Japanese influence felt at Navan as blue-blooded colts make their debuts

The Japanese bloodstock industry's growing dominance of major international meetings has been a recurring theme of global racing over the last few years with the country's most recent success on the world stage coming last weekend at Meydan.

Racegoers at Navan this afternoon would be advised to wait for the concluding three-year-old plus maiden (5.35) and not try to beat the traffic as a more local angle to a global trend will play out in the last race with a pair of Ballydoyle newcomers by two of Japan's iconic stallions.

The search for genetics which would complement the brilliant fillies and mares by Galileo that represent a significant proportion of Coolmore's breeding stock, has encompassed the globe with Japan's best stallions receiving a number of blue-blooded mares with race records to match.

One of those stallions is Lord Kanaloa, sire of eight individual Group 1 winners so far including this year's Saudi Cup victor Panthalassa. Shadai Stallion Station's dual winner of the Hong Kong Sprint first shot to prominence on a global stage through the exploits of his wonderful daughter Almond Eye, successful nine times in Group 1 races including the Dubai Turf.

By another legend of Japanese breeding in King Kamehameha, Lord Kanaloa was Japan's Horse of the Year in 2013 and won six Group 1 contests with five of those victories coming at six furlongs. 

His pedigree illustrates how Japan's major breeders have enhanced the country's own stock with judicious purchasing of American and European bloodlines. He is out of the Storm Cat mare Lady Blossom, a winning daughter of the American champion three-year-old filly Saratoga Dew by Cormorant, a son of His Majesty and the sire of 1994 Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin. 

Lord Kanaloa the rising force

Lord Kanaloa only retired to stud in 2014 but is already the sire of 14 horses who have either won or been placed in Group 1 races including his first European Group winner, the Qatar Racing-owned and bred Know It All. Trained by Johnny Murtagh, she won the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial and was third in the Prix Rothschild.

Lord Kanaloa winning the Group 1 Hong Kong SprintCredit: Neville Hopwood

Another chapter in the story of Lord Kanaloa will start to be written at Navan this afternoon with the debut of Ballsbridge for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore. 

The colt, who holds an entry in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, is the first foal out of Happily, a Group 1 winner at two, beating Magical in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and defeating a field of colts, including the subsequent Derby winner Masar in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. At three she was placed in the Guineas, Irish 1,000 Guineas and Sun Chariot Stakes.

The full-sister to Gleneagles and Group 1 winners Marvellous and Joan Of Arc is one of eight foals and winners out of You'resothrilling, the Cherry Hinton winner and full-sister to the brilliant Giant's Causeway. The 18-year-old has an extraordinary record; all of her offspring to have raced are by Galileo, and all have earned black type in a Group 1 race, 

In Japan, the cross of Lord Kanaloa with Galileo has already produced the Group 2 American Jockey Club Cup and Meguro Kinen winner King Of Koji.

In Europe, and in the ownership of Coolmore, there have been two juvenile maiden winners bred on that cross. Beginnings, the second foal out of the quadruple Group 1 winner Winter, was successful at Dundalk in November and she could make her seasonal debut at Leopardstown on Sunday in the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle 1,000 Guineas Trial.

The other winner is also a filly, Maybe Just Maybe, who is the second foal out of Promise To Be True. Successful in the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes, the full-sister to Maybe was runner-up in the Prix Marcel Boussac and third in the Criterium International.

Both daughters of Lord Kanaloa hold Classic entries.

Towards the end of Deep Impact's career, Coolmore began sending the outstanding stallion more of their most successful Galileo fillies. 

Drumroll keeps Auguste company

Those forays have yielded three Group 1 winners so far, with Saxon Warrior and Snowfall earning Classic glory while Auguste Rodin, a Group 1 winner last season, was spoken about in glowing terms by Aidan O'Brien at the Ballydoyle press morning on Monday.

Aidan O'Brien and Auguste RodinCredit: Patrick McCann

The striking colt, who is the first foal out of the Lockinge, Prix de l'Opera and Fillies' Mile winner Rhododendron, bears more than a passing resemblance to the sublime Dubai Sheema Classic hero Equinox.

In Saxon Warrior, Coolmore has also been rewarded with a stallion whose early results seem to promise further glory. His first crop includes the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road plus Moon Ray and Lumiere Rock, successful at Group 3 level.

Saxon Warrior's dam, the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes winner and 1,000 Guineas third Maybe, was one of the earliest mares sent by Coolmore to visit Deep Impact with the daughter of Galileo's first foal, a filly by Japan's perennial champion sire. Pavlenko was successful at three and third in the Listed Platinum Stakes.

Maybe is the dam of Drumroll, who will be ridden by Seamie Heffernan at Navan this evening. While the colt's current engagements are not lofty ones, his pedigree is laden with potential and he could be the fourth black type performer for his dam who has also foaled the Listed Sweet Mimosa Stakes second More Beautiful by War Front.

Both Maybe and Happily were returned to Ireland after their stints in Japan although Happily stopped off in Kentucky and has a yearling colt by American Pharoah. Maybe's yearling is a son of Kingman and both mares were covered by Wootton Bassett last year.

It's not all about Japan in the pedigree department as Dermot Weld unleashes an exciting newcomer in the shape of Time Tells All. Moyglare Stud's Sea The Stars colt is a half-brother to last season's Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs. Out of the Listed winner and Group 3-placed Joailliere by Dubawi, he is bred on the same cross as last season's Group 3 Zetland Stakes winner Flying Honours. Time Tells All has entries in the Irish 2,000, the Derby and the Irish Derby.

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