An early start for the Royal Stud as the recently sold Crown Estate (110,000gns) won his first race last week for his new owners in Dubai, on the all-weather. Good news for the new owners but also the King as it shows he's not selling poor stock. The price he got for this gelding by Dubawi out of a Shamardal mare looks reasonable. The King should have a half-brother to Crown Estate, by Frankel, entering training this year. As yet unnamed as, so far, are all the Royal 2yos.
I write the above note and lo and behold some 2yos are named. Food for Thought f by Dubawi out of Thought Process Golden Orbit f by Sea the Stars out of Diploma Lightning Polka f by Night of Thunder out of Light Music Queen's Companion f by Dubawi out of Magnetic Charm Seance f by Dark Angel out of Kinematic Tropical Sands f by Too Darn Hot out of Shama I make it that there could be one more filly (Camelot out of Daphne). None as yet assigned to trainers, except that Lightning Polka and Tropical Sands were registered with Ed Walker for 3 days (is there another Royal trainer baptism to take place?). The Breeder's Cup site seems behind the GBB site in that the above are not named on that site. I think Food for Thought might not be allowed under the 20 year rule. Better names than they've had for the last 2 years, at least.
Some colts now named on the Breeder's Cup site Faraway Tree c by Wooded out of Al Nayeba (first foal, mare already sold); King's Trust c by Kingman out of Award Scheme ( first foal of black type Siyouni mare); Lorca's Waltz c by Lope de Vega out of Sweet Idea ( Australian mare by Snitzel); Point of Law c by Frankel out of Portfolio (first foal of winning Deep Impact daughter of Diploma); Portcullis c by Frankel out of Castle Lady (half brother to sold Crown Estate); Royal Flurry c by Kingman out of Desert Breeze (half-brother to Desert Hero) The Frankels and Kingmans look to have attractive pedigrees. That leaves 3 yet to be named, if in fact they are still alive or capable of racing. None, as yet, assigned to trainers.
An early first winner of the year for the King as Purple Rainbow, on her second start, comfortably beat her field at Kempton. She raced keenly at first but soon settled at the front of the field. When challenged 2f out, she easily pulled clear of her field. Marquand didn't give her a hard race and she responded to the tap he gave her below the distance. I'd imagine she could easily do better than this and will probably be suited by 10f+. It wouldn't be surprising if we don't see her again until the turf season. She goes to the top of the list of promising Royal 3yos.
First 2yo registered as going into training is King's Trust, a Kingman colt out of the Siyouni mare Award Scheme. An early foal, born January 2023, he could be a fairly early starter. He goes to the Gosdens.
Three more 2yos are assigned to trainers. It now looks official that Ed Walker is a Royal trainer. He has been sent two 2yos:they are both fillies and named Lightning Polka and Tropical Sands. Beckett has been sent the filly Queen's Companion. Registration of the 2yo fillies have been completed and though not named yet the Camelot out of Daphne filly has been registered. Another 2yo colt has been named and that is Evaluate by Sea the Stars out of Estimate (he has a 7yo half-brother by Dubawi who's called Evaluation). That leaves only two 2yos to be named (the other one is out of Companionship).
Looks as if one of the King's unraced 3yos will make his debut on Saturday at Newcastle. He's called Warrant Holder and is a Frankel colt out of the Dubawi mare Diploma (who's had 3 runners and 3 winners so far). He's a half-brother to Porfolio and Educator (both by Deep Impact), whilst he is a full-brother to the disappointing High Order. He's Gosden's only Royal 3yo and Shoemark takes the mount. Wonder if he'll beat Gennadius by 8 lengths?
A pleasing debut by the Gosdens' Warrant Holder. He appeared pretty green and after running second to the 2f marker had Shoemark scrubbing along whilst the favourite, Nordic Norm, seemed to be travelling strongly. Just as Nordic Norm challenged the leader Red Hot Whisper inside the final furlong WH looked flat footed. He looked to be the best part of a length down with a half furlong to go but then ran on pleasingly to get within a fast diminishing head of Nordic Norm. In another 50 yards Warrant Holder would have won. He looked a tall colt and a little unfurnished. He could do a lot better over further and is bred to be a 10f horse. The form could be reasonable as the 3rd, Red Hot Whisper, has an OR of 82 and has had one of 94 yet he was beaten one and half lengths by WH. We don't know which Red Hot Whisper turned up today, bt Warrant Holder should win races..
