A round up of all the action for the Darley stallions over the past week
What a weekend for Teofilo
Teofilo enjoyed an excellent weekend siring a brace of new Stakes winners on Saturday.
One of the most impressive winners of the Goodwood festival was arguably Godolphin’s three-year-old Cross Counter. Sent to the front under WIlliam Buick in the G3 Gordon Stakes, he showed great tenacity and class to record an easy victory over Derby runner-up Dee Ex Bee (Farhh) with a gaping eight lengths back to the third. Stopping the clock in 2:31.39, he smashed the Goodwood track record despite winning by over four lengths.
A trip to Australia now beckons for the G1 Melbourne Cup and Timeform were suitably impressed, awarding him a mammoth race rating of 127, a figure that cannot be beaten by any three-year-old in Europe this season.
Earlier in the afternoon at Newmarket, Crimson Rosette landed her first Stakes victory when beating her paternal half-sister Alwaysandforever in the Listed Chalice Stakes. She has been knocking on the door in Group and Listed company on her last two starts and was gaining a well-deserved first victory at the level in the twelve-furlong contest.
Another runner that will soon be contesting Stakes races will be his three-year-old daughter Rawdaa, who could not have been more impressive when breaking her maiden at Newmarket on Friday by over three lengths, with 17 lengths back to the third. The Sir Michael Stoute-trained filly is a half-sister to Group-winner Jallota and looked destined to much better things either over this mile trip or slightly further.
Teoflo has now taken his Stakes-winning tally to 79 with 126 winning or placing at Stakes level.
Glorious week for Dubawi at Goodwood
Dubawi is never too far away from the head of the major festival lists and he again enjoyed an excellent week on the Sussex downs.
The star of the show was undoubtably Wild Illusion, who secured her second top-flight victory in the Nassau Stakes on Thursday. Expertly handled by Charlie Appleby, she made all the running to beat three previous G1-winners by upwards of two lengths. One of 35 G1 winners for her sire, she will now aim for the Prix de l’Opera followed by a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf, won last season by her stablemate and paternal half-sister Wuheida.
Another highly rated winner on the week was Seniority, who recorded a Timeform race rating of 111 when winning the very valuable Golden Mile on Friday. The Queen’s progressive four-year-old has now won three of his last four starts and could be a major player at higher levels.
The winners keep coming for Fast Company
Fast Company is emerging as an excellent value for money winner-getter and he sired three impressive scorers over the weekend.
First to salute the judge was the Italian juvenile filly Spectralight, who defeated the boys to win the Listed Criterium Varesino over 1500m. After breaking her maiden only a fortnight earlier she progressed with the extra trip to win by half-a-length with four lengths back to the third.
Sunday saw the conclusion of the popular Galway festival and the undoubted star was Fast Company, who sired a brace of winners. Within 35 minutes he sired the new juvenile winner Highway To Success, who provided Gordon Elliott with his first two-year-old winner of the season, and Ahonoora Premier Handicap victor Safe Voyage. Trained in the UK by John Quinn, the lightly raced and progressive five-year-old was winning his biggest race to date off a lofty rating of 99.
Festival success for Darley stallions
One of the stars of the week at Galway was undoubtably Raven’s Pass’s son Riven Light, who produced an amazing performance to win their mile handicap off a rating of 108. The winner of the race twelve months previously off a rating 16lbs lower, he came from the seemingly impossible draw of 18 to win by nearly a length for Willie Mullins. Recording a huge Timeform rating of 121, he was the undoubted standout flat performer of the week, a fully 12lb clear of the next best runner.
Goodwood produced five days of top-class racing and during the week there were major handicap victories for progeny of Authorized, Farhh and Shamardal.
Sir Chauvelin (Authorized) has been very consistent this season, placing at Royal Ascot and in the Northumberland Plate, and he was gaining a well deserved victory when landing the one-mile-six-furlong handicap on Saturday. This represented a career best effort (Timeform 110) when winning by a half-a-length over Melting Dew, with the pair clear, and a trip to York for the Ebor looks next on the agenda.
The opening day of Goodwood produced a brace of nice winners in Alfarris (Shamardal) and Move Swiftly (Farhh). Both trained by William Haggas, Alfarris beat 14 rivals to win the valuable ten-furlong handicap, whilst Move Swiftly came from a very unpromising position to land the Fillies’ Handicap, the last race on the card. Now the winner of three of her four starts, the progressive Move Swiftly is a filly destined to be racing at Stakes level by the conclusion of this season.
Valuable victory for daughter of Slade Power
July was a happy hunting ground for progeny of Slade Power with dual scorer Princess Power and impressive winners Louis Treize and Balance Of Power and it was the first named that made sure August started with a bang when completing her hat-trick in a very valuable fillies' nursery at Newmarket.
Trained in Yorkshire by Nigel Tinkler, bred by Roundhill Stud and out of Flurry Of Hands (Acclamation), this uncomplicated filly has showed a tremendous attitude in her races to win previously at Beverley and Thirsk and on a variety of grounds.
Slade Power is the sire of two winners from two runners when bred with Acclamation mares after debutant Kempton scorer Typhoon Ten.
