QIPCO 2000 Guineas: Pedigree pointers for Newmarket

Churchill (Galileo - Meow (Storm Cat))
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Sky Bet Odds: 6/4 favourite

Churchill bids to become the third son of Galileo to win the QIPCO 2000 Guineas on Saturday and there are distinct similarities in his pedigree to the previous two.

Frankel and Gleneagles are the two Galileo colts that have previously won the Guineas and for all the class and stamina they inherited from the famous Nearctic-Northern Dancer-Sadler’s Wells line on their sire’s side, it was perhaps the speed imparted from their dam’s families that enabled them to win the season’s first Classic.

Kind, Frankel’s dam, was a six-furlong specialist that won two Listed events at that distance, while Gleneagles’ mother, You’resothrilling, won the Group Two Cherry Hinton over six furlongs as a juvenile.

Churchill’s dam, Meow, was speedy as well. She raced only as a juvenile and was a Listed winner over five furlongs, while she was second in the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes over the same distance at Royal Ascot.

Her dam, Churchill’s grand dam, Airwave, was also a sprinter. Trained by Henry Candy, she won the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs at two, before winning the Group Two Temple Stakes at Haydock as a three-year-old. Later in her career, when trained by Aidan O’Brien, she won another Group Two over six furlongs at the Curragh.

And going further back, Kangra Valley, Airwave’s dam, was a five furlong winner at two also. She was from a speedy family being a half-sister to no less than six winning sprinters.

: There’s so much speed on Churchill’s dam’s side it remains to be seen if his stamina will stretch to the Derby distance (currently 6/1 favourite). Even allowing for Galileo’s magical powers at passing stamina on to the offspring of a speedy dam (see Found) that could be a step too far. But, as you would expect for any Coolmore colt, he’s impeccably bred and, judging by Galileo’s previous Guineas winners, he has the perfect pedigree for the season's first Classic.

Barney Roy (Excelebration - Alina (Galileo))
Trainer: Richard Hannon
Sky Bet Odds: 7/2

Barney Roy is the best we’ve seen, so far, from Excelebration’s first crop. 

His sire was an outstanding miler that might’ve been celebrated more had he not run in the shadow of Frankel for much of his career, but he could get one over his old rival at the first time of asking (in a Classic) in the progeny stakes with Eminent (see below) lining up against Barney Roy on Saturday.

From the Danzig-Danehill-Exceed And Excel line, top-class milers are synonymous with these sires. Excelebration would be the best Exceed And Excel colt, while 2000 Guineas winners Rock Of Gibraltar and George Washington were sons of Danehill. The most famous son of Danzig was brilliant sprinter Dayjur, but he produced top-class milers as well, such as Polish Precedent and Lure.

Barney Roy is the first foal of Alina, a daughter of Galileo who ran a couple of times in France for Freddy Head without success. Her dam was Cheyenne Star who was twice a Group Three winner over seven furlongs and a mile at Leopardstown and the Curragh respectively.

It’s milers all the way on Barney Roy’s dam’s side as Cheyenne Star’s dam, Charita, was also a Listed winner at Naas over the distance.

: The early signs are that Excelebration has delivered a top-class colt at his first go and Barney Roy’s pedigree screams miler through and through. He made his debut over the trip and ran in the Greenham over seven furlongs like he would improve for being stepped back up in distance. Given his dam’s sire was Galileo, though, there is hope he will get further in time, something his trainer Richard Hannon has already discussed (mulled over a Derby entry).

Al Wukair (Dream Ahead - Macheera (Machiavellian))
Trainer: Andre Fabre
Sky Bet Odds: 4/1

Dream Ahead was a brilliant sprinter from a family of sprinters. His dam won the Flying Childers and her dam won the Molecomb. He inherited that precocity, winning the Prix Morny and the Middle Park over six furlongs at two.

Put in his place by Frankel in the Dewhurst, he had another go at him in the St James’s Palace Stakes over a mile on his three-year-old debut. A non-staying fifth, he dropped back in trip and won the July Cup, Haydock Sprint Cup and Prix de la Foret in style.

It’s of no surprise, then, that his best offspring so far have been sprinters. Donjuan Triumphant, a Group Two winner over six at two and Prix Maurice de Gheest runner-up, would be the best of those.

But Al Wukair is an exciting prospect for Dream Ahead over a mile. Macheera’s fifth foal, he is a half-brother to Witches Brew, a seven-furlong winner, and Ballyorban, a winner at both six and seven furlongs in Ireland.

Macheera herself won over a mile as a juvenile, while her dam, Caerlina, was top-class over ten furlongs, winning the Group One Prix de Diane Hermes (French Oaks) over the distance at Chantilly in 1991.

: Al Wukair has a Classic winner in the family thanks to his grand dam, Caerlina, who won the French Oaks. She was a slow burner, as she shed her maiden tag when winning the Prix de Diane, although she did have good form to her name having run third in the French 1000 Guineas before that. Al Wukair is unbeaten in three, but he wasn’t seen out until late September as a juvenile, so there’s every chance the best is yet to come from him.

Eminent (Frankel - You'll Be Mine (Kingmambo))
Trainer: Martyn Meade
Sky Bet Odds: 9/2

And so to the Frankel colt, Eminent. Frankel’s first crop has been under the spotlight like no first crop before them and they have performed very well indeed, with 23 individual winners from 42 runners winning 35 races between them.

He’s already had a Group One winner in Japan thanks to Soul Stirring and the next step for him is to produce a top-level winner in Europe. To do that in a Classic, and the 2000 Guineas at that, a race in which he put up one of the most spine-tingling performances of all time, would be very Frankel.

Eminent is the second foal of You’ll Be Mine, a daughter of Kingmambo trained by Aidan O’Brien. She stayed ten furlongs and was third in the Group One Fillies’ Mile as a juvenile, but her only victory came in a Leopardstown maiden over seven furlongs.

Her dam, Quarter Moon, won the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs on her second start, before finishing second in the Oaks at Epsom and the Irish Oaks at the Curragh. As well as You’ll Be Mine, Cheshire Oaks and Group One Pretty Polly winner Diamondsandrubies is among her progeny.

You’ll Be Mine’s first foal, Eminent’s half-sister As Good As Gold, is a sprinter by Oasis Dream now trained by Richard Fahey. She’s twice won over six furlongs in maiden and handicap company.

: Frankel could be double-handed in the Guineas if Dream Castle turns up, but he has to prove he stays and is out of Flying Childers winner Sand Vixen. Eminent has already won over the course and distance of the Guineas twice, the worry for him being he might get tapped for toe by the speedier types mentioned above. If they do go hard and fast it will suit Eminent, who should get further, as befits a colt that is the grandson of an Oaks and Irish Oaks runner-up.