Haggas announces that he'll be taking Desert Hero over to Australia in a quartet of horses going for their Autumn season. Can't help thinking he must have had some problems last year. Another 2yo is announced and that's Brotherhood of Man who's a colt by Siyouni out of Companionship (by Dubawi) and her first foal. He goes to Haggas. Now only one 2yo to be named, though a handful are still to be assigned to trainers.
This year's Royal 3yo looks as if it will be Purple Rainbow. The entries for the first four French classics were published today and Haggas's filly gets an entry for the Prix de Diane. Now these entries in the past have been woeful at worst or misplaced at best. Purple Rainbow's sister Perfect Alibi(by Le Havre) was similarly entered for this French classic and, although useful, didn't win her maiden until the end of May as a 3yo. She was at her best at 12f+. Purple Rainbow is more precocious, having won over 8f. She should be suited by 10f and maybe a race like the Pretty Polly, at the start of May may be a target. No more news on who's training the 2yos.
Another unraced 3yo is entered for the first time on Monday at Southwell. He's a Balding trained gelding named Bouquet de Paris and is by Le Havre out of a useful mare called Light Music. The gelding is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Light Refrain. More 2yos are getting in training and this is the shape of Balding's Royal horses (so far):- Balding Bouquet de Paris 3yo g by Le Havre out of Light Music Unraced 2yo, gelded half brother to Group 2 winner (Light Refrain by Frankel). Handcuffed 3yo f by Dark Angel out of Make Fast Won on 2yo debut then seemed to train off. Half-sister to Tactical (won Windsor Castle Stks, July Stks and Free Handicap): something to prove (dam now sold). Out of training at moment. Séance 2yo f by Dark Angel out of Kinematic Half-sister to Kings Lynn More to follow
A satisfactory first start from Bouquet de Paris. Ran green early on behind the leader and eventual winner Michael Schofield, who looked primed on his debut. When the leader struck for home Balding's colt was the only one to offer any resistance, but it was soon obvious he was not going to stage a serious challenge. Probert accepted the situation at the distance and just rode him out to make sure he just kept 3rd place. He was relatively unfancied (I got 28-1 this morning), so there wasn't a lot of stable confidence behind him. If he improves for the run he'll win races. No foals have been reported to have been born yet. As regards the horses in training it very much looks as if two trainers, Haggas and Beckett, have risen to the top of the pile. Here's the shape of Haggas's Royal horses (so far):- Desert Hero 5yo g by Sea the Stars out of Desert Breeze Winning 2yo and high class 3yo (3rd St Leger and won Gordon Stks) but disappointed as a 4yo: something to prove. Goes to Australia as a select quartet is shipped out for their Autumn festival. Aeolian 3yo f by Fastnet Rock out of Desert Breeze Unraced 2yo, out of unraced mare half-sister to Dartmouth. Purple Rainbow 3yo f by Night of Thunder out of Daphne Once raced 2yo (2nd) and won seasonal (AW) debut as 3yo. Half-sister to 12-14f Listed winner Perfect Alibi (Le Havre): promising. The King’s Falcon 3yo g by Dubawi out of Desert Flyer First foal of dual winning (7-8f AW) mare. Ran twice as 2yo (4th and 2nd): some promise, gelded. Golden Handshake 3yo c by Zarak out of Star Value Sixth foal to enter training (3 winners) out of moderate but well-bred mare. Unraced 2yo. Out of training at moment. Brotherhood of Man 2yo c by Siyouni out of Companionship First foal of winning (2yo) Dubawi mare More to follow
The first Royal Stud foal is reported to have been born: a Zarak colt out of maiden mare Blue Missile. She won one race as a 2yo but appeared not to have trained on as a 3yo. She's by Galileo out of an Iffraaj mare who won 3 races, including the Nell Gwynn, but who's been a disappointing broodmare. Here are the Royal horses in training with Gosden this year (so far): - Warrant Holder 3yo c by Frankel out of Diploma Unraced 2yo, half-brother to two winners, Portfolio and Educator (both by Deep Impact). Showed distinct promise on 3yo all-weather debut. King’s Trust 2yo c by Kingman out of Award Scheme First live foal of Black Type mare (3rd Galtres Stakes), who also won twice over 10f. Portcullis 2yo c by Frankel out of Castle Lady 2nd foal, half-brother to dual 3yo winner Crown Estate. more to follow.
