Saturday.

Then of course there’s the redoubtable Caspian Prince (Ire), who ran his 101st race that same day, chalking up his 20th win at odds of 28/1. The biggest head-scratcher is how this remarkable 11-year-old, by Dylan Thomas (Ire) out of the unraced Crystal Gaze (Ire) (Rainbow Quest), has ended up winning the majority of his races over five furlongs. Now in his tenth season in training, Caspian Prince was an inspired purchase at 11,000gns at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale and yet another credit to the skills of bloodstock agent Gill Richardson, whose bang-for-buck ratio with the horses she selects is as good as any out there. The horse has had seven different trainers in his career, with his highest-profile success coming for Tony Coyle when Caspian Prince beat Judicial’s half-sister, the dual Group 1 winner Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), in the G2 Friarstown Stud Sapphire S. almost three years ago.

The Italian Way
Way To Paris may have the perfect name and sire to win a Group 1 in the Parisian suburbs, but both he and his connections have their roots firmly planted in Italy. Bred by Franca Vittadini’s Grundy Bloodstock, he races in the colours of nonagenarian Paolo Ferrario and is trained in Chantilly by Italian ex-pat Andrea Marcialis. Moreover, Way To Paris’s dam Grey Way (Cozzene), from whom he inherits his grey coat, was herself the winner of the G2 Premio Lydia Tesio among her five victories on Italian soil. Twelve years prior to Way To Paris, who was born when Grey Way was 20, the mare had produced the dual G1 Premio Presidente della Repubblica winner Distant Way (Distant View), who later served his time at stud in Italy.

Champs Elysees, a perfectly capable Flat stallion who was massively popular with the jumps brigade in the three seasons he stood at Castle Hyde Stud, died in 2018, the year his daughter Billesdon Brook (GB) won the 1000 Guineas. The brother to Dansili (GB) and Cacique (GB) also featured among the Italian group-race winners over the weekend via his German-bred and -trained son Durance (Ger), who beat French raider Royal Julius (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}) by a neck to land the G2 Gran Premio di Milano for owner-breeder Gestut Ebbesloh.

The other group race on Sunday’s card at San Siro, the G3 Premio Carlo Vittadini, is named in honour of the father of Way To Paris’s breeder, who was himself the owner of the outstanding triple Classic winner of 1975, Grundy (GB) (Great Nephew {GB}). It brought up a double not just for German runners but also for sons of Hasili (GB) as the race was won by the Juddmonte-bred Runnymede (GB), (Dansili {GB}}, who is now trained by Sarah Steinberg for Stall Salzburg having been bought for 75,000gns at Tattersalls in February 2019.

A further feather in the cap for Italian breeding over the weekend came in Ireland, where Speak In Colours (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) recorded his sixth triumph in the G2 Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands S. Bred by Paolo and Emma Agostini, the 5-year-old raced initially in their Scuderia Archi Romani silks at two when trained by Marco Botti (who also trained his sire). Following his win in the listed Doncaster S. at two, Speak In Colours was sold to Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez and transferred to Joseph O’Brien, subsequently adding another four stakes victories to his record.

The Derby Cross
The main event of the weekend, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, produced the novel result of a Coolmore-owned winner whose sire and damsire both stood as Darley stallions. However much the Irish Derby’s reputation regrettably continues to be devalued, there is much to like about the newest name on the roll of honour, Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), not least his ability to have bounced back so soon after winning the G2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.

Then there is his pedigree, and the fact that his fifth dam, Allegretta (GB), also pops up in the backgrounds of plenty of top-class horses, most notably as the grandam of Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire).

Santiago’s Classic victory further embellishes the late Cape Cross’s record as a broodmare sire, a position he also occupies in the pedigrees of Derby winners Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), Japanese Derby winner Logi Universe (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), South Australian Derby winner Russian Camelot (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), G1 Zabeel Classic winners Authentic Paddy (NZ) (Howbaddouwantit) and Consensus (NZ) (Postponed), and six-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}).

Santiago’s dam Wadyhatta (GB) was bought from Shadwell at Arqana’s Summer Sale when carrying Santiago for €275,000. Sheikh Hamdan has himself enjoyed plenty of success with the family over the years, notably through Tamayuz (GB) (Nayef), a half-brother to Santiago’s grandam Thamarat (GB) (Anabaa).

