A true blue hen, May foal magic and a clear warning sign: five talking points

Holy Moon a true blue hen

When thinking of great broodmares of the modern era the names Urban Sea, Miesque, Kind and You'resothrilling instantly spring to mind. After Saturday's Darley Irish Oaks, the name Holy Moon does not look out of place among such exalted company.

When Sea Of Class got up to deny Forever Together in the final strides of the Curragh Group 1, she became the fourth Classic winner produced by the daughter of Hernando.

While she may be an unfamiliar name to many, Holy Moon had already made history by producing three consecutive winners of the Italian Oaks in Cherry Collect (2012), Charity Line (2013) and Final Score (2014).

And while the Oaks D'Italia may have lost its Group 1 status in 2007, to supply three consecutive winners of a registered European Classic remains a unique achievement.

Replay: relive a thrilling renewal of the Darley Irish Oaks

Moreover, Charity Line and Final Score also won the Group 1 Premio Lydia Tesio, meaning Holy Moon has now produced a trio of top-level scorers to accompany her quartet of Classic winners.

And if all that was not enough, Holy Moon has also produced the Group 3 winner Wordless, the Group 2-placed Back On Board and the Listed-placed Magic Mystery, with each of her foals being by a different stallion.

That Holy Moon has proved to be such a talented producer is no great surprise, as she was a smart runner herself, with the highlight of her racing career coming when she won the Listed Terme di Merano at three.

She also boasts an appealing pedigree, as she is out of Centinela, a Caerleon half-sister to Bright Generation who won the Italian Oaks - while still a Group 1 - and also finished runner-up to Sayyedati in the 1992 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

However, despite her strong pedigree credentials, she was picked up as a yearling by Alessandro Botti for a mere Ir£2,600 when offered by Barnane Stud at Goffs in 2001, meaning she is not only one of the highest-achieving broodmares of recent times but also one of the biggest bargains to boot.

And she may not be done yet, either, as she also has an Oasis Dream yearling colt and a colt foal by Golden Horn still in the pipeline.

Better late than never

It is often said in racing and breeding circles that earlier foals have something of a head start in life, with the advantage of time allowing for greater mental and physical maturity.

Followers of that particular rule of thumb were left scratching their heads after the Darley Irish Oaks though, as the race produced a 1-2-3 for May foals.

The winner, Sea Of Class, arrived on May 23, gallant runner-up Forever Together was born on May 25 while the third, Mary Tudor, was foaled on May 14, once again proving that a late foaling date is no barrier to immense talent.

Of course, the cynics will point to the fact there are a greater number of big winners foaled in February and March, but that only serves to highlight that so many more Flat-breds are born in those months.

Saturday's result also stands as a reminder of the greats that were born later than many would consider ideal, with the likes of Seabiscuit, Nureyev, Dancing Brave and Northern Dancer himself all arriving in May.

The truth of the matter is that foals born in May may require some time, but ultimately class will always out, with natural talent destined to prevail over older rivals, regardless of the perceived disadvantages.

Footsteps a firm favourite

Footstepsinthesand has been a grand servant during his 13 years at stud, with a string of talented juveniles and hard-knocking, high-class performers endearing him to breeders, agents, trainers and owners alike.

And results from the Curragh on Saturday highlighted exactly why the horse many know simply as 'Footsteps' has built up such a following, as his progeny claimed two of the three Group contests on the card.

The two-year-old colt Marie's Diamond kicked things off with victory in the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes to become his sire's 31st Group-race winner before Larchmont Lad, already among his sire's 113 black type performers, gained a deserved win in the Group 2 Minstrel Stakes.

Those performances typified what has come to be expected from the progeny of Footstepsinthesand, namely the mix of a thoroughly genuine attitude and an ample amount of raw talent.

Marie's Diamond (blue), one of 31 Group winners by Footstepsinthesand, lands the Anglesey Stakes at the CurraghCredit: Patrick McCann

Marie's Diamond - a €35,000 yearling buy by Federico Barberini and Middleham Park Racing - was making the sixth start of his juvenile campaign and recorded his third victory, while Larchmont Lad also nothced the third win of his career, and second at Pattern level.

The Cheveley Park Stud-owned four-year-old has not only proved better than ever this season, recording a career-best Racing Post Rating of 114 when runner-up to D'bai in the John Of Gaunt Stakes, but has also been a model of consistency since joining David O'Meara, having not finished out of the first four in his seven starts for the handler.

Footstepsinthesand covered a book of 180 mares in 2016, meaning he should have plenty of sons and daughters up for auction at the coming yearling sales. And with his stock having averaged less than 35,000gns in 2017 and 2016, there could just be a bargain or two to be found among his offerings.

Making hay in Autumn

Renowned punter and owner Tony Bloom has enjoyed some notable success over the last 12 months, with Librisa Breeze claiming the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes and the upwardly mobile Withhold running out a facile winner of the fiercely competitive Cesarewitch and Northumberland Plate handicaps. On Saturday Stratum put in an impressive performance to win the inaugural running of the valuable JLT Cup at Newbury.

Interestingly, all three of those performers were sourced from the 2016 renewal of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.

Stratum draws clear of his rivals in the JLT Cup at NewburyCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Admittedly they did not come cheap, with Librisa Breeze, who was signed for by Stephen Hillen, fetching 90,000gns, while Withhold cost 170,000gns and Stratum brought a winning bid of 160,000gns from Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins.

But that outlay has not gone to waste, as Librisa Breeze has recouped his purchase price many times over having landed two Ascot heritage handicaps - worth £93,375 and £112,050 respectively - and the aforementioned Group 1 sprint, which came with a first prize of £340,260.

Likewise, Withhold's efforts have netted him just shy of £250,000 in winnings, while Stratum's success on Saturday earned him £62,250 and also propelled him to the head of the market for the £500,000 SkyBet Ebor handicap at York next month.

Given his ability to identify horses with scope for such significant improvement, Bloom's reputation as a shrewd player looks to have been well earned.

Warning signs

News emerged this week that two of Richard Fahey's more talented juveniles, Ninetythreetwenty and Vange, had been sold to continue their racing careers in Hong Kong.

While runners being sold overseas is not a new occurrence, it is a worrying sign when selling a promising young colt to Hong Kong is a more financially appealing option than finding out how high they can climb at home.

This is particularly true in the case of the well-related Vange, who looked a potential stallion prospect when finishing just two and a quarter lengths behind Calyx in the Coventry Stakes in the familiar colours of Bill and Tim Gredley.

Moreover, the news emerged shortly before the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association annual general meeting, during which the results of an economic impact study gave a bleak forecast for the British breeding industry, with talk of a "seismic crack" appearing between the small- and large-scale breeders.

TBA board member Philip Newton said: "If the number of small breeders, or any size breeder, continues to disappear, there will be fewer foals born and the racing programme will be compromised. Add the increasing demand from overseas markets for our racing product and the problem only increases."

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