Tag: Top News Europe

Frankel’s Task Force Goes Two for Two in Ripon Listed

Earning TDN Rising Star status on debut at Salisbury last month, Juddmonte's Task Force (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Special Duty {GB}, by Hennessy) passed his second career test in Monday's Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy to suggest he can take higher rank among the season's juveniles. Settled behind the leaders by Rossa Ryan early, the Ralph Beckett-trained 11-8 favourite made his move wide to tackle his rail-running stablemate Matters Most (GB) (Advertise {GB}) inside the final furlong before asserting for a 1 1/4-length success.

 

“The idea of going to Ripon was to teach him a bit, as he didn't learn much the first day–he hit the gates well and sat handy and was left in front a furlong and a half down, so he probably didn't learn a lot about racing,” Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said. “He'll have learned plenty there today. You saw how green he was in the early part there and when Rossa asked him to go he was green, but when the penny dropped away he went. It was a nice performance and he could a nice horse.”

Mahon floated the idea of Task Force moving up in trip. “I haven't spoken to Ralph yet and we need to let the dust settle, but I've no doubt seven is going to be right up his street,” he added. “He's bred to be a miler in time, so seven furlongs won't be a problem but whether Ralph decides to go that way now or later on we'll wait and see. Part of the reason we went back over six furlongs today was because when you look up his mother's record she never raced beyond six at two and ended up being a dual Guineas winner at three, so there's no shortage of speed in the pedigree and he showed that today against some hardened two-year-olds.”

As Mahon stated, Task Force's dam Special Duty captured the six-furlong G1 Cheveley Park S. and 5 1/2-furlong G2 Prix Robert Papin at two and was second in the G1 Prix Morny before her extraordinary Classic campaign which saw her twice promoted from second to first after inquiries in the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Her finest performer to date is the listed scorer Elegant Verse (GB) by Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire), while she also produced the Listed Prix Yacowlef runner-up South Bank (Tapit).

A daughter of Quest To Peak (Distant View), who is also the second dam of the operation's GI Breeders' Cup Mile and G2 Vintage S.-winning sire Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), Special Duty hails from the the family of Quest To Peak's seven-times grade I-winning full-sister Sightseek (Distant View), the GI Yellow Ribbon S. winner Tates Creek (Rahy) and the champion sire Chief's Crown. She also has a yearling filly by Sea The Stars (Ire) and a foal full-brother to Task Force.

BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF RIPON CHAMPION TWO YRS OLD TROPHY S.-Listed, £40,000, Ripon, 8-28, 2yo, 6fT, 1:12.53, gd.
1–TASK FORCE (GB), 131, c, 2, by Frankel (GB)
     1st Dam: Special Duty (GB) (Champion 2-year-old Filly-Eur, MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Fr, $1,070,938), by Hennessy
     2nd Dam: Quest To Peak, by Distant View
     3rd Dam: Viviana, by Nureyev
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. TDN Rising Star. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ralph Beckett; J-Rossa Ryan. £22,408. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $35,131.
2–Matters Most (GB), 131, c, 2, Advertise (GB)–Squash (GB), by Pastoral Pursuits (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE. (135,000gns Wlg '21 TADEWE; 500,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Mr Robert Ng; B-Kirtlington Stud & Mrs Mary Taylor (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. £8,532.
3–Seven Questions (Ire), 131, g, 2, Kodiac (GB)–Get Up And Dance (GB), by Makfi (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE. (£58,000 Ylg '22 GOFFUK). O-Victorious Racing & Fawzi Nass; B-Tally Ho Stud (IRE); T-George Scott. £4,272.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 1HF. Odds: 1.38, 8.00, 5.00.
Also Ran: Bombay Bazaar (GB), Shagraan (Ire), Asadna (Ire).

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Jack Darcy Outwits Rivals For Grand Prix de Deauville Success

Paul and Oliver Cole trainee Jack Darcy (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}–Pretty Face {GB}, by Rainbow Quest) seized immediate control of Sunday's G2 Lucien Barriere Grand Prix de Deauville and was never headed in the 12 1/2-furlong feature to complete an afternoon pattern-race treble for the British raiding party.

On the front end from flagfall and leading his rivals in single file, the 54-5 outsider-of-five was scrubbed along off the home turn and kept finding under continued rousting in the straight to hold Al Nayyir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) by 1 1/4 lengths for a career best.

