Araminta

Another five wildcards have been added to the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, which starts its four-day run on December 4. G3 Prix Chloe winner Araminta (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) will be offered in training by Barton Sales on the Monday of the sale after the first Sceptre Session. She is joined by the Group 3-placed Nigiri (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), consigned by Imperium Sales, and the 97-rated Star Girls Almaaal (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). The half-sister to Group 3 winner Create Belief (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) will be offered by Norelands Stud. ...

We've a while to wait before any firm conclusions can be drawn about this year's crop of first-season stallions, though Darley's Blue Point (Ire) and Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call (GB) are pulling ever clearer in what has developed into something of a duel at the half-way stage of the Flat season. In the Coolmore camp, Calyx (GB) was the first to strike with a group winner when Persian Dreamer won Friday's G2 Duchess of Cambridge S.  As an aside, one wonders how much the clamour to run two-year-olds at Royal...