Fayathaan continues hot form of Mehmas in Italian 2,000 Guineas

The red-hot form of last year's first-season sire sensation Mehmas continues as the former British-trained Fayathaan struck in the Group 3 Italian 2,000 Guineas at Capannelle on Sunday.

Fayathaan, who was bred by Ghs Bloodstock Ltd and Tally Ho Stud, was a £35,000 purchase from the 2019 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, when snapped up by Oliver St Lawrence and Ballyvolane Stud.

He was sent into training with Richard Fahey, for whom he won a handicap at Newcastle on his final start. Having sold to DML Racing for 40,000gns at last year's Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, the colt added two further wins to his name for Mark Loughnane before heading to this year's Tattersalls February Sale.

An 85,000gns purchase from DML to Marco Bozzi, Fayathaan is the fifth individual Group winner and eighth stakes victor for Mehmas, who last year set a new record for the number of individual first-crop winners by a European sire.

Mehmas in his paddock at Tally-Ho StudCredit: Tally-Ho Stud

The Tally-Ho stallion - winner of the July Stakes and Richmond Stakes as well as finishing second and third in the National Stakes and Dewhurst - has continued his blazing form from last year with the American Grade 3 victory of Going Global and the big-priced win of Keeper Of Time in the Group 3 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown this month.

Now standing for a fee of €25,000 - a sizeable increase from €7,500 last term - Mehmas has also produced Middle Park and Richmond Stakes hero Supremacy and Gimcrack victor Minzaal from his first crop.

Fayathaan is the second foal out of the Elusive Quality mare Beauty Of The Sea - a half-sister to the stakes-placed Makfi mare Make Fast, the dam of last year's July Stakes and Windsor Castle Stakes scorer Tactical.

On the same Capannelle card, the Italian 1,000 Guineas, also a Group 3, was won by Wakanaka, a daughter of Power who was picked up for just £3,500 from the Goffs UK Silver Yearling Sale in 2019.

Bred by Jean Brennan, Wakanaka was sold from Tullerboy Farm to Diego Dettori and is the second foal out of the winning Kodiac mare Storyline.

Storyline, bred by Tally-Ho and owned by Yvonne Jacques during her racing career, was a £15,000 yearling purchase to Tim Easterby before selling to Brennan for 3,500gns at the Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale in 2014. She is herself out of the Listed-placed Petite Histoire, a Desert Story half-sister to Molecomb Stakes scorer Whitbarrow.

Read more

Historic Lavington Stud put up for sale by Macdonald-Buchanan family

Celebration Chase winner Greaneteen the latest Grade 1 hero for Great Pretender

Keeneland's April Horses of Racing Age Sale gets underway tomorrow