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UK racing review
U S Army trumps it
The son of War Front draws on his father’s speed and proves himself a Group 1 three-year-old, writes Aisling Crowe
U S NAVY FLAG conquered the July course for War Front in the Group 1 Darley July Cup, dropping back in trip to 6f and in the process becoming the fourth European Group 1 winner by War Front at three or older. War Front is the marmite of stallions in Europe with Claiborne Farm’s son of Danzig creating strong differences in opinion, mainly about his ability to sire horses who maintain their level of brilliance at three and older.
War Front is the marmite of stallions in Europe with Claiborne Farm's son of Danzig creating strong differences of opinion about his ability to sire horses who maintain their level of brilliance at three and older
After high profile juveniles for failed to train on – including Air Force Blue, Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna – from their juvenile top level successes, plenty of people feel War Front has questions to answer.
However, there are as many people who believe he doesn’t, and U S Navy Flag’s impressive win in the July meeting’s centre piece came a year after his full-sister Roly Poly, won the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes.
They are the second and third foals out of Misty For Me, who won four times at the highest level, including the Moyglare Stakes (G1) and Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) at two
and the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) at three.
She was also third in the Group 1 Matron Stakes and finished her career with a third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf over 1m3f.
The daughter of Galileo was first sent to Fastnet Rock, a mating which produced US Grade 3 winner Cover Song, bought by Bobby Flay at the end of her three-year-old season for $1.6 million.
Her second foal Roly Poly was second in the 1,000 Guineas (G1) and Coronation Stakes (G1) to stable companion Winter before making the breakthrough at Group 1 level 12 months’ ago.
She followed her Falmouth Stakes victory with success in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville and added a third top-level triumph in the Sun Chariot Stakes last October.
Misty For Me has a two-year-old named It Was Magic and foal full-sisters and yearling full-brother to U S Navy Flag and Roly Poly and was covered by War Front this spring.
U S Navy Flag won two Group 1 contests as a juvenile – both of them on Newmarket’s Rowley mile – the 6f Middle Park Stakes and the Dewhurst over a furlong further.
Naturally that final success, allied to Roly Poly’s success at a mile and Misty For Me stretching to win a 1m2f Group 1, lent credence to the belief that U S Navy Flag would excel over a mile.
However, the evidence of the early part of this season was sketchy, despite toughing it out to cling on to second place in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. A poor placing in the St James’s Palace Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot precipitated a drop back to sprinting for the tough colt.
As a sprinting son of War Front, out of a Galileo mare, U S Navy Flag has high potential value as a stallion for Coolmore who continues the quest to replace the irreplaceable in Galileo.
U S Navy Flag would also have international appeal as a stallion: his paternal half-brother and the champion juvenile Air Force Blue shuttles between Ashford in Kentucky and Australia
Possibly with that in mind, it was announced quickly after his July Cup triumph that U S Navy Flag could take up Coolmore’s slot in The Everest, the 6f sprint at Royal Randwick in Sydney on October 13, the world’s richest Turf race.
Alpha: the leader of a generation
Alpha Centuari confirmed her position as the best filly in Europe over a mile with her utterly dominant display in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes. The daughter of Mastercraftsman, owned and bred by the Niarchos family, was making it three Group 1 wins on the trot after victories in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes.
With champion East Of The Moon as her second dam and the magnificent Miesque as her third, Alpha Centauri comes from a line of greatness nurtured by the Niarchos family and her pedigree was discussed at length in the May-June issue of International Thoroughbred following Royal Ascot.
Wells back on course
Wells Farhh Go, the first Group winner by Farhh, continues to fly the flag for his sire, who suffers from fertility issues, with victory in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy over a 1m5f.
Last year’s Group 3 Acomb Stakes victor is one of 13 winners from 28 runners out of Farhh’s first crop, which includes Group 2 Prix d’Hocquart winner Nocturnal Fox and Epsom Derby second Dee Ex Bee.
The final Classic of the season, the St Leger (G1) at Doncaster, is the season’s aim for Wells Farhh Go, revealed winning trainer Tim Easterby.
Farhh, a son of Pivotal who blossomed as he aged and with racing, won the
Lockinge (G1) and Champion Stakes (G1) at five, is a full-brother to the Group 1-placed Racing History.
Their second dam Gonfalon is a half-sister to Gryada, who is the dam of Coronation Cup, Irish Derby and Ascot Gold Cup winner Fame And Glory, and second dam of Legatissimo, successful in the 2015’s renewals of the 1,000 Guineas (G1), Pretty Polly (G1) and Nassau Stakes (G1).
Bred by Maria Mannon, Wells Farhh Go was a €16,000 Goffs November Foal Sale purchase by Howson and Houldsworth and was reoffered for sale at Tattersalls Book 3 through Gortskagh House Stud. He was bought by Tim Easterby for 16,000gns.
Wells Farhh Go represents another variation of the successful Galileo-Pivotal cross as his dam Mowazana was bred by Shadwell Stud by the perennial champion sire.
A winner at three and placed on her two other starts, Mowazana is the dam of four winners on the Flat and two over jumps.
Her dam is a half-sister to the Classic and multiple Group 1 winner Ibn Bey and to Roseate Tern, winner of the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and dam of the Listedwinning fillies Siyaadh and Esloob, who was also placed in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile.
She is also a half-sister to Cerise Bouquet, whose descendants have brought much glory to Cheveley Park Stud, including champion two-year-old filly and Classic-placed Red Camelia and her Fillies’ Mile-winning daughter Red Bloom.
Best Solution stretches out for Kodiac
Kodiac is better known as a source of speed and precocity, but his Godolphin-owned son Best Solution, winner of the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (G2), has inherited the staying genes of his dam’s family.
Bred by Cecil and Martin McCracken, he is the first winner out of the Kingmambo mare Al Andalyya, a 10,500gns purchase out of the
Tattersalls February Sale in 2012 from Darley by Cecil McCracken.
Her dam Kushnarenkova was Groupplaced over 1m4f and is a full-sister to St Leger winner Brian Boru and to the dam of Derby and Arc hero Workforce.
Kusharenkova was bred by Juddmonte Farms and the family is also that of Grade 1-winning fillies Flute and Weep No More, as well as Oaks heroine Qualify.
Roaring Lion becomes a Group 1 winner
Roaring Lion has done nothing but improve through the year and after a third-placed finish in the Derby, a step back to 1m2f in the Coral Eclipse was always firmly on the cards for the son of Kitten’s Joy.
He had to survive a stewards’ enquiry after he hung in the final furlong, but he had put in a good performance and the right result stood, giving jockey Oisin Murphy his first British Group 1 victory.
Roaring Lion is the first foal out of the Street Sense mare Vionnet, who was Grade 1 placed over 1m2f on Turf at Santa Anita for trainer Richard Mandella.
She is a half-sister to US Turf Grade 2 winners Schiaparelli (Ghostzapper) and Moulin De Mougin (Curlin) out of a US 6.5f Grade 3 Turf winner.
Roaring Lion represents a Northern Dancer (Kitten’s Joy being a descendant of Sadler’s Wells) and Mr. Prospector cross, through Machiavellian.
Roaring Lion, bred by Ranjan Racing [featuring in the September’s issue, Ed] became Kitten’s Joy’s 12th Group or Grade 1 winner. He was bought by David Redvers for $160,000 at Keeneland September from Taylor Made Sales.
His year-younger Medaglia D’Oro half-brother was not sold as a foal before feetching $550,000 at the Fasig Tipton August Sale, purchased by Spendthrift Farm.
