Laura Joy looks at the pedigrees of the six two-year-old winners at Royal Ascot, all of whom had a different sire.
Gr.2 Coventry Stakes
Winner: Rashabar (Holy Roman Emperor x Amazonka by Camelot)
The only time crack juvenile Holy Roman Emperor didn’t win or place in his seven lifetime starts as a two-year-old was in this very race. In 15 crops, this colt is the first to right that wrong and avenge Coolmore’s stalwart in providing his first ever juvenile Royal Ascot success.
A €120,000 Arqana August yearling, he is the first foal out of his unraced dam Amazonka, herself a €42,500 Goffs foal turned €70,000 Arqana yearling. She’s a half-sister to Gr.3 winning stayer River Of Stars (Sea The Stars) and perhaps most significantly, half-sister to Apadanah who is also by Rashabar’s sire Holy Roman Emperor.
Victorious from 10f to 12f at Listed level, Rashabar’s immediate pedigree doesn’t scream precocious juvenile. Third dam Amarette won the German Oaks and her black type descendants have all excelled over a mile or further. Holy Roman Emperor’s well documented retirement after his fantastic juvenile career means we never saw him as an older horse, but despite that, this colt’s pedigree suggests he will only get better as time goes on. He ranks an exciting prospect for his connections.
Gr.2 Queen Mary Stakes
Winner: Leovanni (Kodi Bear x Kassandra by Dandy Man)
Leovanni is the fourth foal and second winner out of her non-winning dam. This filly stems from a speedy and precocious branch of a very classy middle distance family. Kassandra is a full sister to Gr.2 Coventry Stakes second Parbold and half-sister to Majestic Myles (Majestic Missile) who was a stakes winning 7f specialist. Fourth Dam is none other than 1973 USA Champion Two Year Old Talking Picture (Speak John).
Purchased in 1978 by Moyglare Stud Farm, she has established an enviable legacy for her owner breeders since. She is the dam of five stakes winners, most notably Irish 1000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner (Affirmed) who not only produced G1 winner Dress To Thrill (Danehill) to race in the famous black, white and red of Moyglare, but can claim the honour of producing esteemed broodmare Polished Gem, also by Danehill.
Polished Gem has since featured in the pedigree of miracle comeback kid Kyprios (Galileo) who reclaimed his Gold Cup on Thursday. Being a daughter of Kodi Bear who typically imparts his own speed and precocity to his progeny, Gold Cups won’t be on this filly’s agenda.
Listed Windsor Castle Stakes
Winner: Ain’t Nobody (Sands Of Mali x Burmese Waltz by Showcasing)
Sands of Mali has begun his second career brightly with five winners to date and this colt was the first to add a stakes win to his promising start. Unbeaten having won a five furlong novice at Carlisle on debut, Ain’t Nobody maintained his unblemished record here to further dispel the doubters about his sire’s potential as a stallion.
Despite winning the Gimcrack at two and adding the Gr.1 Champion Sprint at three, Sands Of Mali’s unfashionable pedigree was enough to deter many from backing him in this role. Those who put their faith in Ballyhane Stud’s imposing son of Panis, a breeze up graduate of the accomplished Bansha House Stables alma mater, will be relishing the boost Ain’t Nobody and the third placed colt, Aviation Time another son of Sands Of Mali, have provided.
Particularly in light of this colt’s pedigree, he is the first stakes winner in his first three dams. The first foal out of his dam who was a useful sprinter rated 94 at her peak, he was a £30,000 yearling purchased by Stephen Hillen and his trainer Kevin Ryan for his current owners.
Sands Of Mali joins a fine list of first crop sires to enjoy Royal Ascot winners. Washington DC won this race for the late Zoffany in 2015. Gleneagles is largely associated with progressive types but began his stud career brightly with Southern Hills in 2017. Most recently, second crop sire sensation Blue Point gave a strong indication of what was to come with subsequent Breeders’ Cup hero Big Evs scoring in the 2023 renewal.
Whether Sands of Mali has that level of quality amongst his €6,500 bred crop remains to be seen but he has done very little wrong so far.
