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Auguste Rodin’s Irish Champions Stakes win headed a fine late summer stint for Ballydoyle, including a seventh St Leger success for Aidan O’Brien, writes Amy Bennett, who is hoping that the Doncaster winner Continuous, by the late Japanese sire Heart’s Cry, might eventually secure himself a place at stud within the Flat ranks
IT IS A LONG TIME since the result of the St Leger has excited much interest in Flat breeders, with winners of the world’s oldest Classic bound almost without exception for the NH ranks in their second careers.
The current fixation on speed means that even the most talented of winners is seen as “tarnished” with the staying brush, with any Flat mares appearing in his future books as the exception rather than the rule.
It seems too much to hope that this will change with the victory of Continuous on Town Moor in this year’s last Classic, but surely the pedigree of Aidan O’Brien’s seventh winner of the St Leger will raise at least an eyebrow of Flat interest?
It is undeniable that the European stallion ranks are packed to the rafters with descendants of Sadler’s Wells and, to widen the net a little, positively saturated with the blood of Northern Dancer – albeit at rather more of a remove these days.
So then, will a son of the late Japanese sire Heart’s Cry provide a little taste of diversity somewhere down the line?
Perhaps not – despite being a Group 3 winner at two, Continuous has committed the cardinal sin of winning over 1m4f when landing the Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2) at York, as well as the 1m6f St Leger (G1) – but his talent is undeniable.
The Coolmore partners have already reaped great rewards from the sendingtop-Galileo-mares-to-Japan strategy to the court of Deep Impact, and they have hit the jackpot once again with Continuous... this time with a different sire albeit one who, in common with Deep Impact, is a son of the breed-shaping Sunday Silence.
Heart’s Cry registered his sole top-level victory in his native Japan when downing the mighty Deep Impact in the Arima Kinen (G1) in 2005. The following year he won the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) and was third to Hurricane Run in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1).
Retired to stand at Shadai Stallion Station, Heart’s Cry was pensioned from stud duties in June 2021, and died in March this year.
Although he has been a top-class sire in Japan, European breeders have not seen many of his progeny in action.
Cheval Grand and Yoshida (a dual Grade 1 winner in the US and now at stud at WinStar Farm) failed to fire in the UK, while Just A Way, a Group 1 winner in Dubai, was unplaced in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), while Suave Richard was third in the 2019 Dubai Sheema Classic (G1).
It is noteworthy that Continuous’s dam, the Navan maiden winner Fluff (Galileo), has produced only the handicap winner National Ballet from two earlier trysts with Deep Impact, but has hit the jackpot when sent to Heart’s Cry.
From the family of the Classic winners Dancing Rain and Dr Devious, she is a full-sister to the Group 1-winning juvenile and Classic-placed Maybe (Galileo), who, of course, produced the Classic winner and sire Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact), as well as Group 3 winner Drumroll, from her own Japanese adventures.
Fluff also visited Lord Kanaloa while in Japan, by whom she has a juvenile filly, but she is now back in Ireland where she has foaled a yearling colt and a filly foal, both by Wootton Bassett.
A week earlier, Coolmore had reaped more rewards from its seam of golden Japanese covers as August Rodin (Deep Impact) bounced back from his flop in the King George to defeat stablemate Luxembourg (Camelot) and the game filly Nashwa (Frankel) in the Irish Champion Stakes (G1).
Just as his victories in the Epsom Derby (G1) and Irish Derby (G1) eclipsed his failure in the 2,000 Guineas (G1), so his Leopardstown romp has made up for his defeat at Ascot.
Auguste Rodin announced his arrival on the big stage in 2022 when winning the Champions Juvenile Stakes (G2) at the same meeting, which this year went the way of Diego Velazquez (Frankel), who stayed on well to justify odds-on favouritism and put himself in the Classic picture.
A day later his stablemate Henry Longfellow made up for the late-declared non-appearance of City Of Troy (Justify) when romping home in the National Stakes (G1).
Henry Longfellow is yet another top level racehorse bred on the cross of Dubawi and Galileo – he is out of the seven-time Group 1 heroine Minding and his victory has come 19 years after Dubawi landed the same race.
