Welcome to a new weekly column that will focus on the two-year-old action, mainly that which takes place below pattern class level.
This week usually sees the quality of juveniles on display increase, with the 7f maiden at the Newmarket July meeting on Saturday (perhaps best known to some as the Strutt & Parker Maiden Stakes) a traditionally strong event. Only seven runners have been declared for this year’s renewal, which is the smallest field since 1992 (also seven).
Alhaarth beating Mark of Esteem in 1995 enjoyed a modern twist last year, with recent Eclipse Stakes winner Constitution River meeting his only defeat to date at the hands of subsequent Group 3 winner and dual Guineas placer Distant Storm. Craven winner Oxagon finished fifth while Derby Italiano winner Venetian Prince was a further place back in sixth.
The latter is trained by Andrew Balding, who won the 2023 renewal with Arabic Legend. He saddles the smartly-bred newcomer SUBSCRIPTION this time around. By Night of Thunder, he is a three-parts brother to French 10.5f 3yo Group 3 winner Agave (by Dubawi) and out of a Group 3-placed French 15f 3yo winning half-sister to 11-time 10/12f Group/Grade 1 winner Enable.
He was spoken of in glowing terms by Balding when we spoke for the Two-Year-Old Guide, describing him as a “quality animal” who “possesses a lot of ability”. Trainers tend to be creatures of habit, especially those with big strings and plenty of two-year-olds to place. As well as winning the 2023 renewal, Balding took the race in 2020 with the smart Youth Spirit and went close with Juddmonte newcomer Leadman in 2022.
Oisin Murphy was initially booked to ride Hugo Palmer’s Velociraptor before being snapped up by Balding to ride Subscription, and a bold first showing from him would come as no surprise.
Charlie Appleby’s sole representative is the €900,000 Wootton Bassett colt Al Wathba. He is the second foal of 6f 3yo winning sister to 7f Group 3 winner Lily’s Angel and half-sister to Listed winners Labeling (7f) and Zurigha (1m).
Aidan O’Brien’s Haffner is a Justify colt who shaped well on his debut in a 7f maiden at the Curragh last month, close up from the outset but still only getting going late on as he chased home stablemate and Superlative Stakes favourite Abraham Lincoln. He is sure to prove a popular order to go one better here.
Sunday sees Deauville stage its Prix Jean Prat card. However, the main interest so far as this author is concerned comes in the form of the pair of two-year-old contests for unraced horses.
Both races are over 6f, with the colts and geldings version sure to see Francis-Henri Graffard’s Majnoun prove a popular order. He is a Wootton Bassett colt who carries the Aga Khan Stud silks, though his pedigree is actually one of the Niarchos family’s finest old lines.
Oddly, Jerome Reynier’s AIBAR is a Kingman colt from that exact same family. His dam is a half-sister to Majnoun, and Aibar is her second foal. It is the family of Arc winner Bago and Prix du Moulin winner Maxios, while further back on the page are the likes of Prix Marcel Boussac winner Denebola and her granddaughter Senga, who won the Prix de Diane.
Reynier has seen fit to enter Aibar for the Group 3 Prix Cabourg and Group 1 Prix Morny, so it will be very interesting to see how he shapes up here. Clearly much is expected, and his pedigree is hardly off-putting.
The fillies version sees Carlos and Yann Lerner take the wraps off of AMNESIA. She is a €115,000 Showcasing half-sister to Group 3/Listed-placed 7f 2yo winner Bolshkinov and the promising once-raced 1m 3yo winner Giverny. Her dam was winless from a handful of starts but could count Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Teppal and Group 3/Listed-placed multiple 5-6.5f winner Another Party among her siblings, both of whom won first time out.
The Lerners are dab-hands with fillies and very rarely leave their debutants short of fitness, so a successful start for Amnesia could well be in the offing.
There are one or two of interest among the opposition, not least the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Primetime Emmy, who is an Australian-bred daughter of Extreme Choice. Obviously bred on Northern Hemisphere time, she is a half-sister to Australian 5f Group 3 winner Thurlow and Australian 7f Listed winner Three Kings, while the dam was a winner at Listed level as a two-year-old in New Zealand. It will be fascinating to see how Primetime Emmy fares.
One other very much worth a mention is Mario Baratti’s Oiseau Bleu. She is a Blue Point filly who was picked up for €90,000 at the Arqana Breeze Up sale. She is closely related to 2025 7f 2yo winner/Oh So Sharp Stakes third Senorita Vega (by Lope de Vega) and a half-sister to 1m 2yo Listed winner Celestial Path. The dam could count Matron Stakes winner Chachamaidee and dual 7f Group 3 winner J Wonder among her siblings.
The 6f novice event at Windsor on Monday evening looks set to be a warm affair. Karl Burke has entered a couple of well-related colts with Group entries. Gimcrack acceptor Great Oak is a Mehmas colt out of a half-sister to Prix Marcel Boussac winner Silasol, but it’s MARKET LEADER who would be of greater interest if turning up.
Owned by Wathnan Racing, he commanded €450,000 at the Arqana Breeze Up sale in May and comes from a very successful and active family. A half-brother to the useful 7f-1m winner Croupier, his dam’s a sister to Champagne Stakes winner Saamidd and half-sister to 10f Listed winner Talmada, herself producer of this year’s Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Almaqam and Gordon Richards Stakes winner Saddadd.
Described as too big to get ready for Royal Ascot, Market Leader has evidently caught the eye on the practice grounds of late, receiving entries for both the Gimcrack and National Stakes this past week. Although there’s little doubt a seventh furlong will suit before long, he could be yet another for the Burke/Wathnan axis to make a successful start to his career.
There are plenty of others among the entries who are of interest on paper. Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Ferrystream is a Mehmas first foal of an Irish 7f Group 3 winner, while Ed Walker’s Sole Ambition is a well-regarded 210,000gns No Nay Never colt. Adam Kirby’s Horndean caught the eye on debut over this course and distance, while neither Lilywhite Hart nor Rex Regum made much of an impact here first time out but are bound to do better at some stage.
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