Pedigree Insights: Too Darn Hot and Ten Sovereigns

As a lover of quality two-year-old racing, the action at around 3:30 last Saturday was something of a treat for me, with two wide-margin maiden race winners and 'TDN Rising Stars' proving similarly impressive when they stepped up to Group 3 company. Firstly, the Round Tower S. at The Curragh was taken in very dominant style by No Nay Never's substantial son Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and then the Solario S. threw up a potential Classic winner when the regally-bred Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) forged four lengths clear of the Chesham S. winner Arthur Kitt (GB) (Camelot {GB}).

These eye-catching victories led to some significant changes to the Racing Post's list of the year's top juveniles, with Too Darn Hot taking over the top spot with a figure of 118, 2lb above Kingman's sidelined G2 Coventry S. winner Calyx (GB), who has also won his first two starts in style. Ten Sovereigns has been given a figure of 113, which places him third equal among the 2-year-old olds, equal with the Coventry S. second and G1 Phoenix S. winner Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). It is worth adding that the next colt on the list, on 112, is the G2 Superlative S. winner Quorto (Ire), who shares the same sire, Dubawi, as Too Darn Hot.

Too Darn Hot has such an illustrious pedigree that it's hard to find anything new to say about it. With Dubawi as his sire, the international Group 1 winner Dar Re Mi (GB) as his dam and the celebrated broodmare Darara (Ire) as his second dam, Too Darn Hot is a full-brother to those very talented fillies So Mi Dar (GB) and Lah Ti Dar (GB). Anyone thinking of backing Too Darn Hot for the G1 2000 Guineas should note that So Mi Dar never tackled a distance shorter than a mile and a quarter after the age of two, while Lah Ti Dar is unbeaten in three starts from 10 to 12 furlongs.

Too Darn Hot also represents the remarkable Dubawi-Singspiel cross which has produced 10 black-type winners from a total of only 30 foals–a terrific 33%–with the Group 1 winners Left Hand (GB) and Wuheida (GB) and this year's Group 2 winner Old Persian (GB) among them. Again, it should be noted that Left Hand's group victories came over 10 and 12 furlongs, while Old Persian's Group 2 successes were both gained over a mile and a half. Rare Rhythm (GB) landed his Group 3 victory at Meydan over a mile and three-quarters. Even Wuheida's wins in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and G2 Dahlia S. were gained over a furlong more than a mile, as was the listed race won by Crystal River (GB).

There are a couple of exceptions to this general rule, though, as Laugh Aloud (GB)'s stakes successes have been gained at around a mile and Majestic Dubawi (GB) was speedy enough to become a six-furlong Group 3 winner at two.

Moving on to Ten Sovereigns, the question is whether a mile will suit a son of No Nay Never, a horse who was never asked to tackle more than seven furlongs during a career which stretched only to six starts. His solitary effort over seven furlongs was probably a career low for a horse who shone in winning the G2 Norfolk S. over five furlongs and the G1 Prix Morny over six. Anyone who backed No Nay Never to win the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint over 6 1/2 furlongs will remember that he looked like justifying favouritism until he was run down by Bobby's Kitten (Kitten's Joy) close home.

This perception that No Nay Never had distinct stamina limitations is strengthened by the fact that his sire Scat Daddy has also been represented in Europe by such precocious speedsters as Lady Aurelia, Acapulco, Caravaggio, Sioux Nation, Scitter Scatter, So Perfect, Van Beethoven and Sergei Prokofiev. However, this impressive collection represents only one aspect of Scat Daddy's talents, as we have seen from this year's Triple Crown exploits of Justify, and from the American-raced fillies Daddys Lil Darling, Lady of Shamrock, Dacita (Chi) and Harmonize, all of whom stay at least a mile and a quarter.

No Nay Never started his stallion career at a fee of €20,000 in 2015, before Scat Daddy had enjoyed most of his European success (Acapulco won the G2 Queen Mary S. in June 2015 but her win was too late to help No Nay Never in his first season). By Coolmore standards, No Nay Never wasn't rushed off his feet, with a book of 118 mares, compared to the 157 mares covered by Australia, another Coolmore newcomer. No Nay Never ended up with a first crop of 88. His second, from a book of 154, is quite a lot larger.

