Dark Angel (Ire)

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...

There was one attendee at Ascot on Saturday that refused to succumb to Frankie fever and that was King Power's grey enigma Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Evening Time {Ire}, by Keltos {Fr}) who on his 15th attempt in Group 1 company finally made the breakthrough in the QIPCO British Champions Sprint. Blazing the trail in isolation in his habitual style, the star of the Tim Easterby yard looked set to play second fiddle as Dettori edged ahead late on the 5-4 favourite Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) but where he...

Progressive filly Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is a likely supplement for the G1 Virgin Bet Sun Chariot S. at Newmarket's Rowley Mile on Oct. 7, according to Richard Brown, who is the racing manager for owners St Albans Bloodstock. The Richard Hannon-trained 4-year-old won her first stakes, the Listed Dick Hern S., at Haydock in August. Favoured in the G3 Atalanta S. at Sandown, she ran to her odds and delivered a three-quarter length victory earlier this month. If entered, she would face Group/Grade 1 winners Inspiral (GB) (Frankel...

St Albans Bloodstock's 4-year-old homebred filly Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Nakuti {Ire}, by Mastercraftsman {Ire}) took seven attempts to make a stakes breakthrough, doing so in last month's Listed Dick Hern Fillies' S. at Haydock, and continued her belated rise up the ladder with a career high in Saturday's G3 Virgin Bet Atalanta S. at Sandown. The Richard Hannon trainee settled into a smooth rhythm after breaking from the outside stall and raced in rear for most of this one-mile test. Making eyecatching headway out wide once into the straight,...

It was fitting that Dark Angel's 100th stakes winner should have come in the Dick Hern S. at Haydock, a milestone which the ultra-reliable Yeomanstown Stud-based stallion reached thanks to the victory of the St. Albans Bloodstock home-bred filly Heredia (GB). Dick Hern, who sent out 16 British Classic winners including three winners of the Derby as well as his best horse Brigadier Gerard (GB), would have thoroughly approved of Dark Angel. Hern was an archetypal 'old-school' trainer who excelled with every type of horse. Late in his career he...

Marc Chan's 2021 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International hero Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}--Cercle De La Vie {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) had been in and out of form in eight outings since registering those career highlights as a juvenile and backed up a fourth in last month's G2 Summer Mile with a last-gasp win in Saturday's G2 William Hill Celebration Mile at Goodwood. Fourth through halfway and scrubbed along approaching the quarter-mile marker, the 9-2 chance was afforded a dream seam underneath the stands' side rail...

Kevin Blake and Jack Cantillon have secured French sprinter Bouttemont (Ire), who they are targeting at a rare Group 1 double in the Flying Five and Prix de l'Abbaye, before standing the highly-rated son of Acclamation (GB) in Ireland.  Bouttemont will see out his career with current trainer Yann Barberot and will race in the colours of Syndicates.Racing, the successful ownership group which is headed by Cantillon.  A number of packages that include racing and breeding rights are available in the Group 3 winner with Blake describing the opportunity to...

In a season when even by their exalted standards Ballydoyle seem to be boasting more than the average amount of highly talented juveniles, Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) Coolmore Stud Wootton Bassett Irish EBF Futurity S. at The Curragh on Saturday. Earning TDN Rising Star status when beating the subsequent Galway maiden winner and G3 Prix Francois Boutin runner-up Mythology (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) hollow on debut over this course and seven-furlong distance last month, the son of  Minding (Ire) (Galileo {GB}) is as exciting as it gets at this time...

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. Tuesday's Insights features TDN Rising Star Alcantor (Fr) (New Bay {GB}) in a Deauville Conditions test. 14.33 Deauville, Cond, €34,000, 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2fT Baron Edouard de Rothschild's ALCANTOR (FR) (New Bay {GB}), a half-brother to G2 Union-Rennen winner Boscaccio (Ger) (Mount Nelson {GB}), looked a class act when...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by Elusive Princess, who won the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. on Friday. Princess Reigns In Saratoga Oaks LNJ Foxwoods, Ecurie Victoria Dreams, and NK Racing's Elusive Princess (Fr) (Martinborough {Jpn}) made her Stateside debut a winning one at Saratoga for trainer Jean-Philippe Dubois on Friday (video). Bred by her trainer, she won three of her first four French starts for Ecurie Victoria Dreams, and was runner-up...

The catalogue for the 2023 Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, which is set to take place on Sept. 19-21, is now available to view online. The auction will have 506 lots on offer for Part I on Sept. 19-20, with 256 more lots selling during Part II on the final day. The September Yearling Sale has produced 53 individual 2-year-old winners to date throughout Ireland, UK, France, Italy and Hungary, as well Group 3 and listed success at home and abroad. Last year, trainer Stefano Botti purchased G3 Premio Primi...