With the opening of the Flat Turf season just a week away here's how the King's horses look:- Royal Trainers Haggas Aeolian 3yo f by Fastnet Rock out of Desert Breeze Unraced 2yo, out of unraced mare half-sister to Dartmouth. Purple Rainbow 3yo f by Night of Thunder out of Daphne Once raced 2yo (2nd) and won seasonal (AW) debut as 3yo. Half-sister to 12-14f Listed winner Perfect Alibi (Le Havre): promising. The King’s Falcon 3yo g by Dubawi out of Desert Flyer First foal of dual winning (7-8f AW) mare. Ran twice as 2yo (4th and 2nd): some promise, gelded. Golden Handshake 3yo c by Zarak out of Star Value Sixth foal to enter training (3 winners) out of moderate but well-bred mare. Unraced 2yo. Late foal just back into training. Brotherhood of Man 2yo c by Siyouni out of Companionship First foal of winning (2yo) Dubawi mare Balding Bouquet de Paris 3yo g by Le Havre out of Light Music Unraced 2yo, gelded half brother to Group 2 winner (Light Refrain by Frankel). Fair 3rd on debut. Handcuffed 3yo f by Dark Angel out of Make Fast Won on 2yo debut then seemed to train off. Half-sister to Tactical (won Windsor Castle Stks, July Stks and Free Handicap): something to prove (dam now sold). Séance 2yo f by Dark Angel out of Kinematic Half-sister to Kings Lynn Beckett Treasure 4yo f by Mastercraftsman out of Shimmering Light Winning 2yo, frustrating 3yo career. Shown as in training with Beckett Dust Cover 3yo g by Showcasing out of Dusty Dream Unraced 2yo now gelded, first foal of mare (now sold), who’s a Dubawi daughter of Memory. Royal Equerry 3yo f by Kingman out of Memory Twice placed 2yo, half-sister to Recorder & Call to Mind (Galileo), Reminder (Dubawi) and Rainbow’s Edge (Night of Thunder): may improve over longer trip. Out of training at moment. Tempting Fate 3yo f by Wootton Bassett out of Magnetic Charm Once raced half-sister to first foal, Hard to Resist (useful racefilly by Dubawi), out of Listed winning miler. Queen’s Companion 2yo f by Dubawi out of Magnetic Charm See above. Food for Thought 2yo f by Dubawi out of Thought Process First foal of unraced Galileo mare, who’s a full sister to Recorder Golden Orbit 2yo f by Sea the Stars out of Diploma Half- sister to Portfolio and Educator Gosdens Rainbows Edge 4yo f by Night of Thunder out of Memory 2 wins from 3 runs as 3yo, half-sister to Recorder, Call to Mind etc.. Warrant Holder 3yo c by Frankel out of Diploma Unraced 2yo, half-brother to two winners, Portfolio and Educator (both by Deep Impact). Showed distinct promise on 3yo all-weather debut. King’s Trust 2yo c by Kingman out of Award Scheme First live foal of Black Type mare (3rd Galtres Stakes), who also won twice over 10f. Lorca’s Waltz 2yo c by Lope de Vega out of Sweet Idea Out of disappointing Australian mare (though top racefilly), dam of General Idea and Companionship Point of Law 2yo c by Frankel out of Portfolio 1st foal of Deep Impact daughter of Diploma Portcullis 2yo c by Frankel out of Castle Lady 2nd foal, half-brother to dual 3yo winner Crown Estate. Walker Lightning Polka 2yo f by Night of Thunder out of Light Music 5th foal (2 winners so far, one Group 2) out of useful listed 2yo winner. Tropical Sands 2yo f by Too Darn Hot out of Shama Last Royal foal of now sold mare (family of Shergar). Prescott Faraway Tree 2yo c by Wooded out of Al Nayeba Only produce of now sold mare who was in stud for 3 years for some reason Mullins Reaching High 4yo g by Sea the Stars out of Estimate Slow learner, who won one race as 3yo. Formally trained by Stoute, will have to see if he goes into training. Australia Desert Hero 5yo g by Sea the Stars out of Desert Breeze Winning 2yo and high class 3yo (3rd St Leger and won Gordon Stks) but disappointed as a 4yo: something to prove. Goes to Australia as a select quartet is shipped out for the Autumn festival. Unassigned Slipofthepen 5yo g by Night of Thunder out of Free Verse Promising wins as 2yo and 3yo, then extremely disappointing and gelded. Will have to see if he ever goes back into training. Gilded Flow 3yo f by Sea the Moon out of Golden Stream Unraced 2yo (late foal, never in training), three parts sister to useful Chalk Stream and Reach for