Dubawi half-brother to St Leger winner Encke set for Kempton debut

Godolphin and Charlie Appleby are set to take the wraps off the well-related Inner Light, a Dubawi half-brother to St Leger winner Encke, in the opening 1m3f novice contest (6.00) at Kempton on Wednesday.

The three-year-old, who is one of three runners for the boys in blue, is the seventh foal out of the Sinndar mare Shawanda, who sported the Aga Khan's famous silks to win the Irish Oaks and Prix Vermeille for Alain de Royer-Dupre in 2005.

Shawanda, who sold to Godolphin in 2006, has produced two winners from four runners to make the track, including Encke, who won the 2012 St Leger - denying the Triple Crown-seeking Camelot in the process - and was also third in the Irish St Leger and Great Voltigeur, plus Genius Beast, who ran third to Frankel and Nathaniel on his debut before winning Sandown's Classic Trial the following season and also placing third in the Prix Hocquart.

Encke, who sadly died as a five-year-old, had won the Doncaster Classic for Mahmood Al Zarooni before the trainer's ban from the sport due to the use of steroids.

Among Inner Light's 12 rivals are stablemates Deciduous and True Accolade. The former, another son of Dubawi, was a 480,000gns purchase by Godolphin from Rockcliffe Stud at Tattersalls Book 1 in 2020, while True Accolade is a New Approach close relation to Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere scorer Ultra.

Other notables to look out for are the once-raced Gold Belt, the Queen's Golden Horn filly who is closely related to Listed scorer Sextant and from the family of Flight Of Fancy; Salvator Mundi, Bjorn Nielsen's homebred Galileo full- or half-brother to two black-type performers; and Jalea Moon, a Sea The Moon half-sister to French Group 3 winner Skins Game and another black-type scorer in Epatha.

The following median auction stakes (6.30) includes Stevenson, a Havana Gold half-brother to Prix de Cabourg winner Cairn Gorm; Arwaag, an Awtaad half-brother to three black-type horses including stakes winner Bayargal; and Hesperantha, a The Gurkha filly out of an unraced full-sister to Sprint Cup heroine African Rose and juvenile Group 3 scorer Helleborine, the dam of Coventry Stakes victor Calyx.

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