Jack Darcy's route to this stakes breakthrough included seven prior attempts at black-type level, adding to a runner-up finish in last term's Listed Prix Nureyev at this Normandy venue with a second in this month's G3 Glorious S. at Goodwood. He lined up for this returning off a sixth-of-seven effort in last week's G3 Geoffrey Freer S. at Newbury. The Cole yard has now annexed six editions of the contest, the run being initiated by MG1SW sire Ibn Bey (GB) (Mill Reef) in 1988.

“We expected a race devoid of pace, we'd talked about it at length with his entourage and the plan was to set a false pace from the front,” explained winning rider Cristian Demuro. “He has a lot of raw talent, so we decided to kick for home early and make it as dificult as possible for the opposition. The trip was something of a question mark and, in a race without too much pace, his stamina was less of a problem. He proved to be very tough, as British horses often are.”

Part-owner Edward Gascoigne added, “Jack Darcy likes to lead and Cristian [Demuro] rode him perfectly. We looked at the entries and the race seemed like a good opportunity. Ollie [Cole] said he was really well and in good form after Newbury, which is why we decided to run and Junko's withdrawal certainly helped. He's tough, but he also has speed. Distance-wise, he's very adept if the pace is right and, if the pace isn't too strong, he can stretch out as he did today. He was in complete control, it's a fantastic victory and we're very happy.”

 

Pedigree Notes
Jack Darcy is the 10th of 13 foals and one of six scorers out of an unraced half-sister to MG1SW sire Elmaamul (Diesis {GB}) and G1 Oaks and G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Reams Of Verse (Nureyev). The swathe of black-type descendants produced by his unraced second dam Modena (Roberto) include MG1SW three-time G1 Nassau S. heroine Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), GI Arlington Million hero Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}), G1 Captain Cook S. victrix Two Illicit (NZ) (Jimmy Choux {NZ}), G1 Irish Derby runner-up Lone Eagle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. second Zacinto (GB) (Dansili {GB}), G1 Galaxy third Easy Eddie (Aus) (Super Easy {NZ}) and the Group 1-placed distaffers Sun Maiden (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Hot Snap (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). The April-foaled bay is a half-brother to the once-raced 2-year-old maiden filly Tuneful (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), a yearling colt by Invincible Spirit (Ire) and a weanling colt by Nando Parrado (GB).

Sunday, Deauville, France
LUCIEN BARRIERE GRAND PRIX DE DEAUVILLE-G2, €200,000, Deauville, 8-27, 3yo/up, 12 1/2fT, 2:49.01, sf.
1–JACK DARCY (IRE), 130, g, 4, by Gleneagles (Ire)
1st Dam: Pretty Face (GB), by Rainbow Quest
2nd Dam: Modena, by Roberto
3rd Dam: Mofida (GB), by Right Tack (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (19,000gns Wlg '19 TATFOA; 24,000gns Ylg '20 TAOCT). O-Gascoigne, Williams, Vincent, Burns & 3D; B-Bernard Cooke (IRE); T-Paul & Oliver Cole; J-Cristian Demuro. €114,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng, 12-3-2-0, €176,660. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Al Nayyir (GB), 130, g, 5, Dubawi (Ire)–Bright Beacon (GB), by Manduro (Ger). (AED40,000 HRA '21 ERASEP). O-Elbashir Salem Elhrari; B-Godolphin (GB); T-Romain Le Dren Doleuze. €44,000.
3–Haya Zark (Fr), 130, c, 4, Zarak (Fr)–Haya City (Fr), by Elusive City. O/B-Mme Odette Fau (FR); T-Adrien Fouassier. €21,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 10.80, 2.60, 3.40.
Also Ran: Fenelon (Fr), Assistent (Ger). Scratched: Diamond Vendome (Fr), Junko (GB). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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From France To Doncaster: The Key Pointers For The Premier Yearling Sale

DONCASTER, England–A serious tempo was set to the European yearling sale season at Arqana last week with strong trade recorded in the August and V2 sales. If the momentum is to continue into the Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale this week, Goffs could be in for a productive week. 

G3 Princess Margaret S. winner Sacred Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was sourced here 12 months ago for £52,000 while similarly smart two-year-old Jasour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) cost £85,000. 

Both juveniles have flown the flag for the Donny yearlings with their exploits on the track this season and, judging by the footfall on the sales ground on Sunday, there is a long queue of buyers eager to find the next Sacred Angel and Jasour. 

The two-day sale kicks off on Tuesday at 10am and there are plenty of pointers to take from Arqana that could shape the way things play out at Doncaster and beyond. 

