New winners for first-season stallions

Refuse To Bend sires eleventh winner and Reset extends his European tally to four

Darley freshman stallion Refuse To Bend sired his eleventh individual winner on Monday when Crackdown took the seven-furlong (1400m) novice stakes at Leicester.

Well regarded by his trainer Mark Johnston, he appreciated the quicker ground to make all the running to score decisively by two-and-a-quarter lengths from Indian Tonic.

Bred by Rancho San Peasea, he is the first winner for Stakes-winning mare Whitefoot and a close relative of G1 scorers, Compton Admiral and Summoner. Crackdown himself holds an entry for the G1 Racing Post Trophy next month.

Refuse To Bend had made a very good start with his juveniles with 13 horses rated 80+ by Timeform, more than any first-season stallion standing outside Darley.

Earlier in the day at Hamilton Park, Hit The Switch became Reset's fourth European winner when taking the six-furlong (1200m) Maiden.

The most expensive yearling by his young stallion at the sales in 2007 at €80,000 (A$127,000), he was making his second start after a promising effort on the all-weather at Kempton, coping with the soft ground well to beat Box Office by a neck.

Bred by the late Mrs M Dawson, he is the first winner for the unraced Desert King mare Scenic Venture, who is a half-sister to multiple G3-winning Irish sprinter Lidanna.

Already the sire of the tough and progressive Saxford in Europe, Reset has two Stakes winners in Australia, the G3 winner Rebel Raider and Listed scorer Likefatherlikeson.