A round up of all the action for the Darley stallions over the past week
Pulling at the hart strings
Authorized’s star son Hartnell produced G1 win number four on Saturday, 29 September when getting on top late in the one-mile Epsom Handicap at Randwick.
Registering career Stakes win number 10, at distances ranging from seven furlongs to two miles, the exceptional seven-year-old has been a great flagbearer for Godolphin in Australia and was taking his career earnings to over €3,700,000. He has also been a major influence on young trainer James Cummings and he was glowing in his praise after the race, “He’s won two G1 races, a G2 (for me) - this is just a huge moment and a privilege to have a horse of this calibre under my care.”
A daughter of Authorized worth keeping an eye out for is the juvenile Echoes In Rain, who made a successful winning debut on Friday when easily taking a 2,000m maiden at Argentan by two and a half lengths.
Meryl streaks ahead
Meryl, an Australian-bred first-crop daughter of Epaulette, doubled her Group-winning tally on Friday when victorious in the G3 Scarborough Stakes at Moonee Valley. The winner of the G3 BJ McLachlan Stakes late last season at Doomben, she has raced exclusively in Stakes company in all her seven career starts.
Epaulette has enjoyed great success with his first Australian-born crop including South African G1 winner Soqrat and G3-winning juvenile filly Khulaasa.
Stakes winners aplenty
It was an excellent week for our stallions with nine individual Stakes winners bred in Europe.
Two of New Approach’s (pictured) seasoned campaigners struck in the past seven days with Nearly Caught running out the very easy winner of the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newmarket and Potemkin, a G1 winner two seasons ago, winning a Stakes race at Strasbourg in France.
Iffraaj’s progressive three-year-old daughter Beshaayir landed her first Stakes victory on Friday when displaying an excellent turn of foot to win the Listed Rosemary Stakes at Newmarket by two lengths. Now the winner of four of her nine career starts, she became her sire's 22nd Stakes performer of the year.
Ex-Irish galloper Haripour, a four-year-old son of Shamardal, landed the Listed RM Ansett Classic on Saturday at Mornington in Australia. Previously trained by Dermot Weld and now under the care of Darren Weir, he has won four of his seven starts in his new home.
On Thursday at Newmarket it was Arctic Sound, a juvenile son of the late Poet’s Voice, who triumphed in the G3 Tattersalls Stakes. Held up early off the strong early pace in the seven-furlong contest, he swept though in the final furlong to win going away, with Dubawi’s son Prince Eiji back in third.
Plenty to look forward to
It is the time of the year when the juvenile scene goes into overdrive and there have been plenty of nice winners over the past seven days.
On an average Newcastle card on Monday, one horse lit up a drab evening with Dubawi’s son Turgenev cruising to a six-length victory. The first foal of Classic performer Tasaday, he had ran a race full of promise 10 days earlier at Doncaster, and a trip back to the same course for the G1 Futurity Trophy at the end of October looks a strong possibility.
Another son of Dubawi to win for the first time on Wednesday was Prejudice, a full-brother to four-time G1 hero Postponed, who is according to his trainer’s representative “improving with every race” after his two-and-a-quarter-length triumph at Redcar.
Debutant colt Skardu, a son of Shamardal, made a sparkling debut on Friday at Newmarket for William Haggas. In a deep field, he beat his 13 rivals with an excellent turn of foot in the final furlong to record a two-length triumph and a Timeform race rating of 96.
Dawn Approach’s (pictured) second-crop juveniles are enjoying an excellent season and he added another winner to his tally on Friday at Dundalk when his son Major Reward won at the first time of asking. A relative of Last Tycoon, he was strongest in the final furlong to win going away by three quarters of a length.
Thunderous market approval
The sales season moved to Tattersalls Ireland last week and the first progeny of Night Of Thunder were in high demand.
The highlight of the sale was Lot 11, a three-parts brother to Prince Bishop, consigned by Castlebridge, who was sold to Godolphin for €180,000 - the highest price of the day and the highest overall price for a first-season sire.
In total, six Night Of Thunders were sold over the two days with his average of €52,000 higher than all other first-season sires with more than one to sell. The action moves over to Goffs this week with eight more sons and daughters by the 2,000 Guineas hero catalogued.
