Pearl Secret

Following the death of its flagship sire Pastoral Pursuits (GB) last week, Norton Grove Stud in North Yorkshire has secured Pearl Secret (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) to join its stallion roster. Campaigned by Qatar Racing, Pearl Secret won listed races over five furlongs at two and four before taking the G2 Temple S. at Haydock at five. He was also third in the G1 King's Stand S. at four. The chestnut stood his first four seasons at Chapel Stud, and his first crop is three this year. He had five...

Winless in two prior starts, John Dance's Disco Beats (GB) (Pearl Secret {GB}) nonetheless went postward at short odds for Wednesday's British Stallion Studs EBF Median Auction Maiden S. at Musselburgh and justified 6-5 favouritism to become the first winner for his Chapel Stud-based freshman sire (by Compton Place {GB}). 1st-Musselburgh, £6,400, Mdn, 7-1, 2yo, 5f 1yT, 1:00.09, gd. DISCO BEATS (GB) (c, 2, Pearl Secret {GB}--Indigo Beat {GB}, by Tamayuz {GB}) was winless in two prior outings, going postward here as the 6-5 favourite coming back off a June...

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...