Gr.2 Norfolk Stakes
Winner: Shareholder (Not This Time x Cloudy Dancer by Invincible Spirit)
Friendless in the market, Shareholder won but did a lot wrong in the process. A colt with an abundance of talent and enthusiasm in equal measure, the challenge going forward will be harnessing that raw ability to enable him to do things the right way round.
Should trainer Karl Burke manage that tenable although undeniably tough task, he and Wathnan Racing look to have a serious sprinting prospect on their hands. An Arqana sales topping graduate of the renowned Jim McCartan school of breezers (Gaybrook Lodge) at €460,000, he was a $62,000 bargain at Keeneland’s flagship September yearling sale.
His sire Not This Time is somewhat of a rags to riches tale. Having retired prematurely due to injury after just four starts at two, he retired a Gr.3 winner and Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile second, splitting fellow promising sires Classic Empire and Practical Joke.
This Time has leapfrogged his rivals from an opening fee of $15,000 to his 2024 one of $150,000, and there’s every chance that will continue to rise. European interest had already evoked in the stallion, but the secret looks well and truly out now.
Shareholder is the second foal out of his unraced dam by Invincible Spirit, and a welcome new Group winner for the latter who has been slow to find his stride as a damsire. She is a half-sister to Gr.3 Jersey Stakes winner Gale Force Ten (Oasis Dream) and Listed Upavon Stakes winner Rousay (Muhaarar).
On pedigree, a mile is well within Shareholder’s remit. Whether his mentality and temperament allow it is another question. He has options and with such raw speed and evidently boundless engine, he ranks one of the most exciting juvenile prospects to emerge from the week.
Gr.3 Albany Stakes winner
Winner: Fairy Godmother (Night of Thunder x Scintilating by Siyouni)
Yearlings don’t sell for 425,000gns without a pedigree and good looks to match, both qualities Fairy Godmother possesses in spades.
An imposing daughter of 2000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder, she is the eighth stakes winner and fourth Group one out of a mare by Siyouni. Fairy Godmother is from the first expensively bred crop of Night Of Thunder, whose fee leapt from €25,000 to €75,000 on the back of his first crop of three-year-olds results on the track.
She has already shown more precocity and indeed class than her dam who made her winning debut in July over 6f at two. It’s a pedigree full of speed and precocity with Scintilating a half-sister to Richmond Stakes winner Prolific (Compton Place).
It will be fascinating to see what path her connections decide upon. A mile will surely be her limit, and given Night of Thunder has already developed somewhat of a surprising affinity with speedy fillies – think Highfield Princess and King George Stakes winner Suesa – on all known evidence so far, this filly looks more their type than that of a future 1000 Guineas prospect.
Listed Chesham Stakes winner:
Winner: Bedtime Story (Frankel x Mecca’s Angel by Dark Angel)
A daughter of two Champions, Bedtime Story looks as good as she is bred to be. Frankel is likely the best most of us will see in our lifetime, while Mecca’s Angel will forever be remembered for her consecutive Nunthorpe wins in 2015 and 2016.
As classy as Bedtime Story’s pedigree may be, she is showing it sooner than her bloodlines might suggest. Frankel famously made his winning debut in a hotly contested Newmarket maiden accounting for Nathaniel in the process in August at two, the first of 14 wins in an unbeaten, foot perfect career.
Mecca’s Angel won as a juvenile and earned small black type in Listed contests, but was winning handicaps at three until stepping up to Group company in September of that year. She progressed from Group 3 to the first of her two Nunthorpe successes as a four-year-old.
Michael Dods’ brilliant sprinting mare is a full sister to Markaz, Shadwell’s dual Gr.3 winning sprinter, one of those being the 7f Criterion Stakes. Given the way Bedtime Story emphatically tossed her opposition to the side over 7f in this contest, she clearly possesses an abundance of speed as well as an intriguing amount of stamina at this early stage.
A mile on pedigree will be as far as she wants to go, let’s hope her career is as smooth sailing as her first stakes win proved to be and we get to see what she can do at three and beyond. She was without question the most impressive winner of the week and has the pedigree to match.
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