Dark Angel full-brother to Yafta could light up Premier Sale

Among the standout lots at the Goffs UK Premier Sale on Wednesday is the Dark Angel full-brother to Yafta, who will be offered by Highclere Stud on behalf of the Harris family's Lordship Stud.

Yafta topped the sale in 2016 when hammered down to Peter and Ross Doyle for £280,000, and he subsequently went on to land the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury in the colours of Hamdan Al Maktoum.

The April-foaled youngster (lot 423) is out of Lordship Stud's homebred mare Swiss Dream, a daughter of Oasis Dream who won three Listed sprints.

"We actually like him better than we liked Yafta," said Tom Harris of Lordship Stud.

"He's a very nice horse and you could say the cross has worked well with the mare. He's racy, athletic and has a great attitude.

"Swiss Dream is a lovely mare, she was very fast and tough and obviously she made a very nice start to her breeding career with a Group 3 winner from her first foal.

"We thought we'd race one of them and retained her two-year-old Zoffany colt Fury, and he's just gone into training. We like him a lot.

"Despite what most people think he's not named after Tyson the boxer but after the Sherman tank in the excellent David Ayer movie Fury."

Explaining how the collaboration with Highclere Stud came about, Harris said: "We've consigned horses at Doncaster with Lady Carolyn Warren for a number of years. She does a fantastic job and her attention to detail is exceptional.

"Carolyn sold the sales topper Yafta here in 2016 for us and also the top-priced filly out of Swiss Kiss in 2018."

Remarkably Swiss Dream is one of twelve winners from as many offspring out of Lordship Stud's exemplary broodmare Swiss Lake.

The dual Listed winner has produced five runners with a three-figure Racing Post Rating including the Pattern scorers Swiss Diva and Swiss Spirit.

"Swiss Lake was bought by Luke Lillingston and Lincoln Collins at Keeneland in 2004 and has been a foundation mare for us," said Harris.

"She's retired now and is living out the rest of her days with some of the other foundation mares including our Oaks winner Love Divine.

"Swiss Lake is just chilling out and enjoying life. She doesn't owe us anything and is like a member of the family. Her record of 12 winners from 12 foals is quite remarkable and we owe her a lot."

Breeders will have the opportunity to tap into the family when her winning daughter Swiss Air is offered for sale later this year. The Oasis Dream full-sister to Swiss Dream is carrying a Dark Angel foal bred the same as Yafta.

Dark Angel is the sire of seven top-flight winners including his stallion sons Harry Angel and Lethal Force, and has clicked with Oasis Dream mares in the past to produce the Group 3 Dick Poole Stakes scorer Dark Lady as well as Yafta.

Oasis Dream enhanced his reputation as a broodmare sire this year with First Defence colt Siskin landing the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh and the Teofilo filly Tawkeel taking the Prix Saint-Alary at Chantilly.

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