Dark Angel (Ire)

We're not quite halfway through the Flat season but Royal Ascot feels like a pivotal point. It's not just the fact that it coincides with the summer solstice (even though summer has really only just arrived in these parts) but it includes the first properly meaningful two-year-old contests along with a set of races for the Classic generation which start to underline the really serious prospects. While the yearling sales may tell one story of the popularity of stallions, one only needs to peruse the stakes race results on a...

Swooping to record back-to-back successes in Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, Fitri Hay's Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}--White Daffodil {Ire}, by Footstepsinthesand {GB}) proved himself a true horses-for-courses sprinter under Oisin Murphy. Let go at 80-1 getting the full Jamie Spencer treatment 12 months ago, the Charlie Hills-trained 8-year-old who was 14-1 this time was always travelling like the winner in behind and when finally given the command swamped Swingalong (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) inside the final furlong for a half-length win. Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles...

Royal Ascot Tuesday got underway with an admirably professional Queen Anne display from Nurlan Bizakov's Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Futoon {Ire}, by Kodiac {GB}) as he finally plundered his Group 1 on the biggest stage. Runner-up in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury last month, the grey tracked that race's winner Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) throughout the early stages but whereas he wasn't able to get to him previously this time he was already rolling by with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining. Out in the clear under Silvestre De Sousa chased...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features a son of Frankel (GB). 16.00 Yarmouth, Nov, £40,000, 2yo, 6f 3yT AGE OF GOLD (IRE) (Frankel {GB}), representing the Godolphin-Appleby-Buick triumvirate, realised the fifth-highest price at last year's Goffs Orby sale when selling for €625,000 and makes the trip up the A11 to debut on...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a full-brother to a 'TDN Rising Star'. 15.45 Newmarket, Novice, £21,000, 2yo, 6fT ANCIENT TRUTH (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a full-brother to Great Truth (Ire), last year's TDN Rising Star who was the first foal out of the G2 Prix du Calvados winner Beyond Reason (Ire)...

Is there anything like a pedigree update to get a consignor's blood pumping in the build-up to a big sale? A little winner here, a black-type update there, it can't hurt when it comes to advertising your wares.  Well, if it's happening pedigrees that buyers want, it won't take long to scope out lot 53 in the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. A brother to leading 2,000 Guineas contender Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the colt will be offered under the hammer by the father-and-son team of Mick and Stephen...

Mad Cool (Jpn) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Mad About You {Ire}, by Indian Ridge {Ire}) climbed the Group 1 heights with a head victory in the 1200-metre ¥329,400,000 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo on Sunday. Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) was runner-up for the second consecutive year, with the duo three lengths ahead of Hong Kong raider and G1 Centenary Sprint Cup scorer Victor The Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) in third. It was a dogfight for pacesetting duties between Mad Cool and Victor The Winner from the bell, with the former...

Steve Parkin's Clipper Logistics have live Guineas contenders of both sexes in 2024 as the Karl Burke-trained Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Dorraar {Ire}, by Shamardal) produced a sensational display to obtain TDN Rising Star status at Southwell on Wednesday evening. Off the mark in style by nine lengths this track and seven-furlong trip on debut in December, the 1-4 favourite tanked his way to the front under Danny Tudhope from the outset. Chased entering the straight by his only serious rival, last year's G3 Acomb S. fifth Cogitate (Ire)...

Coolmore Stud's Mark Byrne has acknowledged that many breeders will be in two minds about covering their mares after what he described as one of the most "unusual" years of trade in 2023 but but encouraged supporters of the stud to retain the faith by saying "it's not always dark at five o'clock." Byrne was speaking during the Irish Stallion Trail where visitors to Coolmore got a chance to see newbies Paddington (GB), Little Big Bear (Ire) and The Antarctic (Ire). Parallels were drawn between the quandary facing breeders in...

Frankel (GB) has recaptured the crown he first wore in 2021 and is the champion sire in Britain and Ireland for 2023, as well as being the leading sire in Europe, for the second time. It won't be the last. Whether or not he will be able to emulate the long reigns of his sire Galileo (Ire) and grandsire Sadler's Wells remains to be seen, but it would be unwise to bet against it. Yes, Frankel's launch into his stud career was the stallion equivalent of being born with a...

Yeomanstown Stud's flagship sire Dark Angel (Ire), who reached a landmark 100 individual stakes winners in 2023, will remain at a fee of €60,000 in 2024. His top performers of the year have included Khaadem (Ire) and Art Power (Ire), whose victories at Royal Ascot and on Champions Day brought Dark Angel's total of Group 1 winners to 15, while his six-year-old son Alfareeq (Ire) won his second consecutive G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan in March. The G2 Prix d'Harcourt winner Shaman (Ire) will have his first runners next season...

Multiple group winner The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Anna Law {Ire}, by Lawman {Fr}), a full-brother to crack sprinter Battaash (Ire), has been retired and will stand under the Coolmore banner at Castlehyde Stud in 2024, Coolmore announced on Wednesday. A fee for the G1 Middle Park S. second and G1 Prix Morny third will be announced later. "He's fast, a very good-looking individual and his own-brother Battaash is probably the best five-furlong sprinter of recent times," said Castlehyde's Paddy Fleming. "On a mark of 113 as a 2-year-old, the...