Two-year-old newcomers of interest including Promethean and Waistcoat

Monitor Menuisier colt at Salisbury

The card at Salisbury on Thursday features a couple of divisions of the 7f and 1m novice events, both of which have been won by subsequently smart performers such as Look Here, Snow Sky, Piping Rock, Remarquee and Bluestocking.

Much of the interest in the opening division of the 1m novice contest (1.52) will revolve around debut scorer God’s Window, who made an impressive winning start at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting. That form has already been franked, and God’s Window looks a smart prospect. Houstonn went desperately close to scoring over this course and distance last month, just failing to reel in favourite Cambridge. A repeat of that effort will see him in contention once again.

There are some interesting newcomers in the field, although the majority look longer-term prospects.

Roger Varian sends out the 700,000gns yearling Matsuri. By Sea The Stars, he is a half-brother to 1m 1f 3yo Group 3 winner Feliciana de Vega (also successful first time out at two on bad ground).

His dam was an 8/9.5f Listed winner in Ireland and a half-sister to Group 3/Listed-placed Irish 6f-1m winner Hallie’s Comet, herself dam of recent Sceptre Stakes winner/1000 Guineas third Matilda Picotte. Varian said of Matsuri back in May, “A well-made, handsome colt with good bone and looks like one who cost a lot of money. He is showing plenty of promise in his work.”

James Ferguson’s Normandy Legend is a €330,000 Sea The Stars half-brother to this year’s useful 10-12f 3yo winner (including on debut) Duke of Oxford, while dam Miss Marjurie won the Lancashire Oaks and hails from the family of very smart miler Soviet Song.

The fitting of a hood on debut sounds a note of caution, but the guarded Ferguson did say that he liked Normandy Legend “a lot” when we spoke earlier in the year.

Ralph Beckett has won this race with the subsequent Oaks winner (the aforementioned Look Here) and also saddled both winners of the two divisions last year. His representative in this opening division is the Lope de Vega filly La Pasionaria.

Although failing to sell for 85,000gns last autumn, she has plenty to recommend her on pedigree, with her Listed-placed 8.5f 3yo winning dam a half-sister to several winners including Zetland Stakes winner Empire Day and the unbeaten but fragile Counterpunch.

One other newcomer worthy of a mention is David Menuisier’s PROMETHEAN.

He is an Intello half-brother to connections’ 2022 French 12f 3yo Listed winner Ottilien as well as French 10f 2yo Group 1 winner/Prix du Jockey Club runner-up (ironically to this colt’s sire) Morandi. For all Menuisier rarely has them wound up on debut, he did win this race back in 2020 with a debutante (Belloccio), and Promethean is certainly bred to handle soft conditions.

It’d come as no surprise to see him run a big race at likely decent odds.

Charlton charge bred to show up well

In the second division (2.25), Chequers Court, Hand of God, Joycean Way and One Cool Dreamer set the standard for the newcomers at which to aim.

Charlie Fellowes takes the wraps off of Morawig. The Make Believe colt is from a good Ballymacoll Stud family and drew warm words from Fellowes when we discussed the colt back in early May.

Fellowes said of Morawig, “This colt is very much the apple of my eye at present. I just loved him as a yearling and love him just as much how. He’s currently doing two canters and just has that little bit of ‘je ne sais quoi’ about him. Realistically, he is going to be one for late summer at the very earliest, but that tallies with his pedigree. If there’s an engine under the bonnet to match his looks and pedigree, we’ll be in business.”

Andrew Balding’s Mach Ten is a Ten Sovereigns half-brother to German dual 1m Listed winner/Preis der Diana runner-up Djumama and the yard’s 2022 7f 2yo winner Vermilion. The dam was a twice-raced maiden half-sister to 2000 Guineas third Barathea Guest. There’s plenty in his pedigree to suggest Mach Ten will be at home on this slow surface.

The first division of the 7f novice race (2.57) sees Qirat attempt back-to-back victories under a penalty following his smooth success at Kempton last month, confirming the promise he’d shown on debut at Newmarket (July). Finbar Fury and Point Given have each shown enough to suggest they could win a race of this nature, with the latter particularly interesting now upped to 7f.

However, there is a standout among the newcomers in the shape of Harry and Roger Charlton’s INVERSION.

She is a Frankel half-sister to this year’s US 1m 1f Grade 1 winner Whitebeam and dual 7f 2yo winner (including on debut) Lucid Dreamer. Her dam was a winning half-sister to St Leger winner Logician (by Frankel) and US triple 9.5-12f Grade 3 winner Suffused, with the latter successful on debut for this yard on her sole outing at two.

For all she takes on the boys and will likely improve with racing, a prominent debut showing from Inversion would come as little surprise.

Incidentally, connections’ Kikkuli - the Kingman half-brother to Frankel and final foal of Kind - held an entry for this race, but he’s likely to line up at Kempton next Wednesday.

Expect smart display from Waistcoat

The second division (3.27) sees the latest produce of Midday hit the track with Ralph Beckett’s Indelible stepping out off the back of good home reports. She is by Shamardal and her six-time Group 1 winning mother has produced a handful of winners so far, with the pick of them being Midterm, who was successful on his sole outing at two. Noon Star was also successful at two.