Blue Point Here To Stay

There was huge expectation placed on Blue Point's first runners this season and he has lived up to his billing with a Royal Ascot success and 25 individual winners in Britain and Ireland alone. 

Big Evs (Ire) has been the flagbearer for Blue Point (Ire), with Mick Appleby's colt following up his Windsor Castle victory at Royal Ascot with a Group 3 success in the Molecomb at Goodwood before running down the field in last Friday's Nunthorpe. 

Blue Point has eight horses rated 90 or above in Britain and Ireland and these are the sort of statistics that are willing buyers to reinvest in the Kildangan Stud-based stallion's yearlings. 

An average of €191,364 for 11 yearlings sold at an aggregate of €2,105,000 at the August Sale would suggest that Blue Point has more than justified the belief placed in him by breeders. His yearlings won't be easy to buy this week.

Pinatubo and Earthlight Off To A Strong Start

The strength of the Darley roster was there for everyone to see at Arqana. If it wasn't a son or a daughter of Dubawi (Ire) selling for a couple of million euros, well then it was one of the legendary stallion's sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) or Ghaiyyath (Ire) who were catching the imagination. 

Pinatubo (Ire) was the one of the most popular freshman sires at Arqana while fellow Darley stallion Earthlight (Ire) certainly struck a chord with his first yearlings. 

Of the nine Pinatubos to sell in the August Sale, they averaged €195,000 with buyers including Wesley Ward, Oliver St Lawrence, Robson Aguiar and more. 

There are three Pinatubos and eight Earthlights on offer at Doncaster. One would wager that they will be in high demand. 

Sergei Set To Make a Splash

If the first yearlings by Sergei Prokofiev (Can) are as popular as the foals were, the Whitsbury Manor Stud-based stallion could be in for a good week.

Sergei Prokofiev embarked on his stud career on a fee of £6,500 and rewarded breeders with an average of almost £30,000 for 52 foals sold in Britain and Ireland in 2022. 

Last weekend was a good one for the Scat Daddy line, as pointed out by Coolmore's Mark Byrne on Twitter, with Ten Sovereigns (Ire), Justify, and Sioux Nation responsible for a number of smart winners. 

Good judges Julie Woods, Freddy Tylicki, Larry Stratton, Harry Dutfield and Tom Whelan nominated the progeny of Sergei Prokofiev as being ones to keep the right side of in the TDN last year and plenty can be expected from him this week. 

Hello Youmzain One To Take From France

Fair to say Hello Youmzain (Fr) really captured the imagination at Arqana. Etreham's newbie had 19 sell for an average of €128,789 in the August Sale and 12 sell for €42,458 at V2.

Many are tipping him to scoop champion first-season sire honours in France next year and it's easy to see why given how well his stock was received.

The dual Group 1-winning sprinter is represented by two yearlings this week and the momentum could continue to build behind Hello Youmzain at Donny.

Golden Horde A Dark One?

Golden Horde has just one yearling at Doncaster [219] but he could be an interesting sire judging by how his first yearlings were received at Arqana.

They came in different shapes and sizes last week, with Peter and Ross Doyle signing for a strapping colt from Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces draft for €80,000 in the August Sale catching the eye. Six of the seven yearlings by the G1 Commonwealth Cup winner sold for an average of €35,833 at the V2 Sale and it was notable that Richard Fahey, Jean-Claude Rouget and Sheik Sultan Al Khalifa featured among the list of buyers at V2. 

Standing at Montfort et Preaux for €8,000, Golden Horde won't have many yearlings to represent him in Britain and Ireland this year. Along with lot 219, a filly consigned by Kildaragh Stud, Golden Horde has a couple of yearlings to sell at Book 3 at Tattersalls. 

Nevertheless, judging by his stock at Arqana, Golden Horde remains an interesting young sire at an affordable level.

Breeze-up Handlers Out In Force

Kenny Rogers famously said that one of the gambler's secrets to survival is knowing when to walk away from the table and there was plenty of that in France from the breeze-up fraternity. 

While Mick and Sarah Murphy from Longways Stables picked up five yearlings, Tally-Ho Stud added two and different operators like Matt Eves of Star Bloodstock were dotted around the sales results across both sales, the trip to Deauville didn't yield much for the majority of breeze-up handlers.

This will be the week where many operators buy their first breezers for the upcoming season and that will add to what is expected to be strong trade. 

