Kingsgate Native's half-brother poised to make debut for O'Brien and Coolmore

It may be the last race of eight but the Captain Dara Fitzpatrick Memorial Maiden (5.15) at Leopardstown on Sunday definitely looks one worth keeping your televisions and laptops tuned in for.

It has drawn a huge field of 19 three-year-olds, most of whom have some experience, including Ryan Moore’s mount The Mediterranean and the Seamie Heffernan-partnered Lord Of The Manor, a brother to 2017 Derby runner-up Cliffs Of Moher, on whom Moore was just chinned at Epsom by Padraig Beggy-ridden outsider Wings Of Eagles.

Both of those Aidan O’Brien representatives are sons of Galileo, as it Aidan’s son Donnacha’s runner Shinsengumi.

Shinsengumi is a Coolmore homebred making his debut, with one of his half-brothers being the Nunthorpe and Golden Jubilee winner Kingsgate Native.

The colt is the 12th foal out of Indian Ridge mare Native Force, a maiden winner herself in a truncated three-race career and who has produced a few other winners besides the aforementioned dual Group 1-winning sprinter.

Donnacha’s older brother Joseph also saddles a homebred newcomer, in his case Fastnet Rock’s son Celestial Horizon, bred by his mother Annemarie O’Brien. Already gelded, he is out of nursery winner Cocoon, a daughter of Galileo.

Celestial Horizon’s brother and stablemate Menagerie is a Curragh maiden winner who finished midfield on his reappearance at Gowran Park on Tuesday.

The only other newcomer in the big field is Luke Comer’s Seattle Creek, who the owner-trainer bought as a yearling for 70,000gns at the Tattersalls December sale of 2019.

The son Of Harzand has plenty on his page and is closely related to Group 2 Oleander-Rennen winner Raa Atoll, who is by Sea The Stars.

It just so happens that the Oleander-Rennen is sponsored by Comer and takes place on Sunday at Hoppegarten - the trainer likes to support the race and, despite the additional travelling complexities as a result of Covid-19, runs two in it this year, Aircraft Carrier and Questionare.

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