Jim Bolger has every right to feel proprietorial when it comes to Teofilo and New Approach. Not only did he steer the two sons of Galileo to unbeaten juvenile campaigns in exactly the same sequence of races in consecutive years, he also bred Teofilo, and he has played a major part in each of the young stallions’ careers to date.
New Approach has a first-crop star in the unbeaten Dawn Approach
Last year, the Bolger-bred, -owned and –trained Parish Hall became Teofilo’s first runner and first winner on 11 April, and later that season became his first Group 1 winner when landing the Dewhurst Stakes just as his sire had done.
While we didn’t see Teofilo on the track again after his Dewhurst success – a knee injury as a spring three-year-old putting paid to any hopes of a Classic career – one has to hope that Parish Hall recovers from the hock infection which ruled him out of the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Derby in time for a potential clash with Camelot in the Irish Derby.
New Approach, of course, added the Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Champion Stakes to his two-year-old achievements and his sole winner from his first-crop runners to date is Dawn Approach. Just like Parish Hall, he was bred and is owned and trained by Bolger, who wasted no time in getting his former stable star’s second career off the mark by having Dawn Approach ready to race – and win – on the opening day of the Irish turf season.
On Monday, he also became New Approach’s first black-type winner, landing the Listed Rochestown Stakes at Naas to remain unbeaten in three starts. Royal Ascot beckons and, whichever two-year-old contest he lines up for, Dawn Approach is likely to be the red-hot favourite to also become his sire’s first Group winner.
