The entries for the first 4 Irish Classics are published and Golden Orbit (Sea the Stars out of Diploma) is entered for the Irish Oaks. She looked a promising filly when winning on her debut and it is to be hoped it doesn't jinx her future career as other previous Royal horses were. More surprising is the Irish Oaks entry for Food for Thought (Dubawi out of Thought Process), who ran twice this season. She looks promising too but has to improve a great deal in order to be considered a Classic filly. Both are trained by Beckett and it's reassuring that the King has two well thought of fillies.
Desert Hero's half-sister Aeolian went to Kempton tonight and I didn't bother to mention it. Since winning on her second start at Newmarket in August she ran stone bonking last in two Listed events, the second of which she started favourite. She then ran a poor race at Newbury having been entered for the December Sales. Tonight, ridden by apprentice Harry Burns, she strolled home at 16-1 like a really good filly. I was surprised she was running and could only think she was showing something on the gallops that she wasn't showing on the track. Perhaps young Mr Burns is her work rider.Perhaps he made all the difference. Perhaps, perhaps ...but whatever it was she won very easily tonight. Will she still be sold or will she now be kept? And if it's the latter will she run again? She's well bred by Fastnet Rock out of a full-sister to Dartmouth called Desert Breeze, who's now a 10yo. Aeolian is her only living filly as her only other filly (by Camelot) died as a foal. I'm sure they'd like a daughter of Desert Breeze in the stud. That's a Baker's Dozen for the King this year in Europe: any more?
Eventually 8 Royal lots were sold and unsurprisingly Light Music was the most expensive, selling for 190,000gns. Surprisingly the second best price was achieved by Reminder, similarly in foal to Chaldean. Obviously this mare passed the visual examinations of prospective buyers, so it remains a surprise she was sold. I know she is replaced by her half-sister Rainbows Edge but one would have thought next year was the time to sell this mare if they really wanted to sell her. Next up was Handcuffed at 125,000gns, which seemed a good price. Desert Flyer made 90,000gns, Treasure 75,000gns, Gilded Flow 68,000gns, Royal Equerry 55,000gns and finally Seance just 35,000gns. Just have to hope the right mares were retained. An interesting sale tomorrow is the 4yo filly Calmly, who was sold early in her 3yo career by the Royal team.