By the time No Nay Never's first crop reached the yearling sales, Scat Daddy's reputation as a wonderfully effective stallion had been justified time after time and buyers were happy to pay many times No Nay Never's fee to obtain his most promising youngsters. The colts sold for up to 850,000gns, the fillies for up to 420,000gns and his overall average exceeded 114,000gns.

I must admit that I wondered whether this was another example of yearling-sale hype. There's usually an example every year, when demand for a new stallion's stock seems to be out of proportion to his fee, and quite often the bubble bursts when the youngsters start to race. This time, though, the hype is proving well justified.

In addition to Ten Sovereigns, No Nay Never has been represented by the Group 2 winner Land Force (Ire) (RPR 111) and the Group 1-placed The Irish Rover (Ire) (RPR 109), as well as the above-average performers Neverland Rock (GB), Cosmic Law (Ire), Servalan (Ire), We Go (Fr) and North Wind (Ire). He also has a black-type winner on dirt in the U.S., where Mae Never No (Ire) won the five-furlong Colleen S. at Monmouth Park in August by seven lengths.

What must be especially pleasing for the Coolmore team is that No Nay Never, whose pedigree is free of Sadler's Wells and Danzig, is shaping up as a valuable outcross for Ireland's large numbers of Danehill line mares. As many as six of his eight black-type earners are out of mares by sons of Danehill. The Irish Rover and We Go are out of Danehill Dancer (Ire) mares, while the Group 2-placed Neverland Rock has a Fastnet Rock (Aus) dam. The Group 2 winner Land Force is out of a Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) mare and the listed winner Servalan has a dam by Oratorio (Ire). Ten Sovereigns completes the sextet, as he is out of a daughter of Exceed And Excel (Aus).

The fact that Exceed And Excel did his winning at up to seven furlongs would normally sound alarm bells when assessing a son of No Nay Never as a 2000 Guineas candidate, but Ten Sovereign's dam Seeking Solace (GB) was not a typical daughter of the speed-oriented Australian stallion.

Seeking Solace raced seven times for Andre Fabre in France and this Darley homebred never tackled less than a mile and a quarter as a 3-year-old. After winning over a mile and a quarter on her seasonal reappearance, Seeking Solace raced exclusively in black-type company, notably finishing a two-length fourth in the G3 Prix Penelope and a length second in the Listed Prix de la Seine over 11 furlongs.

Seeking Solace was clearly useful, but it was quickly decided that she was surplus to requirements at the huge Darley operation and she was offered for sale at the Tattersalls 2011 July Sale, carrying her first foal, by Halling. BBA Ireland secured her for 65,000gns. Seeking Solace's dam Flamelet was culled by Darley the following year, when she sold for only €7,500 as a 12-year-old.

Ten Sovereigns is Seeking Solace's fourth foal, second starter and first winner, but the mare's record looks set to improve significantly as her 2017 and 2018 foals are sisters to Ten Sovereigns. The first of them is in Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale.

Seeking Solace's story raises two questions. Why did she stay so well for a daughter of Exceed And Excel? And why was she not considered good enough for retention by Darley?

The answer to the latter question is that standards are very high in the Darley/Godolphin breeding operation. Although Ten Sovereigns's first three dams all earned black-type, none of them quite managed to win a group or listed race.

As to Seeking Solace's stamina, I am surprised that she stayed so well. Although her dam Flamelet managed only three starts for Sheikh Mohammed, she nearly became a Group 3 winner when a close second in the Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial over a mile. The chances are that this daughter of Theatrical would have stayed further, as her family produced Labirinto, a well-travelled Group 3 winner over a mile and a half, to Theatrical (Ire).

Flamelet failed to produce a black-type winner but Ten Sovereigns's third dam, the Capote mare Darling Flame, was second in the G3 Cherry Hinton S. at two and now ranks as the second dam of two good fillies by Dubawi. Interestingly, neither stayed well, with the Australian Group 1 winner Shamal Wind (Aus) shining at around six furlongs and the Group 2 winner Al Thakhira (GB) doing best over seven furlongs.