Half-brother to Baaeed could make his debut at Newmarket next week
CARNEGIE HALL
Much of Aidan O’Brien’s success with his two-year-olds last year came from the offspring of No Nay Never, sire of Little Big Bear, Blackbeard and Meditate, and the same sire is responsible for all four Ballydoyle colts entered in the Pat Smullen Memorial Novice for two-year-olds on Tuesday.
All four are also entered at Tipperary next week so it will be interesting to see which, if any, out of His Majesty, The Caribbean, Leap Year or Carnegie Hall makes the trip to Newmarket. The last-named appeals as much as any on the dam’s side of his pedigree as he’s the first foal out of a maiden daughter of Special Duty, famously awarded both the 1000 Guineas and the French equivalent in 2010.
This is a very successful family for Juddmonte as Special Duty is herself half-sister to the dam of 2018 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye.
NAQEEB
None of the newcomers due to have their first races at Newmarket next week will be quite so keenly watched, no doubt, as Naqeeb, a Nathaniel half-brother to the brilliant Baaeed and trained, like him by William Haggas.
He’s entered in Thursday’s novice over a mile and a quarter and also holds a Derby entry. His sire was responsible for last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown, though Baaeed (by Sea The Stars) never raced over a mile and a half himself, starting his career at a mile (not until June of his three-year-old season) and not stepping up to a mile and a quarter until last summer when putting up a career-best performance to win the Juddmonte International most impressively.
Naqeeb’s other half-brother of note, Hukum, on the other hand, also by Sea The Stars, won last year’s Coronation Cup and has done most of his racing over a mile and a half.
SEA CLARET
The unraced Sea Claret has options in the fillies’ maidens at Newmarket, over both a mile on Wednesday and seven furlongs on Thursday, as well as in the maiden for unraced fillies over the latter trip at Newbury on Friday.
She’s trained by William Haggas for owners Sunderland Holding and like many before her in those colours is a daughter of Sea The Stars, so may well need a bit further in time.
She’s the first foal out of the smart front-running Irish mare Creggs Pipes (Timeform rating 114) who won seven races for Andrew Slattery at up to, or around, a mile, notably the Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes.
This is a very topical pedigree because Creggs Pipes’ three-year-old half-sister Jannah Rose looked a smart filly in the making when taking her record to two out of two in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux at Longchamp last weekend.
STORMY SEA
Stormy Sea is another entered in both the fillies’ maidens at Newmarket. The daughter of Territories has already had a run at two for Sir Michael Stoute, finishing a promising second over seven furlongs when 18/1 at Kempton in November (replay below).
That debut came about a month after her older half-brother and stable-companion Bay Bridge had won the Champion Stakes. Bay Bridge was beaten in his two starts at two before his form took off at three when he won all four of his starts, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Stormy Sea progresses well herself this year.
Also a half-sister to winning stayer Nataleena (by Nathaniel) and out of a half-sister to Shimraan, a very smart middle-distance performer, Stormy Sea will stay at least a mile this year.
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SWORDOFHONOR
Much the most expensive among the newcomers in Thursday’s Wood Ditton Maiden Stakes to have gone through the ring is Swordofhonor, a €1.5m purchase trained by Andrew Balding for Victorious Racing.
The son of Siyouni is also entered in the novice over a mile and a quarter on the same card. He’s the second foal out of his dam Cercle de La Vie after the smart colt Angel Bleu who enjoyed his best season at two when winning five times, including the Vintage Stakes, Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Criterium International.
Their dam, a maiden in France, is a half-sister to the high-class Ballydoyle pair Highland Reel, winner of seven Group/Grade 1 contests, including the King George and Breeders’ Cup Turf, and Idaho whose wins included the Great Voltigeur and Hardwicke Stakes.
ALSAKIB
Trained by Andrew Balding, Alsakib looked one of the most interesting of the newcomers on paper entered in Tuesday’s Alex Scott Maiden over seven furlongs, though he's running at Kempton on Monday evening instead.
By Kingman, he’s out of the useful French filly America Nova, winner of a listed race at Bordeaux as a two-year-old. That makes him a half-brother to three horses who earned Timeform ratings of more than 100.
Best of those was the smart filly Nyaleti, winner of the Princess Margaret Stakes at two and the German 1000 Guineas at three.
Alsakib is also a half-brother to the Greenham Stakes runner-up Sir Patrick Moore, later placed in Group 1s in Australia where he was renamed Weary, and to the useful French filly Stellar Path, winner of the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs at two and later a Grade 3 winner in the States.
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