By Tom Frary
There had already been two TDN Rising Stars during Saturday's action at Leopardstown by the time the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden came along, but in that mile contest Ballydoyle's Ocean Of Dreams (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}–All For Glory, by Giant's Causeway) categorically made it a third as he annihilated the opposition to suggest he could be one of the stable's big Derby players next summer. Settled in mid-division early by Seamie Heffernan, the Coolmore homebred from the heralded dynasty of Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) made gradual progress out wide and stormed to the lead a furlong out.
Pounding through the mud to the line, the 9-2 shot hit that six lengths to the good over the experienced 3-1 favourite Invention (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with the Jim Bolger newcomer Fine Point (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) 1 3/4 lengths away in third. “The feeling from on top was very, very impressive,” was the statement from the normally-reserved Heffernan, who can always be relied on to tell it as it is. “I landed him two belts and he was gone. He's a good-moving horse and clean-winded–the good ones can handle any ground and they skip along on fast ground when they have the engine.” Ocean Of Dreams is the sixth TDN Rising Star for Fastnet Rock.
Stable representative Chris Armstrong added, “He's a smashing type, a typical Fastnet Rock and comes from a good Galileo pedigree. He's been coming along nicely at home and was just ready to start today, so he'll come on a lot fitness-wise. Seamus spoke very favourably of him and once he got him straightened up and balanced he let down very strongly. He's one to look forward to and will probably come back for a trial next year.”
As mentioned above, Ocean Of Dreams is a full-brother to the Listed Hurry Harriet S. winner and Oaks third Alluringly, who is herself the dam of the G2 Kilboy Estate S. winner Lily Pond (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The unraced dam All For Glory is also responsible for the G2 Debutante S. third Toogoodtobetrue (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who in turn produced the G3 Eyrefield S.-placed Carlisle Bay (Ire) also by Galileo. The second dam is the G3 Middleton S. winner and Oaks runner-up All Too Beautiful (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), a full-sister to Galileo himself and half to Sea The Stars whose daughter Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo) took the Listed Cheshire Oaks and was also second in the Epsom Classic.
Another half-sister to All For Glory is the group-placed Sparrow (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who produced the G1 Cox Plate and G1 Tancred S. hero Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and this year's G2 Prix du Calvados winner and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac third Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never). The third dam Urban Sea's legacy looks set to continue for some time to come, with yet another Oaks place-getter in Melikah (Ire) (Lammtarra) and Coolmore's broodmare Cherry Hinton (GB) (Green Desert) carrying their dam's torch with their own descendants which include a third Derby hero in Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). All For Glory's yearling colt is by Wootton Bassett (GB).
7th-Leopardstown, €16,000, Mdn, 10-21, 2yo, c/g, 8fT, 1:54.93, hy.
OCEAN OF DREAMS (IRE), c, 2, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
1st Dam: All For Glory, by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: All Too Beautiful (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Urban Sea, by Miswaki
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $10,171. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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