Our two-year-old expert has lots of horses to watch out for in the coming months.
Wednesday sees the long-awaited debut of the James Ferguson-trained FLASH OF FIRE in the opening 7f fillies’ maiden on Doncaster’s card.
She is a Wootton Bassett daughter of an Irish 7f 3yo Group 3 winner who was herself out of Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lightening Pearl.
Both Ferguson and David Redvers were particularly bullish about Flash of Fire’s prospects in the Two-Year-Old Guide, with the latter stating, “A particularly smart filly who worked very impressively on Wednesday morning (June 11). She is built like a tank and we can only be excited about her.”
It doesn’t look an overly-strong race, with the Ralph Beckett-trained Crystal Pier and Harry Charlton’s Queen Tamara appealing as two likely improvers second time out. However, given the regard in which she is held (also entered in the Moyglare), it would be somewhat disappointing if Flash of Fire couldn’t tee herself up for a crack at some of the good two-year-old fillies races with a winning start.
Thursday sees Leopardstown stage what could be a most informative 1m maiden. It has certainly provided its fair share of notable performers over the years, previous winners including Camelot, Geoffrey Chaucer, Delano Roosevelt, Tower of London and Green Impact.
As evidenced from the above roll of honour, it is a race Ballydoyle tends to do well in and they’re responsible for a couple this time around in the shape of Montreal and Pierre Bonnard.
Ryan Moore has opted to ride Montreal, a Sea The Stars colt from one of the best families in the book which actually includes his own sire (!) along with the likes of Galileo and King’s Best. Pierre Bonnard fetched €280,000 as a yearling and is a Camelot son of Nassau Stakes winner Sultanina, who has made a muted start as a broodmare.
However, it is Aidan’s son Donnacha who looks likely to field the runner of most interest in SOUTH ISLAND. A Wootton Bassett colt out of a German 10f Listed winner, he shaped with plenty of promise when a staying-on fifth behind Dorset in a well-contested 7f maiden at the Curragh late last month.
Having travelled smoothly in midfield he was making progress when encountering traffic problems approaching the final furlong, only regathering full stride as the line approached. That experience allied with an additional furlong here ought to see South Island off the mark.
One other worth a mention - more so for future reference - is the Johnny Murtagh-trained Hanak. A son of first-season sire Palace Pier, he’s a half-brother to a handful of winners, most notably connections’ 2024 Blandford Stakes winner Hanalia. He will likely improve more than most for this initial experience but is a name to note for the remainder of the campaign and indeed next year.
Horses for your trackers
With some good 7f/1m maiden and novice races on the horizon, here are a collection of unraced two-year-olds who can hopefully make their mark during the latter stages of the summer.
ARMADA DE LOPE (IRE)
2/3 b f Lope de Vega - Thames Pageant (Dansili)
Trainer: Paddy Twomey Owner: Robert J W Moran
Half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Twilight Gleaming (109) and 2025 French 5f Listed winner Spartan Arrow (111). Dam an unraced sister to Group 1-placed 8.5-10f winner Invictus Prince (111) and half-sister to Solario Stakes winner Reach For The Moon (113) and Australian 12f Listed winner Chalk Stream (113).
From a talented family that used to belong to the late Queen Elizabeth II, it has gained a new lease of life via the unraced Thames Pageant who has produced a couple of very useful sprinters in Spartan Arrow and Twilight Gleaming. While it’s highly unlikely Armada de Lope will prove quite so fast, the addition of Lope de Vega into the mix is certainly no bad thing, and she will be of significant interest for most 7f/1m maidens when making her racecourse bow.
ECLAT
21/2 b f Kingman - Chaleur (Dansili)
Trainer: Dermot Weld Owner: Juddmonte
Half-sister to 2024 6f 2yo winner Ardeur (80). Dam a Group 2/Listed-placed UK/US 6f-1m winner (109) who was a half-sister to Australian 7f Group 2 winner Old Flame (116) and 2024 6f 2yo Group 3 winner Tabiti (109; by Kingman).
Bred on the strong Kingman/Dansili cross, Eclat has been handed an entry in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and is from a stable that enjoys plenty of success with its Juddmonte homebred fillies. A winning start would come as little surprise when she does make an appearance, with several of this family successful first time out, including last year’s good two-year-old Tabiti by the same sire.
LAAZM
20/1 b c Mehmas - Anything Goes (Nayef)
Trainer: Andrew Balding Owner: Sheikh Hamed Dalmook Al Maktoum
Half-brother to useful 8-10f winner Native Tribe (99). Dam a French 12f 3yo winner (85) who was the daughter of Irish Oaks winner Winona (120).
Originally named Stop Stop, this colt won a 6f barrier trial at Naas for Gavin Cromwell towards the end of May, travelling comfortably throughout and merely pushed out to prevail. Sold privately since and now in the care of Andrew Balding, Laazm could be one to catch on debut given he’ll be better prepared than most Kingsclere two-year-olds.
LIGHT
4/5 ch f Night of Thunder - Run Wild (Amaron)
Trainer: Ollie Sangster Owner: Cornthrop Bloodstock Limited
Half-sister to 2024 7f 2yo winner/1000 Guineas runner-up Flight (108). Dam a 10f 3yo Listed winner (109) who was a half-sister to German 1m 2yo Group 3 winner Rock My Love (112) and German triple 1m Listed winner Rock My Soul (110; later dam of four-time 11-12.5f Group 3 winner Young Rascal (122)).
This filly was well spoken of by both Ollie Sangster and David Redvers in the Two-Year-Old Guide, and she has certainly got the pedigree to go far as a half-sister to connections’ 1000 Guineas runner-up Flight. She is likely to appear over 7f/1m in late August or early September.
