Dan Briden continues his new weekly column with a host of interesting snippets regarding the juvenile scene.
Walker wonderland
It is fair to say Ed Walker’s two-year-old team haven’t exactly pulled up any trees so far in 2026, with surprise debut winner Crazy Cubana and second-time-out scorers Alfred Wallace and The Ginger Kid the three winners from that age group so far. All three have met with defeat since.
However, Walker has yet to really unleash his better prospects if his comments in the Guide are anything to go by. That changes on Friday.
Shoot You Down is a 400,000gns Mehmas colt who is a full brother to Adrian Keatley’s useful 2025 two-year-old performer Rochfortbridge, a debut winner last summer who placed at Listed level. The dam never raced but hails from a decent Juddmonte family that traces back to the likes of Chester House and Empire Maker. Walker described Shoot You Down as “one of the most exciting two-year-olds in the yard”.
He has been declared for the opening 7f novice contest at Newbury on Friday - a race that boasts recent winners such as future Group 1 scorers Bayside Boy, Chaldean and Gewan. Walker often leaves a fair bit to work on with his juveniles, but Shoot You Down is bred to hit the ground running, and a bold first showing wouldn’t at all surprise.
It does look a potentially warm race, however, with Charlie Appleby’s Force of Light very much taking the eye on pedigree. He is a full brother to Middle Park Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes winner/2000 Guineas third Shadow of Light, a three-parts brother to Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner Earthlight (by Shamardal) and a half-brother to Grade 1-placed 2025 7f 2yo winner Wild Desert.
All three of those siblings were successful first time out, and Appleby’s two-year-olds have been in rare old form these past couple of weeks. He will likely be priced accordingly, however,
Reece James endured a disappointing night in Atlanta on Wednesday, but his Faith In Florence could well provide him with something of a tonic in the following 6f fillies’ maiden on the card.
Another by Mehmas from the Ed Walker yard, she commanded 300,000gns at auction and counts July Cup and King’s Stand Stakes winner Oxted among her siblings. There was much to like about her debut fourth at Yarmouth, where she ran green and found herself short of room at a vital stage, only really gathering her stride at the line approached.
Faith In Florence ought to improve a fair chunk for that initial outing and, as the fifth did when winning at Kempton last week, she can improve enough to strike at the second time of asking.
That said, there are one or two interesting newcomers in the field. George Boughey’s Takaaful is a well-regarded Minzaal filly who comes from a sharp Shadwell family, while Andrew Balding’s Lady In Hay is a St Mark’s Basilica half-sister to Listed-placed dual 7f 2yo winner Anna Swan.
Believe in Botti
Marco Botti is another trainer whose two-year-olds have yet to really get going, but he saddles a very interesting newcomer in the opening 7f restricted fillies’ maiden at Newmarket (July) on Saturday.
Flooding is a €58,000 Ghaiyyath half-sister to Group 3-placed 6-7f winner Royalty Bay and out of a half-sister to Phoenix Stakes winner Go Go Bears and very useful multiple 7f winner Oo De Lally. The extended family includes the likes of high-class fillies Bahr and Nahrain.
Botti does especially well in such races at HQ, and there is much to like about Flooding’s paper credentials, bred to make an immediate impact. With the red-hot Marco Ghiani doing the steering, a winning start at potentially decent odds for Flooding would come as little surprise.
Lyons colt to roar?
The opening 7f maiden at the Curragh on Saturday is a race Aidan O’Brien has won for the past four years, including with smart pair The Lion In Winter and Henry Longfellow. Three of the six runners declared are Ballydoyle representatives, all of whom are newcomers by Wootton Bassett.
Drumbeat is out of South African Grade 1 winner Cloth of Cloud; Speakers Corner is out of a Group 2/3-placed 8.5f 2yo winning sister to Australian 12f Group 2 winner Delphi; and Victory Speech is a half-brother to 2025 Irish 6f 2yo Group 2 winner Beautify and Irish 10f 3yo Group 3 winner/Irish Oaks third Library.
Dermot Weld saddles a well-related colt himself in the shape of Porto Vecchio, who is bred the highly successful Frankel/Dubawi cross. More pertinently, he is a full brother to connections’ 1000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs.
However, the runner of most interest is undoubtedly the Ger Lyons-trained Anchor Road. He endured a luckless passage through on his debut in a 6f maiden here last month, racing off the pace and meeting traffic for much of the penultimate furlong, fairly thundering home once getting clear sailing inside the final 100 yards.
The additional furlong should suit well, and the form of that race has already received a boost via the runner-up Haffner going one better next time, while the seventh also stepped up on his debut effort when next seen. With an experience edge on all five rivals, Anchor Road can confirm the high promise of his debut effort and land this prize en route to bigger assignments.
Performance of the week
Maire Rua: The turn of foot this sister to connections’ smart Red Letter displayed at the furlong pole once working her way through greenness to go clear and land a 7f event at Leopardstown last Thursday marked her down as a filly of some potential.
It will be interesting where she heads next, with a quick turnaround required if she were to meet something like Alpha in the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes back at Leopardstown next Thursday. Incidentally, she was the yard’s first debut winner of 2026 from this age group.
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Eyecatcher(s) of the week
Kirton Angel: A fairly unconsidered 14/1 chance for a 6f fillies’ contest at York last Friday, she was slowly into stride and raced in last. However, the big move she made into contention on the far side from the two-furlong marker was most eyecatching, challenging entering the final furlong until her effort flattened out somewhat in the final 100 yards as she had to settle for third.
There is little doubt the sweeping move in contention from last place took its toll in the end, her sluggish start necessitating such a course of action from her rider. She should prove more than capable of winning a 6f maiden/novice in the coming weeks.
Amethyst Star: This filly was a little less obvious on first inspection, finishing 10th of 12 in a 6f event at Windsor on Monday evening. However, as on debut at Goodwood over the same distance, she was noted as hitting the line strongly.
She requires one more run for a mark and appeals as the type to do well in low-grade 1m nurseries during the late summer/autumn, hailing from a good old David and Catherine Wills family featuring the likes of very smart middle-distance stayer Craigsteel and high-class stayer Invermark.
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