By Tom Frary
Charlie Appleby's juveniles are really starting to come to the fore and Flying Honours (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was the latest to shine brightly as he earned TDN Rising Star status with a 9 1/2-length success in Sandown's British Stallion Studs EBF Novice S. on Wednesday. Sent off the 2-5 favourite for the seven-furlong contest won 12 months ago by El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), having finished fourth in the Newmarket July Festival maiden won by TDN Rising Star Epictetus (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), the son of the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air winner Powder Snow (Dubawi {Ire}) raced behind the leading duo early with James Doyle keen to educate him. Taking time to get to the Hannon runner Starnberg (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) once woken up three out, the Godolphin homebred was in command a furlong later and when shown the whip surged on to a 9 1/2-length success from that rival. There was another 1 1/2-length margin back to the Andrew Balding-trained Grenham Bay (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in third.
“His work was nice before Newmarket–he's worked with Highbank and the likes of him and it just shows that a first run can catch them out, as he was left on the wing there,” Doyle said of the winner, who becomes the 16th TDN Rising Star for Sea The Stars. “He's put that behind him today. I was confident he'd stay this stiff seven and he relished it and galloped through the line really well and showed quality there. He was very relaxed and slightly behind the bridle, but he's a chilled character.”
✅ Off the mark
🔵 Flying Honours (Sea The Stars) readily opens his account at the second time of asking for @the_doyler & Charlie Appleby at @Sandownpark @godolphin pic.twitter.com/xyAIFxDevH
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 27, 2022
The winner is the second foal out of the dam, who started out with Appleby before being transferred to Henri-Alex Pantall and winning the Toulouse feature and a listed contest in Germany. She is a half-sister to Sea Of Snow (Distorted Humor), who was precocious enough to be third in the Listed Woodcote S., and to the G2 Diana-Trial and G3 Grosser Preis der
Mehl-Mulhens-Stiftung-placed Snow (Ger) by Sea The Stars' Sea The Moon (Ger). The third dam is Snow Bride (Blushing Groom {Fr}), the G3 Princess Royal S. and G3 Musidora S. winner who was awarded the Oaks in 1989 on the disqualification of Aliysa (GB) (Darshaan {GB}). Snow Bride produced Godolphin's ground-breaking Lammtarra (Nijinsky II), hero of the Derby, King George and Arc. Powder Snow's first foal is the 3-year-old full-sister to the winner Snow Tempest (Ire), who has won for Pantall over 14 1/2 furlongs, albeit at a low level, at Durtal last month. Her yearling filly is by Siyouni (Fr), while she also has a colt foal by Invincible Spirit (Ire).
3rd-Sandown, £9,900, Novice, 7-27, 2yo, 7fT, 1:30.61, g/f.
FLYING HONOURS (GB), c, 2, by Sea The Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Powder Snow (GSW-Fr, SW-Ger), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Snow Ballerina (GB), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Snow Bride, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $7,575. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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