Dalham Hall Stud’s super sire followed up 30 minutes later when Eldar Eldarov completed the surprisingly rare double of the St Leger (G1) and the Irish St Leger (G1), claiming the latter race 12 months after his success at Doncaster and after a fairly moderate run of form this season.
Dubawi’s sire sons enjoyed their own good weekend at Leopardstown and The Curragh, with Flight Plan landing the Dullingham Park Stakes (G2) for Night Of Thunder and Fallen Angel giving first-crop sire Too Darn Hot a breakthrough first top-level success in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1).
First-season sires firing in winners
Bred by Steve Parkin’s Branton Court Stud, Fallen Angel became her sire’s first winner in May, his first black-type performer when runner-up in the Listed Star Stakes in July, then his first Group winner when triumphing in the Sweet Solera Stakes (G3) in August, and, finally, his first Group 1 winner.
Her dam Agnes Stewart (Lawman) was denied her own Group 1 success when beaten half a length into second by Together Forever – dam of this season’s star juvenile City Of Troy – in the Fillies’ Mile (G1) in 2024.
The dam of four winners, she is also responsible for Divine Jewel (Frankel), who was Listed-placed at Longchamp at three and this season runner-up again in Listed company at Chester, as well as being beaten only a head in the Stanerra Stakes (G3).
Just four days after Fallen Angel’s smart Group 1 victory, Darnation, another daughter of Too Darn Hot, added a second Group success to her tally when landing the May Hill Stakes (G2) at Doncaster.
Already successful in the Prestige Stakes (G3) at Goodwood in late August for ownerbreeder Newtown Anner Stud, the filly hacked up at Doncaster by 3l.
She is out of the unraced Monday Monday (Galileo), a half-sister to the 1,000 Guineas (G1) and Irish Oaks (G1) heroine Blue Bunting, a daughter of Dynaformer. Darnation may have run in the Rockfel Stakes (G2) by the time you read this.
Fifth placed behind Fallen Angel in the Sweet Solera was Carolina Reaper, also by Too Darn Hot, bred by Lordship Stud and picked up for only 46,000gns by Johnston Racing in Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales.
The filly boasts an attractive page – she is out of the Listed-winning Shamardal mare Dark Promise, herself a half-sister to Lordship’s Oaks (G1) heroine Love Divine, but her price tag fell well below the average price of £118,304 garnered by her sire’s first crop at last year’s yearling sales.
However, horses are unaware of their prices and Carolina Reaper was well enough regarded to line up in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot as a once-raced maiden, finishing sixth.
She broke her maiden in style at Newmarket in July and went on to become her sire’s second Group winner when triumphing by a neck in the ZukunftsRennen (G3) at Baden-Baden.
Doncaster’s St Leger meeting also proved a happy hunting ground for another of Darley’s freshman sires in Blue Point.
The son of Shamardal has held sway at the top of the first-crop sires’ table since the start of the season, and few now would bet against him scooping top honours by season’s end.
With 35 winners on the board by the end of the St Leger meeting, he is well in advance of his nearest rival Soldier’s Call, and was the first of his compatriots to break seven figures in prize-money as well.
Numbers and prize-money are the name of the game, but breeders still want to see some class as well, and Blue Point has performed in that category as well, with seven black-type horses.
BIG EVS gave his sire a first stakes success when landing the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, and three months later, Mick Appleby’s charge became Blue Point’s first Group victor when making all in the Flying Childers (G2).
Over-faced when entered for the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) in August, the colt was dominant back among his peers, and it will be no surprise to see further success for the Rabbah Bloodstock-bred colt, who is out of a winning Oasis Dream daughter of crack juvenile Queen’s Logic (Grand Lodge).
A trip stateside is the next plan for the speed ball.
“Once Big Evs got three or four lengths up on them, I knew they weren’t going to catch him,” reported Appleby post-race and recorded in the Racing Post
“You’ve got to be at the front on this ground. It wasn’t ideal for him but he got the job done well.
“He’ll go straight to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. It’s 5f at Santa Anita and should be ideal for him.”
Blue Point came close to siring a famous juvenile double at the St Leger meeting when Rosallion, a Listed winner at Ascot in July, finished third in the Champagne Stakes (G2), behind the exciting-looking Iberian (Lope De Vega), while his daughter Les Bleus was third to Darnation in the May Hill.
