Two impressive debuts by Ghaiyyath colts today. First off was 33-1 shot Le Padre at Dundalk, who had a far from smooth passage on his debut. A rangey colt, he kept a position of about 5th or 6th up until they entered the straight when the whole field swung right across the course taking Le Padre widest of all. However though he and many of the other leaders were running around he came away in the last half furlong from his field. He ran green once he hit the front and Lordan's use of the stick was more to keep him straight than to urge him on. Definitely looks the type to do better. Nicely bred too as his 4th dam is Sharmeen who produced Shergar amongst others. Of course Aga Khan breeding but the mare seems to have been sold before producing Le Padre. Another Ghaiyyath and another Aga Khan related colt made his belated debut at Kempton. Unlike Le Padre Opera Ballo always looked comfortable and assured as he ran alongside the second favourite, Gennadius, and once they hit the straight Appleby's colt came away smoothly to win by 8+ lengths in a very stylish fashion. You have to believe this is something special and the market thought so too as he started 4/9 favourite. Again well-bred he comes from the Aga's Z family (Zarkava and Zarak) and so traces back to Petite Etoile. The Godolphin team seem to have bought into a good mare here and this is her first foal. Ghaiyyath seems to be getting a lot of horses capable of Group glory in his first crop. This win rather overshadowed the victory of Quai de Bethune who won on his second start in the race after Opera Ballo but 2 seconds faster. By Persian King out of a Wootton Bassett mare (who amazingly stems from an Aga Khan offcast) he should be followed next time out and is likely to be a speedier sort than the other two winners.. Rather an ex-Aga Khan fest.
The first 2yo race of the UK/Ire flat season is held today at the Curragh. Despite it being so early in the season this is often an influential race, not only in the shape of the horses that win the race but in the fact that FSS (first season sires) show their wares for the first time. Today Space Blues, Ubetterbelieveit, Lucky Vega and Supremacy have their first runners. In 2012 New Approach had his first runner in this race and Dawn Approach won before going on as a 3yo to win the 2000G. Apparently at last year's yearling sales people were impressed with the produce of Space Blues. Not an outstanding 2yo (or even 3yo) he went on to win the Breeder's Cup Mile as a 5yo. He is represented today by current favourite Power Blue. Space Blues is of course by Dubawi. I hope pN is able to do her usual FSS thread, but realise it takes up a lot of time. Last year the scores by the FSS were a lot lower than we've become used to but it must be remembered they were competing with the 2yos sired by big hitters like Kodiac and Mehmas. It is likely to be the same this year. I wouldn't be surprised if the old fox Jim Bolger has a useful sort in his Mehmas filly Slaney View.
Another FSS gets off the mark in Ireland, with Starman's Lady Iman winning at Dundalk. Comes from a family whose representatives have decent form so may be a fine representative for this new sire by Dutch Art. Starman is 3to1 ON to be champion FSS. Of course it's Britain's first 2yo race today at Doncaster with 17 youngsters contesting the Brocklesby Stakes (at times won by useful horses).FSS representatives are: Alkuwarrior by Alkumit Mighty Vega by Lucky Vega Monty Magoo by Kessaar The Boreham Bullet by Kessaar Lope Harswell by Lope Y Fernandez Disputing favouritism for the Brocklesby are Kamakemeleon (by Kameko) and Norman's Cay (by Sioux Nation).
You don't expect the Gosdens to have too many early season 2yos, but on Friday they plan to start Siren Suit in the first race of the day. He's owned by longterm stable patron The Cheveley Park Stud. Unusually he's a colt, as CP usually sell their colts and save and race their fillies. This colt did go through the Ring but wasn't liked much so the owners bought him back for 45,000gns. Well named, by Churchill out of Angel's Hideaway you'd reckon a mile would be his ultimate favoured trip. However there's plenty of speed on the mare's side as the dam is by Dark Angel and her dam was by Kheleyf. Angel's Hideaway won twice as a 2yo including a win in the Princess Margaret Stakes. Churchill was no slouch and won his 2nd race as a 2yo at Royal Ascot (though over 7f: in his first race he was 3rd over 6f). Apparently gallop watchers also feel he's no slouch. Ill considered yearlings that go on to be top class racehorses are not unknown. The classic one is probably Reform, whom Ballymacoll couldn't sell so sent him to their trainer Gordon Richards to get a race out of him (to make their mare look good). In a situation like that the trainer forces the horse to be an early type and sure enough Reform came out in a small race at Ayr in early April and ran 4th. Richards then sent him to Bath where he won convincingly. He went on to win 5 more races as a 2yo and ended up being rated only 7lb behind the wonder horse Bold Lad. As a 3yo he won the James Palace, Sussex and Champion Stakes and was rated the best 3yo of 1967. Richards was a tough jockey but a soft touch as a boss and soft on his horses. That he had to hard train Reform to win a race was an unusual thing for him but paid off big time. Another example is Kris. He started in a May maiden at Leicester which he won. The stable response was 'we've go lots better than him at home' and only a week or so later he took another small race at Folkestone. He went on to be the best miler Cecil trained until a certain Galileo colt turned up 30 years later. Of course not all horses take to being forced but some do.
