Godolphin unleash Dubawi colt from excellent American family at Kempton on Wednesday

Important Role 

Kempton, 7.00, Wednesday, Unibet/British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes

What's the story?

Charlie Appleby has endured a quieter season compared to his usual lofty standards, but the Godolphin trainer's fortunes could pick up with some regally bred youngsters set to emerge over the coming weeks.

One of those is Important Role, a son of Darley's champion sire Dubawi who sold to Sheikh Mohammed's operation for 625,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 last October. The juvenile was bred by Blue Diamond Stud's Imad Al Sagar and hails from an interesting American family. 

How is he bred, then?

Important Role is the second foal out of the unraced Giant's Causeway mare I'm Wonderful, making him a half-brother to American stakes winner Wonderful Justice, a three-year-old colt by Ashford Stud resident Justify. 

I'm Wonderful is in turn a sister or half-sister to several top-class performers, including Carpe Diem. The son of Giant's Causeway won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity Stakes at two and was also second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile for Todd Pletcher. At three, Carpe Diem won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes before finishing down the field behind Triple Crown hero American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby. 

I'm Wonderful and Carpe Diem are also related to J. B.'s Thunder, a son of Thunder Gulch who struck in the 2010 Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity, multiple Graded winner and Grade 1-placed Farrell, and Doncaster Rover, a multiple stakes winner and Group-placed performer in Britain. Another half-sibling, Semper Fortis, was a close second to the top-class Accelerate in the 2016 Los Alamitos Derby.

Who does he face?

Among Important Role's ten rivals is Royal Tapestry, a debutant by Darley first-season sire Too Darn Hot out of the Group-placed Hard Spun mare Woven Lace. The Charlie Johnston-trained colt is a half-brother to German Listed scorer Broderie, by Pivotal, and a close relation to dual winner Great Esteem, by Dubawi. 

Another is Imminent Victory, a son of Oasis Dream from the family of American Grade 3 winner Roman Dynasty, while Land Force's Savvy Kingdom was a fine third on his debut and is worth another chance after flopping at Newbury last time.

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