The 2007 Derby winner Authorized will probably end up being best remembered as the sire of dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll (Ire) and, like so many sons of Montjeu (Ire), he has had decent success with his jumpers, which include Nichols Canyon (GB) and Goshen (Fr). But Authorized is also a Flat sire of some note, his chief earner being the evergreen Hartnell (GB) who, like Santiago, won the Queen’s Vase before he was exported to Australia.

Authorized served 12 seasons at Darley’s British, Irish and French wings before being sold to stand in Turkey for the Turkish Jockey Club for the 2020 season.

Fairy’s Story
In a good week for former Derby winners, the 2014 hero Australia (GB) was represented by a third group win for his first-crop son Buckhurst (Ire) in the G3 Alleged S., as well as a runner-up finish for 3-year-old daughter Cayenne Pepper (Ire) in the G1 Pretty Polly S.

An interesting runner of Australia’s on the pedigree front was Saturday’s Hamilton maiden winner King Fairy (Ire). Trained by William Haggas, he was making his second start in the colours of his breeder, the Tsui family’s Sunderland Holdings, and the 3-year-old colt is inbred 3×3 to their Arc winner and brilliant broodmare Urban Sea (Miswaki) through his grandsires, the half-brothers Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire).

King Fairy’s dam My Fairy (Ire) was unraced but is a sister to My Titania (Ire), who was Sea The Stars’s first group winner back in 2013. The family has also been kind to Haggas who trained another of the mare’s half-siblings, the triple Group 2 winner Muthmir (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

Rude Awakening
The international barriers are slowly lifting and Thursday saw the first English runners in French group races this season. The prizes for both contests were duly smuggled back across the Channel by Hughie Morrison and Charlie Appleby after last year’s G2 Dante S. winner Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {GB}) ran out the easy winner of the G3 La Coupe followed by the triumph of Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot.

Following a run of solely domestic contests since racing resumed in France on May 11, these interlopers were clearly not welcomed by all. The next day’s Jour de Galop bore the front-page headline ‘Rude Britainnia’ and went on to grumble aboutDes Anglais sans pitie’.

But really the only rude thing about the day’s racing was the start time: the Weekly Wrapper was still mucking out when Telecaster romped home at 8.40am Newmarket time. The French don’t usually like to let racing interrupt lunch, let alone breakfast.

More Joy For Darley Matriarch
Eastern World (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) has an awful lot to live up to in following his high-flying siblings onto the racecourse but the 3-year-old looks set to uphold the family honour following his comfortable maiden win at Newmarket on Sunday.

At the very least he has kept a clean sheet for his dam, the celebrated Darley mare Eastern Joy (GB) (Dubai Destination). Eastern World is her sixth winner from as many runners and all those who have gone before him—all by Darley sires—have notched black-type victories. Heading the list is the Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) and he is followed, in ratings order, by Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), Ihtimal (Ire) (Shamardal), Winter Lightning (Ire) (Shamardal) and First Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).

Great Heavens
As we look ahead to the most exciting weekend of action since racing returned, with the Derby, Oaks, Eclipse, Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de Diane all being staged within two days, we must first acknowledge the welcome return of the great mare Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who extended her Group 1 record to five wins with significant ease in Sunday’s Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. at an almost deserted Curragh.

In a more normal season, we might have been expecting her to line up again at Sandown on Sunday to try to reverse the 2019 placings with Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Coral-Eclipse. As it is, she had a pretty easy hit-out for her seasonal debut and we may see her next instead in the ‘King George’ at Ascot, where she completed her magnificent four-year-old season with victory in the G1 QIPCO Champion S.

Magical’s celebrated dam Halfway to Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) was not the only mare of that name to have produced a top-flight winner of the weekend. This is where country suffixes come in handy. Halfway To Heaven (SAf), a daughter of Jet Master (SAf), is the dam of Sheikh Hamdan’s Hawwaam (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}), who won Saturday’s GI Premier’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein, his second Grade 1 victory of the month and, like Magical, fifth in total.

The Irish Halfway To Heaven had already produced a multiple Group 1 winner in Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) but her South African namesake has her matched there, too, as her 5-year-old son Rainbow Bridge (SAF) (Ideal World) is also a dual Grade I winner in South Africa.

And finally…
Well done to the BHA for persuading the government to allow owners to return to the racecourse in time for a belated Derby day. A well-timed decision indeed.

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