Lying in second place by number of first-crop winners at the end of the St Leger meeting, Ballyhane Stud’s Soldier’s Call has been quietly chipping away all season, amassing 23 winners.
His juveniles are also hitting their stride in terms of black-type as well, with Dawn Charger triumphing in the Prix Eclipse (G3) in September.
A previous runner-up in the Prix d’Arenberg (G3), the race in which Soldier’s Call made his own stakes breakthrough in 2018, the filly was bred by trainer Jim Bolger out of the unraced New Approach mare Dushlan, and was picked up for €40,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale last year by Karl and Kelly Burke.
The very first race of Irish Champions Festival weekend also gave a stakes race breakthrough to Invincible Army, who stands at Yeomanstown Stud.
His daughter Kitty Rose, having broken her maiden in late August, gave a good account of herself to win the Listed Ingabelle Stakes over an extended 7f. She is out of the daughter of the winning Choisir mare Varnish and was bred by Carmel Stud.
A bounteous summer in the sprint division with new names at the top
THE SPRINTING DIVISION has been the gift that keeps on giving this year.
Shaquille (Charm Spirit) made headlines when scooping top prizes at Royal Ascot and the July Festival, and Live In The Dream created the story of the meeting when denting some big reputations to land the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) at York’s Ebor Festival.
Neither Live In The Dream’s trainer Adam West nor jockey Sean Kirrane had previously won so much as a Listed race prior to the 5f dash, but their son of Prince Of Lir gave them a red-letter day when defeating last year’s winner Highfield Princess (Night Of Thunder) and the King’s Stand Stakes winner Bradsell (Tasleet).
Bred by Lorna Doyle out of the unraced Approaching Autumn (New Approach), the four-year-old gelding, who cost only £24,000 at the 2020 Goffs Sportsman’s Sale, is a half-brother to the Listed-placed handicap winner Live In The Moment (Zebedee).
His sire Prince Of Lir was sold to stand in India last year, but he began his stud career at Joe Foley’s Ballyhane Stud, where he sired the Royal Ascot-winning juvenile The Lir Jet in his first crop.
It is interesting to note that Foley snapped up Approaching Autumn for 35,000gns, sold in-foal to James Garfield, at last year’s Tattersalls December Mares Sale.
Having been sent off favourite at York, Highfield Princess was on a retrieval mission at The Curragh for the Flying Five Stakes (G1) on Day 1 of the Irish Champions Festival, but she managed only fifth.
Instead, the spoils went the way of another surprise sprint winner in Moss Tucker, who defeated Get Ahead (Showcasing) by half a length, with Equality (Equiano) in third.
A dual Listed winner and successful in August’s Phoenix Sprint Stakes (G3) over 6f, Moss Tucker is by the former Coolmore inmate Excelebration, who now stands at the Moroccan National Stud.
The now five-year-old gelding was bred by Donal Spring out of the Pastoral Pursuits mare Rare Symphony, a winner both on the Flat and over hurdles. Perhaps her more recent matings are slanted more towards that hurdles win – she has a two-year-old by Poet’s Word and a yearling filly by Sumbal.
A day earlier, another top sprint contest saw a shock result, with Shaquille a well-beaten favourite behind Regional in the Betfair Sprint Cup (G1) at Haydock.
As in the Nunthorpe, the victory also gave connections their first top-level success – trainer Ed Bethell and jockey Callum Rodriguez claiming the spoils.
It was also a first Group success for the five-year-old Regional, who won the Listed Achilles Stakes over 5f at Haydock in June, before finishing a close fifth in the Nunthorpe.
Bred by Razza del Sole Societa Agricola out of the Italian Listed winner Favulusa (Danehill), the gelding was purchased for just 3,500gns at the Tattersalls July Sale in 2021 for the syndicate Future Champions Racing Regional.
He was sold then by Richard Fahy’s Musley Bank Stables having previously been in the ownership of Isa Salman Al Khalifa (Regional).
He won on his race debut in 2020, had a couple more runs for the yard (including when fourth to the subsequent 2021 Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) winner Winter Power in the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes at Ayr that September) before an enforced lay off caused him to change trainers. He made a winning reapperance at Haydock in September 2021 for Bethell..
The gelding’s dam has a yearling filly by Too Darn Hot, and she was purchased at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale for 46,000gns last year by Julie Wood.