Freddie and Martyn Meade saddle an interesting type in WAISTCOAT. The 150,000gns Sea The Stars colt is the first foal of Swansdown, an ordinary performer whose biggest claim to fame is the fact she was Luca Cumani’s final runner as a trainer.

However, she hails from a smart Fittocks Stud family, with siblings Materialistic and Pinzolo able to score at the first time of asking at two, while half-brother Dr Drill was successful twice at Listed level in Australia. Another sibling, Poplin, was in the news this week when her yearling colt by Frankel fetched 900,000gns at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Waistcoat is bred on the Sea The Stars/Dubawi cross that has produced smart performers such as Bahrani Star, Desert Hero, Flying Honours and Sea The Fire. For all another furlong or two will suit before long, the easy ground is likely to put stamina at a premium, so a bold debut showing from Waistcoat wouldn’t at all surprise.

Breaking away from newcomers, and there are one or two interesting two-year-olds running at other meetings on Thursday who have shown minor promise so far.

The James Ferguson-trained Papagei (2.45 Lingfield) is a Masar half-brother to recent Sovereign Stakes dead-heater Embesto and has shown ability in two runs so far, keeping on from off the pace in 7f novice events at Haydock and Chelmsford. He will be of significant interest once qualified for a mark but has shown enough to suggest he could take a hand at the finish here. In the same race, Denis Coakley’s Sweet Sister shaped a little better than a seventh of nine finish on debut in a 7f fillies’ event at Salisbury last month indicates, and she is sure to strip fitter on this occasion.

Ballydoyle unleash promising types

Meanwhile, Rogue State (4.25 Chelmsford) bids to build on a very encouraging debut third in a 7f contest at Southwell.

A daughter of Lope de Vega out of an 11f Grade 3 winner, Rogue State travelled better than most off the pace but took a while to find top stride, finishing strongly inside the final furlong. 1m will suit before long, but Rogue State is entitled to know more this time and should therefore be able to take a handier position.

There are some potentially interesting two-year-old events taking place on Saturday, with the entries for the opening 1m 1f maiden at the Curragh (1.10) featuring the usual handful of well-related juveniles from the Ballydoyle stable of Aidan O’Brien.

Of particular interest are Double Agent, a 600,000gns full brother to triple 10.5-14.5f Group 2 winner Free Wind; Illinois, a full brother to Chester Vase winner Venice Beach and half-brother to King George/Arc winner Danedream; and Tour of Duty, a 450,000gns Camelot son of a 6f 2yo winning half-sister to Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Chelsea Rose (later dam of St Leger winner Kew Gardens) and Australian 12.5f Group 3 winner Downdraft (by Camelot).

Usual suspects out in force at HQ

Charlie Appleby, John and Thady Gosden and Roger Varian look set to unleash some very well-related youngsters on Newmarket’s card on Saturday.

The Gosdens have a couple of newcomers entered in the 1m maiden (3.50). Assailant is a Dubawi half-brother to French 1m 3yo Listed winner Chartreuse and connections’ Listed-placed 10f 3yo winner Gloria Mundi. Top level winners Ectot, Meditate and Most Improved feature further back on the page.

Military Academy is a Fastnet Rock half-brother to connections’ 2022 Fillies’ Mile winner Commissioning and is out of a winning sister to Irish Derby/St Leger winner Capri and Irish 14f 3yo Group 3 winner/Irish Oaks third Passion.

Varian has entered Royal Majesty, a Frankel son of US 1m 1f 3yo Grade 1 winner Crown Queen, herself a half-sister to US six-time 9/10f Grade 1 winner Royal Delta and US 1m Grade 1 winner Delta Prince.

It is a family with a phenomenal record first time out, though Crown Queen’s first two foals have hardly set the world alight. If any sire is going to rectify that, it’s Frankel.

In the 7f maiden (4.25), the Gosdens have entered Campaign Medal, a No Nay Never first foal of a Group 3/Listed-placed 1m 3yo winner who was a full sister to 2022 French 1m 2yo Group 1 winner Proud And Regal and Irish 10f 3yo Group 3 winner Mekong River.

Appleby has entered 1.5m yearling Military Leader, who is a Dubawi half-brother to 2023 1m 3yo Listed winner Sounds of Heaven and Listed-placed Irish dual 1m winner Voice of Angels. His once-raced maiden dam’s a full sister to 1000 Guineas/Irish 1000 Guineas winner Hermosa, 8/12f Group 1 winner/Irish 1000 Guineas third Hydrangea and Australian 10f Group 1 winner The United States.

Appleby has also entered Point Sur, a Too Darn Hot three-parts brother to 2022 Gordon Stakes winner/St Leger runner-up New London, Group 2/3-placed dual 7f 2yo winner (including at Listed level) Al Dabaran and Group 3-placed UAE 10-12f winner Al Nayyir (all by Dubawi). His dam hails from the excellent family of Masked Marvel and Waldgeist.

Finally, Varian has entered the well-touted Gracious Leader. A €250,000 yearling, he is a Siyouni second foal of a French 7f 2yo Group 3 winner whose siblings include recent French 1m 1f 2yo debut winner Casapueblo.

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