Sales-topper Divine Spirit maintains march of Kingman at Windsor

Kingmania continued at Windsor on Monday after the victory of sales-topping Divine Spirit continued the momentum of the Banstead Manor stallion.

The brilliant miler, who only lost once in an eight-race career, has already established himself as one to watch from a first crop which has not only delivered the exciting Calyx, but recent French Guineas hero Persian King.

Buyers took note, and Kingman has achieved a seven-figure yearling at Tattersalls Book 1 and had his covering fee raised to £75,000 for 2019.

The purchase of Divine Spirit was among his biggest earners, with Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation reaching 850,000gns to prise her from last month’s Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.

Sent to Charlie Appleby, who had already landed the earlier juvenile event with smart-looking Dubawi newcomer Theory Of Time, she was ready for a quick turnaround in the Sky Sports Racing On Sky 415 Novice Stakes. She completed the same double for James Doyle with the minimum of fuss as 4-5 favourite, by a length and three-quarters from fellow Craven graduate Pink Sands.

View result and watch race replay here

"When I asked her to go it wasn’t immediate, she did take time and learn on the job a bit and then when she did click in, she powered away nicely," Doyle told Sky Sports Racing.

"I thought that was good because it shows there was a bit of stamina there as well, now just out-and-out five [furlongs]. Obviously she came from the breeze-ups and she had a hefty old price tag on her, so that clearly suggested she could go a bit, so it’s nice when they can back it up when they have colours on their back.

"Charlie had mentioned Ascot before today and I’m sure it will be on the agenda after that performance."

Divine Spirit is out of Shyrl, the 2008 Queen Mary runner-up, who was in turn a sharp daughter of Acclamation. Shyrl was trained by Simon Callaghan on behalf of Divine Spirit’s breeders, Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar, and was appearing at the Royal meeting as only a once-raced maiden.

She went on to break her duck at long odds-on at Catterick a fortnight later but achieved little more when highly tried in what was her sole racing season.

She has produced some useful offspring already such as the multiple Group-placed Raucous, still plying his trade with Robert Cowell, and Green Fortune, who won three times for William Haggas.

Shyrl failed to produce a foal when covered by Ajaya, and has subsequently visited Exceed And Excel.

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