Other Newbies To Note

We were provided with an early glimpse of the yearlings by Arizona (Ire), Kameko, Mohaather (GB), Threat (Ire), Without Parole (GB) and Shaman (Ire) at Arqana but Doncaster will mark the debut Far Above (Ire), King Of Change (GB), River Boyne (Ire) and Sands Of Mali (Fr).

Of that bunch, Mohaather could be the pick. His sole yearling failed to sell at the August Sale but he has a nice bunch of yearlings to go under the hammer this week and, with a foal average of over £40,000 last year, plenty can be expected from his yearlings.

 

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Sioux Nation’s Ocean Quest Too Good For Ballyogan Rivals

Jessica Harrington-trained 3-year-old filly Ocean Quest (Ire) (Sioux Nation–Gold Zain {GB}, by Aqlaam {GB}) posted a close-up fourth in Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup when last seen and was rewarded for her consistency with an all-the-way win in Sunday's G3 Tally-Ho Stud Irish EBF Ballyogan S. at Naas.

The March-foaled chestnut closed her juvenile campaign with a second in the G3 Round Tower S. at the Curragh and followed up a win in Navan's Listed Committed S. on sophomore return with a second here in the G3 Lacken S. in her penultimate start.

Swiftly into stride and on the lead against the far-side rail from flagfall, the 10-11 favourite was set alight passing the quarter-mile marker and lengthened clear thereafter to easily account for Aussie Girl (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) by 3 3/4 lengths.

“We gave her time after Ascot, as we know she likes a bit of give in the ground, and that's why we put her away,” explained Harrington. “I think she'll go on anything actually and she's a very classy filly. Ascot [for the G1 British Champions Sprint] in October is the main target and she's in at Haydock [for the G1 Sprint Cup]. We didn't enter her for Irish Champions weekend because it's five furlongs, but she gets a free entry for that now. If it came up heavy, maybe. This summer we've had no idea what ground we're going to get, you can have good-to-firm in the morning and abandoned in the afternoon. We know she goes on heavy, she's won on heavy and she's gone on good-to-firm. She's a very versatile filly, she's classy and speedy.”

 

Pedigree Notes
Ocean Quest is the second of four foals and leading performer produced by a winning half-sister to G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) hero Poetic Dream (Ire) (Poet's Voice {GB}) and G3 Prix Francois Boutin victrix Who Knows (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). She is a half-sister to the once-raced 2-year-old maiden filly Ocean Bliss (Ire) (El Kabeir) and a yearling filly by Raven's Pass. Her Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial-winning second dam Zain Al Boldan (GB) (Poliglote {GB}), who ran third in the G3 Bahrain Trophy, is kin to G3 Prix Edmond Blanc-winning sire Svedov (Fr) (Exit To Nowhere) out of Listed Prix des Lilas and Listed Prix Ceres victrix Carla (Fr) (Cardoun {Fr}).

Sunday, Naas, Ireland
TALLY-HO STUD IRISH EBF BALLYOGAN S.-G3, €100,000, Naas, 8-27, 3yo/up, f, 5f 205yT, 1:10.21, gd/yl.
1–OCEAN QUEST (IRE), 131, f, 3, by Sioux Nation
1st Dam: Gold Zain (GB), by Aqlaam (GB)
2nd Dam: Zain Al Boldan (GB), by Poliglote (GB)
3rd Dam: Carla (Fr), by Cardoun (Fr)
1ST GROUP WIN. O-J Kirkland & Mrs J M Ryan; B-Dr T K Chah (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington; J-Shane Foley. €60,000. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-1, $195,174. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Aussie Girl (Ire), 131, f, 3, Starspangledbanner (Aus)–Ravissante (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€35,000 Ylg '21 GOFOR). O-Peter Piller; B-Airlie Stud (IRE); T-Fozzy Stack. €20,000.
3–Secret Angel (Ire), 131, f, 3, Dark Angel (Ire)–Meydan Princess (Ire), by Choisir (Aus). (£68,000 Ylg '21 GOFFUK). O-Nick Bradley Racing 40, Burke & Partner; B-Yeomanstown Stud (IRE); T-Karl Burke. €10,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, HF, NK. Odds: 0.91, 6.00, 8.50.
Also Ran: Clounmacon (Ire), Ocean Jewel (Ire), Bellaphina (Ire), Lady Tilbury (GB), Apricot Twist (Ire), Coralillo (Ire), Honey Sweet (Ire), Queen Maedbh (Ire). Scratched: My Eyes Adore You (Ire).

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