Breeding angles from the July Festival

Saturday stakes double for No Nay Never

No Nay Never burst onto the scene with his first crop of two-year-olds last year and on Saturday, the young Coolmore sire had progeny succeed in the two Group races on the card at Newmarket’s July course.

The first came in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes, when the Richard Hannon-trained Mystery Power was an authoritative winner of the seven-furlong contest – a victory that put him right into the picture for next year’s 2,000 Guineas.

Mystery Power, owned by King Power Racing, is from the second crop of No Nay Never and was bred by Siobhan O’Rahilly out of the winning Haafhd mare Gems. It was at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale where SackvilleDonald went to 250,000 guineas to secure the colt.

The two-year-old was one of three winners on Saturday for King Power Racing alongside Pivoine’s success in the John Smith’s Diamond Jubilee Cup at York and Beat The Bank’s victory in the Group 2 Summer Mile at Ascot.

Tragedy struck at the Berkshire course after Beat The Bank’s win as the five-year-old suffered a fatal injury during the race.

No Nay Never’s second stakes win of the day came in the headline Group 1 July Cup with Ten Sovereigns. The Aidan O’Brien-trained runner returned to his brilliant best to take the spoils and in the process reversed the form with Commonwealth Cup hero Advertise.

Ten Sovereigns is one of 12 stakes winners for the son of Scat Daddy alongside Coventry Stakes scorer Arizona and 2018 Richmond Stakes victor Land Force (renamed King Of Yulong). Off the back of his fabulous start last year, No Nay Never’s fee was increased from €25,000 to €100,000 this year.

Veracious claims a well-earned Group 1

Cheveley Park Stud has enjoyed great success in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes over the years and the operation captured another renewal on Friday when homebred Veracious led from the front to take the mile contest.

In the process, the lightly-raced four-year-old secured a first success at the highest level, having finished third in both the Coronation Stakes and Nassau Stakes during her three-year-old season in 2018.

It is the third time that the Thompsons’ red, white and blue silks have been carried to victory in the prize. Lovers Knot captured the 1998 edition before Integral was victorious in 2014 and like Friday’s heroine, both were trained by Sir Michael Stoute.

Cheveley Park Stud’s Managing Director, Chris Richardson, said: “It’s a race that’s been lucky for us over the years. This is a race that the Thompsons really enjoy and Veracious is a filly who keeps on improving.

“She’s a highly-strung filly that has come good as the season has progressed. She ran her best race in the Nassau last year and she’ll probably go there now – though there are other options and lots of nice races in the autumn.

“This is a family that keeps blossoming and goes back to 1986 when Exclusive Order was purchased.”

Veracious is out of the Pivotal mare Infallible, herself the winner of the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes before going on to finish second in the Falmouth Stakes behind Nahoodh in 2008. Since retiring to the paddocks, she is also the dam of dual Group 2 scorer Mutakayyef and Group 3 winner Intimation.

In taking the Falmouth Stakes, Veracious became the eighth Group/Grade 1 winner for Juddmonte’s exciting sire Frankel alongside Anapurna, Call The Wind, Cracksman, Dream Castle, Mozu Ascot, Soul Stirring and Without Parole.

Cheveley Park Stud stalwart Pivotal is continuing to make his mark as a broodmare sire and Infallible is now the fifth daughter of the son of Polar Falcon to produce a top-level winner in 2019.

The 26-year-old was also the damsire of the Charlie Appleby-trained Light Blush, who struck in the Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes that opened Saturday’s card at Newmarket.

Another of his daughters, the Group 3-winning Summer Fete, is the dam of the exciting Raffle Prize who followed up her Royal Ascot success in the Queen Mary Stakes by taking the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes on Friday.

First British stakes winner for Noble Mission

Noble Mission was represented by a first British stakes winner on Thursday when his son Spanish Mission sauntered to a four-length success in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy.

The full brother to Frankel, who stands at Lane’s End in Kentucky, only has a handful of his progeny in Britain and Ireland but has made an encouraging start to his stallion career, as his first runners include the Grade 2 scorer and Kentucky Derby third Code Of Honor.

Trained by David Simcock for owners Team Valor International and Earle Mack, Spanish Mission was bred by St Elias Stables LLC out of the Listed-winning Street Cry mare Limonar. He is a half-brother to the Listed scorer Mokarris and is a graduate of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, having been bought by Lynch Bloodstock for $125,000. He later sold for 60,000 guineas at the 2018 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale.

Gleneagles on a roll

Since his first runners hit the track earlier this season, Coolmore freshman Gleneagles has impressed many with his progeny and he continued to do so on Thursday when Royal Lytham became his first Pattern winner in the Group 2 July Stakes.

In a thrilling three-way finish between Visinari, Platinum Star and Royal Lytham, it was the last-named who prevailed by a short-head.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partners, Royal Lytham was bred by S A R L Haras du Logis Saint-Germain out of the Listed-winning Anabaa mare Gotlandia. Offered at the Arqana August Yearling Sale last year, Michael Magnier went to €180,000 to secure him.

Gleneagles is also the sire of Southern Hills, an impressive winner of the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, and Highland Chief, who was third behind the exciting Pinatubo in the Listed Chesham Stakes also at the Royal Meeting.

Kodiac’s treble

Tally-Ho Stud’s flagship sire Kodiac was on the mark at the July Meeting as he supplied three winners across the three days.

It was the Karl Burke-trained Miss Lucy who got the ball rolling on Thursday when she beat Daily Times, a half-sister to US Grade 1 winner Newspaperofrecord, by three-quarters of a length in the fillies’ maiden.

On Saturday, the son of Danehill posted two winners with maiden scorer Light Blush and Vale Of Kent, who stayed on well to take the spoils in the Bunbury Cup.

This year the 18-year-old is standing at a career-high fee of €65,000 having started out at €5,000 in 2007. Kodiac has well and truly risen through the ranks over the years and his leading progeny are the Group 1 winners Best Solution, Fairyland and Tiggy Wiggy.