Pedigree Watch – Euro G1 2YO

Tara Madgwick - Sunday September 29

Fascinating juvenile racing overnight with the Group I Middle Park Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes decided at Newmarket, while at the Curragh Darley shuttler Too Darn Hot (GB) made it a treble of stakes-winners for the day following on from his success at Rosehill with Broadsiding and Perspiration.

The Group I Middle Park Stakes (6f) is for the speed colts and produced a new Group I winner for Ballylinch Stud’s Lope de Vega with the homebred Godolphin colt Shadow of Light thrashing the favourite Whistlejacket to win by four lengths.

Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, Shadow of Light had three previous starts for two wins and then a second in the Group II Gimcrack Stakes at York and soared to a new level with this dominant win over the Group I Prix Morny winner Whistlejacket.

 

“It's great for the team and nice to have a horse like Shadow of Light. We'll put him away for the winter and see what everyone else is doing as to whether we look towards the Guineas or stick to the Commonwealth Cup programme,” said Charlie Appleby.

“I'd say he's a Commonwealth Cup horse as there's a lot of speed on his page. I think he'll get stronger and they get quicker as they get stronger.”

Shadow of Light is a three-quarter brother to Champion French 2YO Colt Earthlight, who won both the Group I Middle Park Stakes and Prix Morny for Godolphin in 2019 and shuttled to Australia for three seasons, but is not here this year. His oldest Australian progeny are two year-olds this season.

Advertisement

Shadow of Light is the second Group I winner among three winners from Group I placed New Approach mare Winter’s Moon, a half-sister to Group I winners Mandean and Wavering.

He is the 23rd Group I winner for Lope de Vega and is the eighth for New Approach as a broodmare sire.

 

The Group I Cheveley Park Stakes (6f) saw undefeated Frankel filly Lake Victoria extend her winning sequence to four with another dominant victory as favourite.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, she controlled the race throughout and skipped away to win by three lengths taking her second G1 trophy following a last start win in the Moyglare Stud Stakes over 7f in Ireland. She also ran slightly quicker time than Shadow of Light.

 

“Coming back to six was not an easy thing to do. We had in our heads before the Moyglare that Lake Victoria could come back here. Ryan gave her a very uncomplicated ride and she quickened very well. She was obviously very classy, always,” said O’Brien.

“Ryan said to come back here for the Fillies' Mile (G1). I don't know whether you could go from seven back up to six and then back up to a mile. We'll see, it'll be dependent on whatever the lads want to do really.”

A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Lake Victoria is a three-quarter sister to Group II placed Bluegrass and is the best of three winners from dual Group I winning sprinter Quiet Reflection, a daughter of speed sire Showcasing.

Now a two time G1 winner, Lake Victoria is one of 21 stakes-winners this year for Frankel and she is the first G1 winner for Showcasing as a broodmare sire.

 

The Group II Beresford Stakes (1m) was won by the Jessica Harrington trained colt Hotazhell, who was having his fifth start and scored his second stakes win after taking out the Group III Tryos Stakes in July.

Ridden by Shane Foley, Hotazhell was strong late to beat Wootton Bassett colt Tennessee Stud by three-quarters of a length.

 

“He got a bit free coming down the hill, but today Hotazhell came around a bend and did it well. When he gets to the front he pricks his ears and doesn't really do that much,” said Jessica Harrington.

“He's straightforward at home but when we come racing we saddle him in the racecourse stables rather than the saddling boxes and keep a red hood on him just to keep the lid on him. He'll go to Doncaster (G1 Futurity).”

Hotazhell was bought for 200,000 guineas by Silverton Hill at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale having been bought previously for 70,000 guineas from the Tattersalls October Book 2 Yearling Sale.

Bred by Blue Diamond Farm, Hotazhell is the first stakes-winner among four winners from Azenzar, a winning Danehill Dancer mare from the family of five time Group I winner Alexander Goldrun.

Hotazhell was one of three stakes-winners on Saturday for Too Darn Hot, who also sired Broadsiding and Perspiration to win the Group I ATC Golden Rose and Listed ATC Heritage Stakes at Rosehill. Sadly he is not shuttling to Darley this year after four seasons coming to Australia.

 

 

Visit the profile page for Too DArn Hot

Too DArn Hot in upcoming sales:
Advertisment
More Reading...
Melbourne Cup Winner for Extreme Choice – Rare Slice of History
This year’s $8.5million Group I VRC Melbourne Cup (3200m) produced a genuinely amazing fairytale result for the connections of five year-old Extreme Choice gelding Knight’s Choice, but part of that fairytale is his sire Extreme Choice, who has carved out something seriously special as being only the second sire in history to produce the winner of a Golden Slipper and a Melbourne Cup.
More Stakes Success for Air Assault
Group I placed last season in the SA Derby, talented gelding Air Assault kept the winning run going for Victoria Derby winning trainer Andrew Gluyas when taking out the Listed SAJC John Letts Cup (1800m) at Morphettville on Melbourne Cup Day.
Melbourne Cup Pedigree Analysis - Do It Yourself
Breednet has produced a great page with click through to five generation pedigrees for all the Melbourne Cup runners, so for amateur pedigree buffs looking to have a Cup flutter based pedigree here’s your chance  to DIY it!
Knights Choice a True Underdog Story
Punters were left stunned when the Queenslander Knight's Choice and Japanese visitor Warp Speed (JPN) emerged from the pack to fight out a dramatic finish to the $8,560,000 Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
2024 Melbourne Cup Result - It's Knights Choice
The 2024 Melbourne Cup has been run and won with Knight’s Choice, a five-year-old gelding by Extreme Choice victorious.
Rosemont and Partners Stakes Quinella on Cup Day
Written Tycoon posted his second new stakes-winner on Melbourne Cup Day when promising three year-old gelding Catoggio took out the Listed VRC Amanda Elliot Stakes (1400m)  for Rosemont Stud and partners, who also race the second horse Bosustow.
El Vencedor wins G3 Balmerino Stakes
El Vencedor is making a habit of picking up major victories at Ellerslie, adding the Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m) to his burgeoning record at Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup Day meeting.
Magic Nick Strikes Again – Fastnet Rock x Galileo
The Fastnet Rock x Galileo nick has been on fire in Melbourne this spring producing Cox Plate winner Via Sistina (IRE) and leading Melbourne Cup contender Buckaroo (GB) and it struck again overnight in the UK with a brand new stakes-winner in Military Academy, who captured the Listed Floodlit Stakes (1m4f) at Kempton.
Coolmore Set Justify Fee for 2025
Coolmore have announced the US fee for Justify in 2025 with the undefeated Triple Crown winner priced at $US250,000 to head  their roster of 16 stallions at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
Coolmore Announce Euro 2025 Fees
Coolmore have announced fees for their 20 strong European sire roster with three new additions City of Troy (Justify), Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact)and Henry Longfellow (Dubawi) and a significant increase for Wootton Bassett, who is currently in Australia.