Jonquil won the Greenham very capably and is now one of the favourites for the first Classic. He won his maiden on his debut in August at Newmarket over 7f. He then ran in a listed race at the St Leger meeting but beat only one home. It was because of this he was 8-1 on Saturday. He's by Lope de Vega out of a mare called Jovial, who is by Dubawi. But it is the next mare that turns your head is she is no other than Joyeuse, an Oasis Dream half-sister to Frankel. So this 8-1 shot is top drawer Juddmonte breeding. Jonquil should easily get 10f. Of course Jonquil was trained by Stoute as a 2yo. But two races later another former inmate, Point of Contact, won a hot maiden (won by Economics last year). He's by Blue Point out of a Sir Percy Mare. It's fascinating how easily we accept Blue Point milers now.
Kirsten Rausing is mostly known for her fillies (and mares) as she normally sells her colts. Today Almeric won the Fielden Stakes over 9f at Newmarket, often a springboard to greater things. He is by Rausing's stallion Study of Man out of a Selkirk mare called Alvarita. She was useful, winning two of her 4 starts, including a 10.5f listed event. You see a mare starting with A and you immediately think of her most famous racehorse Alpinista. Then you look and you see that Almeric and Alpinista have the same granddam (Alborada) and so great granddam (Alouette) and so on. These are horses that improve enormously as 3yos and 4yos.
Nice winner for Shadwell on Saturday at Doncaster in the shape of Alfareqa. She's a filly by Frankel out of a Starspangledbanner mare called Millisle. She was more than useful as a racefilly and won 4 races including the 2019 Cheveley Park Stakes. Alfareqa is her first foal and she looks to have produced a good one who should progress from this into a Black Type filly over 7-8f. Millisle's great grandam was Cockade, who was the dam of Old Vic, while Cockade was a full-sister to High Top. A great English family brought to the fore by Bob McCreery.
Opera Ballo's bubble burst in the Craven and all the hype about him being another AW trained winner of 2000G turned out to be just that, hyperbole. Yesterday saw another Ghaiyyath show some promise as Zgharta won the first at Newmarket. She was backed down to favourite after her conqueror at the Craven meeting, Victory Queen, ground out an impressive victory over a good looking field (giving weight away) at Ascot on Wednesday. Upped 2f to10f, Zgharta ran a similar race to her earlier effort. She trailed the field before coming through after the bushes to win with more in hand than the head she won by ( though the 2nd Pearla also looks one for the future) implies. By Ghayyath, she is another good horse out of a New Approach mare. She's therefore inbred 3 x 3 to Galileo. Looking further back in her pedigree, she traces to Sweet Solera, who won both the 1000G and Oaks. Zgharta's family mostly spent their time with Wildenstein, and his top miler Bigstone is a relation. Her next race will be informative as she could be an Oaks filly (she's not entered) or one to aim at Royal Ascot and Goodwood (Nassau?). Pearla is by Sea the Stars out of a Duke of Marmalade mare and will definitely be suited to 12f+. She traces back to Holliday's Noble Lassie, who was of course the dam of Vaguely Noble. This is also the family of that good filly and now broodmare Minding. Yesterday was her first race and Pearla ran too freely in the early part of the race yet came again in the final furlong. She has an entry for the Irish Oaks and her next race entry (an Oaks Trial or a maiden at somewhere like Newbury) will be indicative of what they think of her. We could find her in the Ribblesdale in mid-June.
Nicholas Jones is a former Managing Director of the National Stud who breeds horses.. He has about 10 mares but his mares often reflect the best traditions of British breeding. On Sunday he had a nice winner in the 12f maiden at Salisbury with Gold Cup Day. This race was previously won by Ascot Gold Cup winner Estimate before her going to Royal Ascot to win the Queen's Vase. Jones seems very much a traditionalist and this colt is by Derby winner Golden Horn, who seems to have very quickly been assigned to the bargain bin. The mare is by Galileo and called Great and Small. She was just off listed class but won a small race as a 3yo when trained for Jones by Andrew Balding. It is Great and Small's dam who sparks interest. She is the Shirley Heights mare Gryada, who was bred and owned by Lord Howard de Walden. She was the result of a purchase by De Walden's bloodstock adviser Leslie Harrison who strongly believed that Mill Reef and his sons would work well with German mares. His first purchase resulted in De Walden's Derby winner Sea Anchor (by Shirley Heights) , as well as the useful Sandy Island (by Mill Reef) and Sandmason. This was after buying the German mare Sayonara. Gryada was the result of purchasing Grimpola, a Windurf mare. When De Walden died Gryada was sold and almost immediately produced Fame and Glory (by Montjeu). Later she produced a full sister to him, Yummy Mummy, who won the 1000G and was 2nd in the Oaks. De Walden's widow retained a three parts sister Gravitation, to these two, who was a decent racefilly but has been slightly disappointing as a broodmare. Somewhere along the way Jones acquired Gryada and it looks as if he has/had 3 daughters, two of them full-sisters to Fame&Glory and the third Great and Small. So far Give and Take (a Cityscape daughter of Fame and Glory's sister, Grace and Glory) has achieved most, being a winner of 3 races (including the Musidora) and now the dam of the useful Luther. Gold Cup Day could also prove to be a useful colt and perhaps surpass her success. He is likely to need 12f minimum and if going the right way could be the type of horse to go for the Queens Vase at Royal Ascot. It's refreshing to see Jones (like De Walden) keeping the horses' names starting with G. He is building up a strong G family at his Coln Valley Stud near Cirencester. This G family is still strong in Germany, with the current standard bearer being Geography. By the way Goliath is not from this family.