the Moon (both by Sea the Stars). Value for Money 3yo c by Lope de Vega out of Estimate Never in training Evaluate 2yo c by Sea the Stars out of Estimate Full brother to Reaching High Royal Flurry 2yo c by Kingman out of Desert Breeze Half-brother to Desert Hero and Aeolian Unnamed 2yo f by Camelot out of Daphne Half-sister to useful Perfect Alibi (Le Havre) and Purple Rainbow (Night of Thunder) The surprises are (1) that Sir Mark Prescott, who was sent two 2yos in 2023, both of which never ran and were out of the stable by the end of the 2023 season, gets another 2yo this year. We'll have to see if he can get a run out of this one. (2) that there appears to be every chance that two 4yo fillies will be in training this year. Probably felt they could both win a listed event and there must be a possibility that they'll be put in foal before returning to the track. Ed Walker is confirmed as another new Royal training. 21 (probably 23+) horses in training which is taking the Royal runners to the sort of figures they used to be before the expansion of the new century.
Second winner of the year for the King as Warrant Holder wins at Southwell. That's 3 runners, 4 runs for 2 wins and 2 places. The race was a battle of the Frankels, as the favourite was Varian's Rahiebb, also by that stallion. He had beaten Nordic Norm on his last start by 2&1/4lengths receiving 6 lb. Warrant Holder lost to Nordic Norm by a head at levels, so to my thinking the two Frankels were within a pound of each other. But with Nordic Norm giving WH 7lb you'd have to put WH better off today. Close in the betting but Rahiebb started odds on. Rahiebb did run green on his debut so maybe the punters were expecting more improvement. WH was always travelling strongly and he came away from the rest of the field while only Rahiebb stayed with him. They pulled 16lengths clear of the third yet WH always had the upper hand and won by 2&1/4 lengths. Both colts ran with credit and both ran green but Warrant Holder still looks unfurnished. He could do a lot better with this if he develops. One caveat is that his full-brother, High Order, broke his maiden last year in impressive style but then trained off. IF Warrant Holder does develop the King could have a very useful 3yo colt.
As last year, the announcement of Royal foals are seeping out very slowly. I noticed the 2nd and 3rd today. colt by Camelot out of Mellow Yellow (by Jeremy); 2nd foal. colt by St Mark's Basilica out of Light Music (by Elusive Qualty);, 7th live foal half-brother to Gp2 winner Light Refrain (Frankel) So 3 colts so far.
As suspected, Rainbows Edge remains in training with the Gosdens. She ran 3 times as a 3yo, winning twice. What made me also suspect she may have been put in foal was that she was shown as out of training at the start of this year and that there had to be a reason she ran so little (my surmise being she runs so few times because she keeps going into season): probably totally wrong. She is entered in the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York, which is a big step up
Proper racing starts on Friday with the opening Newbury Flat meeting. Usually an informative day but probably not so much this year with it being before Newmarket. I think this early season dance around Easter is unnecessary now that we race on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Anyway the first four races on Friday should still be informative and the King sees his recent Newcastle winner Warrant Holder start in the 4th of them, the10f Novice Stakes. He beat a good Burke colt, Rahiebb, in his last race, and Rahiebb's been entered for the Dante. Warrant Holder was still very green on his last start and will have to improve again. The Gosdens currently have 3 in the race, though Shoemark is on the Royal colt.
It just seems wrong having the Greenham before the Craven. Greenham looks well up to scratch though, for all that O'Brien senior is dodging the race. Maybe he thinks his son has it won? Cosmic Year of greatest interest for me in this.
Apparently goes to Kempton instead. 1/4 on for the 3rd race tonight. Good to firm going is the cat amongst the pigeons this Spring
