'There's a chance he's about to start making up for lost time'

From America came Coolmore’s US Triple Crown hero Justify, who grabbed the headlines by siring the blue-blooded Statuette, who maintained her unbeaten record in the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes at Curragh.

The filly is the fifth foal out of dual Group 1 winner and 4,700,000gns buy Immortal Verse, making her a three-parts sister to last year’s Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Tenebrism, who is by another son of Scat Daddy in Caravaggio.

That highlights that kind of mare power breeders, not least Coolmore, have thrown behind Justify, while Weatherbys lists six other sons and daughters in training at Ballydoyle, including Bertinelli, a colt out of Fillies’ Mile scorer Together Forever, and Milwaukee, a son of the 1,000 Guineas third Moth.

Despite this kind of ammunition, it is inconceivable that Justify could launch a serious challenge for the leading European first-season sire title by number of individual winners on account of so few of his progeny being on this side of the Atlantic.

Statuette: first black type winner for Justify, but can her sire launch a stern enough channel across the Atlantic for first-season sire honours?Credit: Alan Crowhurst

However, Statuette shows that he is well capable of passing on at least some of his considerable talent, and that, despite being a four-time Grade 1 winner on dirt, his progeny look right at home on turf. It will be fascinating to see what kind of influence Justify can have in Europe, particularly given what his own, much-missed sire Scat Daddy achieved.

Tweenhills’ Australian sensation Zoustar also registered an important winner when Lezoo took her record to two from two with a comfortable score in the Listed Empress Fillies' Stakes, which was run at Newmarket on Saturday in memory of Maureen Brittain.

The Ralph Beckett-trained filly is one of three winners from Zoustar’s debut northern hemisphere crop, a tally that sees the son of Northern Meteor share co-sixth spot on the European charts.

Given the support he has received and his southern hemisphere credentials, it would not have been unreasonable to expect Zoustar to get out of the blocks slightly quicker than he has. However, he is now one of just four first-crop sires to supply a European stakes winner in 2022, and with plenty more well-bred types still in the pipeline, there is a chance he is about to start making up for lost time.

When the first instalment of this column dropped in late May, Whitsbury Manor Stud’s Havana Grey was out clear at the head of affairs on the European first-season table with 15 winners.

The son of Havana Gold has continued to hit the right notes since and reached the 20 winner milestone on Saturday courtesy of Lady Hollywood, who scored by clear water in a fillies’ novice stakes at Lingfield.

Although he is still awaiting his first stakes winner, Havana Grey has shown there is quality among the quantity as his record now includes five black type performers, more than any other freshman, including a couple who reached the frame at Royal Ascot in Queen Mary Stakes runner-up Maylandsea and Windsor Castle Stakes third Eddie's Boy.

Not only has Havana Grey put distance between himself and his fellow freshmen, he is also six winners clear of juvenile sire extraordinaire Kodiac in the general European two-year-old standings.

Coolmore’s Sioux Nation remains in second on the first-season sire list but has taken his record to 13 winners from 38 runners, which has seen his strike rate improve to 34 per cent. The son of Scat Daddy has also fielded his first black type performers in Lakota Sioux and Matilda Picotte, who finished third in the Chesham and Airlie Stud Stakes respectively.

Moreover, he is unlucky not to have a third stakes performer on his CV as Brave Nation was one of the chief sufferers of The Ridler’s errant path to victory in the Norfolk.

Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Stud resident Expert Eye has climbed from co-fifth into clear third position having sired seven winners at a clip of 27 per cent. The septet includes Palm Lily, who joined the Juddmonte juvenile squad at a cost of 290,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The half-sister to the Group 3 winners Brown Sugar and Burnt Sugar looked ready for a step up in class when quickening clear to score by two and three-quarter lengths on debut, and could perhaps become her sire’s first black type performer once her sights are raised.

Expert Eye: sired seven winners so far at a strike-rate of 27 per centCredit: Bronwen Healy

In fourth spot is Cracksman, who continues to deliver ahead of the schedule many would have envisaged for a horse who did not debut until the October of his own two-year-old career and peaked over ten and 12 furlongs at four.

When we last checked in, the Dalham Hall Stud resident had defied expectations by supplying three early winners. One month on and that tally has doubled to six at a clip of 67 per cent, the highest winners to runners strike rate among any first-season sire with more than two racecourse representatives.

While precocity is an attribute not many would have foreseen Cracksman transmitting to his progeny, it is much less of a surprise that the 130-rated son of Frankel would prove a source of class. And it may well be that that is the overriding characteristic possessed by the likes of Dance In The Grass and Rich, who aren’t necessarily bred to be summer two-year-olds but made striking winning debuts at Sandown and Newbury respectively.

Given that his yearlings fetched up to 410,000gns, it also has to be taken as a positive that even the relatively inexpensive members of his debut crop, with Rich costing Julie Wood just 26,000gns, clearly possess such latent talent. It is also worth noting that Cracksman’s debut crop contains 123 foals, so having had just nine runners there is plainly plenty more to come.

Tally-Ho Stud’s Kessaar and Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud resident Tasleet are tied on five winners apiece, with the former boasting a strike rate of 21 per cent and the latter operating at a clip of 28 per cent.

Tasleet was one of the big winners at this year’s Royal Ascot as his son Bradsell followed up a wildly impressive debut with a clear-cut success in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes.

That performance earned the Archie Watson-trained colt a mark of 112, making him the highest rated juvenile of the season so far on Racing Post Ratings (RPR), which is no mean feat considering he was bred at a fee of just £6,000 by Deborah O'Brien and first changed hands for a mere 12,000gns when signed for by Highflyer Bloodstock and Harry Dunlop.

Kessaar did not figure among the top ten names in May but has climbed the table having supplied a string of winners throughout June. However, it is the son of Kodiac’s first two winners who remain arguably his most exciting prospects, with Tajalla, who scored at the Craven meeting, looking all over a Pattern performer, while Bolt Action was far from disgraced despite residual greenness when sixth in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

Maria Branwell: stakes winner and flagbearer for James GarfieldCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Joining Zoustar on three winners are Harry Angel, James Garfield, Saxon Warrior, Unfortunately and US Navy Flag. Rathbarry Stud’s James Garfield is also one of the four first-crop sires to supply a black type winner, with Maria Branwell having struck in the Listed National Stakes before finishing third in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot.

Although two winners isn’t quite enough to occupy a spot at the head of the European standings, late Tweenhills stallion Roaring Lion has begun to show what a loss he is to the breeding ranks with a brace of eye-catching scorers, both of whom are trained by Charlie and Mark Johnston.

Lion Of War gave his sire a first winner with a successful debut at Leicester, which was followed up by a full on demolition job at Newcastle. That ten-length victory saw the colt, who cost David Redvers just 7,000gns at Book 3, given an RPR of 95.

Roaring Lion’s other winner is Swift Lioness, who overcame significant trouble in running to strike on debut at Lingfield. Bigger things surely await both performers and their star-crossed sire.