Mehmas

First-season sire sensation Mehmas (Ire) has come to dominate that category since racing's wheels began turning in June and it is fitting that he is responsible for three of the big four favourites for Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket. Tally-Ho Stud's son of Acclamation (GB), who was third in this race on his racecourse finale in 2016, has Method (Ire), Minzaal (Ire) and Supremacy (Ire) with all three coming into the six-furlong feature on the back of impressive wins in black-type company at the trip. Manton Park...

There is a general feeling of relief this year that the yearling sales are taking place at all. While some of the key indices are down on previous years there is comfort to be found in the strong clearance rates experienced at the sales thus far and even more comfort to be taken by some of the results pinhookers have had from their investments of 2019. For siblings Chris and Tara Armstrong this year could be one of the more memorable ones for their young pinhooking operation from Beechvale Stud....

An unnamed colt from the first crop of Mehmas (Ire) was the leading flat offering from Monday's Arqana Summer Sale, with lot 13 hammered down to Nicky Bertran de Balanda for €100,000. Mehmas currently leads the European first-season sires table by winners with nine and he registered his first stakes winner on the weekend when Method (Ire) took the Listed Rose Bowl S. This colt's dam is a half-sister to the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Vale Of York (Ire). De Balanda said, "He's a lovely colt. His...

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. Today's Observations features a half-brother to one of last week's Royal Ascot Group 1 winners. 1.15 Haydock, Novice, £6,400, 2yo, 6fT LINE OF DEPARTURE (IRE) (Mehmas {Ire}) debuts in first-time blinkers in the Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa silks for the Roger Varian stable, having cost £260,000 at the Goffs...

Tally-Ho Stud's Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who with 146 2-year-olds boasts the largest representation of any first-season sire this year, made his presence felt by getting off the mark with two winners on Tuesday. The first, Bridge Dress Me (Ire), came over 1400 metres at Rome. Thirty minutes later, the Phillip Makin-trained Muker (Ire) defied odds of 20-1 to land a Newcastle maiden going 1000 metres on the all-weather. Bred by Epona Bloodstock, Mehmas was a 62,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling bought by Church Farm. Pinhooked at the Craven...

Royal Applause (GB), a stalwart of the Royal Studs who has been retired from covering duties since 2014, has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years largely thanks to his son Acclamation (GB) and grandson Dark Angel (Ire). Numerically, Gutaifan (Ire) led the first-season sires' list last season and he is one of at least eight sons of Dark Angel at stud in Europe. In 2020, two of those will have their first runners, but it is a son of Dark Angel's sire Acclamation who is tipped for the...

Mehmas (Ire), Shalaa (Ire) and The Gurkha (Ire) jointly head Fitzdares's market for champion first-season sire of 2020 at 5-1. Also featuring prominently are Territories (Ire) (6-1) and Pride of Dubai (Aus) (8-1) as well as Adaay (Ire), Awtaad (Ire) and Twilight Son (GB), all at 12-1. The odds are for win only, with the champion first-season sire to be determined by number of winners. "This year's market has an open look with co-favourites Mehmas and Shalaa having plenty of firepower to go on the track," said Glyn Warne, head...

In this TDN series we ask a group of experts for their predictions for the 2020 flat season in Europe. Today we hear from Alex Elliott. TDN: Who do you think will be the leading first-season sire this year? AE: I like the idea of Mehmas (Ire). He was a high-class 2-year-old, is bred on the same cross as Dark Angel (Ire), and Tally-Ho Stud are amongst the best in the game when it comes to producing 2-year-old winners. It should prove a potent combination in the race to be...

In this TDN series we ask a group of experts for their predictions for the 2020 flat season in Europe. Today we hear from Ross Doyle. TDN: Who do you think will be the leading first-season sire this year? RD: We really liked the yearlings by Territories (Ire) and The Last Lion (Ire), but we will have to go with our old friend Mehmas (Ire). TDN: Have you bought any yearlings by Mehmas? Does he typically stamp his stock? RD: We bought four by him. They are great physicals, strong,...