RES IPSA
26/2 gr c Frankel - Red Impression (Dark Angel)
Trainer: Ger Lyons Owner: Juddmonte
Full brother to 2025 Irish 1m 3yo Listed winner Red Letter (105). Dam a Listed-placed dual 6f 2yo winner (104p) who was the daughter of a 6f 2yo winning (88p) half-sister to Prix de la Foret winner/Poule d’Essai des Pouliches third Etoile Montante (119).
Full sister Red Letter showed strong form as a two-year-old last season, finding only Lake Victoria too good on debut before going one better next time and then unlucky to not finish closer in the Moyglare. Although evidently a later developer, it would still come as no surprise to see Res Ipsa prove capable of making a similarly immediate impact when eventually appearing.
SECRET HISTORY
12/3 b f Ardad - Gumriyah (Shamardal)
Trainer: Ed Walker Owner: TBT Racing
Half-sister to Group 3/Listed-placed 7f 2yo winner Exoplanet (113). Dam a 10f 3yo winner (93) who was a half-sister to triple 8/10f 3yo Group 1 winner (including the 1000 Guineas)/Oaks runner-up Legatissimo (122), US 1m 3yo stakes winner Sifting Sands (108) and Listed-placed 10f 3yo winner Yummylicious (95).
TBT Racing’s heavy investment is starting to bear fruit, with Noble Champion winning the Jersey Stakes and their smart maiden Do Or Do Not finishing second in the Coventry Stakes. Homework suggests they have another promising prospect in the shape of Secret History, a filly who ironically cost a fraction of what some of their stock have done (80,000gns). She is due to appear within the next fortnight and though that could come over 6f, another furlong will suit before long.
SHIPBOURNE
4/5 ch c Frankel - Special Duty (Hennessy)
Trainer: Ralph Beckett Owner: Juddmonte
Full brother to 6f 2yo Listed winner/Middle Park Stakes runner-up Task Force (115) and a three-parts brother French 12f 3yo Listed winner Elegant Verse (100; by Galileo). Dam a Cheveley Park Stakes and 1000 Guineas winner (118) who was a half-sister to the dam of Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye (124).
Task Force looked set to make up into a smart colt a couple of seasons ago, winning his first two races before a second place finish in the Middle Park Stakes. However, he looked one with problems the following spring following a breathing operation and never scaled the heights expected. Hopefully things run a little smoother for his younger brother, Shipbourne, who is the same chestnut colour as his high-class mother. One would expect to see him in action before the end of the summer, and it will be interesting to see if he proves as speedy as both his brother and dam or takes more after the sire and requires 7f. Either way, he is certainly one of significant interest for the remainder of 2025.
SLIGHT OF FOOT
25/3 b c Kingman - Nimble Thimble (Mizzen Mast)
Trainer: Harry Charlton Owner: Juddmonte
Full brother to useful multiple 7f-1m winner Boardman (106) and useful 1m 3yo winner Thesis (109) and a half-brother to Fillies’ Mile winner/1000 Guineas third Quadrilateral (110). Dam a 9.5f 3yo winner (76) who was a half-sister to US 1m Grade 2/Coventry Stakes winner Three Valleys (119).
Beckhampton has had many of this families’ best performers through its doors over the years, most recently Fillies’ Mile winner Quadrilateral, who made a winning start at two and remained unbeaten during her juvenile campaign. Slight of Foot’s two full brothers, though useful, didn’t quite scale those heights - this colt, however, could well prove to be the best of them. He is likely to make an appearance in the middle/latter part of August, with 7f events at Newbury (the race Quadrilateral won and Cosmic Year was scheduled to debut in last year) and Sandown appealing as starting points.
SPLISH SPLASH
1/3 br f Wootton Bassett - Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy)
Trainer: Eve Johnson Houghton Owner: Anthony Rogers & Mrs Sonia Rogers
Second foal of a Moyglare Stud Stakes winner (111) who was a half-sister to 2024 1m 3yo Listed winner Skellet (108), 7f 2yo Listed winner Victory Dance (108) and Grade 3-placed US 1m 2yo winner Data Dependent (102).
A late arrival to the yard, Splish Splash has made up for lost time and is reportedly going along nicely in her work. Bred to make a significant impact at two, she is scheduled to make an appearance at the end of August, with the 6f fillies’ maiden at Newbury on the 28th appealing as a logical first assignment.
STORMY MUSIC
3/5 ch f Night of Thunder - Foxtrot Lady (Foxwedge)
Trainer: Andrew Balding Owner: J C Smith
Second foal of a 7f Group 3 winner (107) who was a half-sister to 7f Group 3 winner Dancing Star (115) and useful 8-10f winner Dance of Fire (95) out of a 6f 3yo winning (95) daughter of Nunthorpe Stakes winner Lochangel (119).
This filly hails from a wonderful family that has been trained to great success at Kingsclere for decades, going back to the likes of Lochangel and Lochsong. Stormy Music was very well spoken of by Andrew Balding in the Two-Year-Old Guide, so it’s little surprise to see she holds an entry in the Lowther Stakes. Her debut is evidently imminent given she held entries at Newmarket’s July meeting and Windsor recently.
Juddmonte names to note
Finally, Juddmonte’s latest draft of two-year-olds has been made this week. John and Thady Gosden have unsurprisingly been sent Centrum, a Dubawi half-brother to their 11-time Group/Grade 1 winner Enable. Harry Charlton has received Najidi Storm, a Frankel brother to St Leger winner Logician and a half-brother to a host of winners including connections’ promising unbeaten three-year-old Skimmer. Meanwhile, Ralph Beckett has taken charge of Serenetta, a Kingman half-sister to connections’ 2024 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Bluestocking and their smart handicapper Qirat.
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