Dubawi half-brother to Thunder Snow makes debut in deep Kempton contest

The British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes for two-year-olds over a mile at Kempton at 4.40 on Wednesday has attracted an intriguing field including a particularly well-bred newcomer in Eastern World.

The chestnut colt, a Godolphin homebred trained by Charlie Appleby, is by the operation's totemic sire Dubawi out of one of their very best broodmare talents, Eastern Joy.

All of the first five foals produced by the Eastern Joy, a winning daughter of Dubai Destination, have won stakes races, namely:

• Ihtimal, her 2011 produce by Shamardal; she won the May Hill and Sweet Solera Stakes and was third in the Fillies' Mile and 1,000 Guineas.
• Always Smile, her 2012 foal by Cape Cross; she scored in the Listed Hambleton Stakes and took second in the Sun Chariot Stakes and third in the Falmouth.
• First Victory, her 2013 offspring by Teofilo; her finest hour came with success in the Oh So Sharp Stakes.
• Thunder Snow, her 2014 son by Helmet; he is the dam's crowning glory, having won the Dubai World Cup twice as well as the Criterium International and Prix Jean Prat, and achieved another eight Group/Grade 1 podium finishes, including in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders' Cup Classic. He is set to start his stallion career in Japan in 2020.
• Winter Lightning, her 2015 filly by Shamardal; she won the UAE 1,000 Guineas and ran third in the UAE Oaks and Atalanta Stakes.

Eastern World is Eastern Joy's sixth foal, after she was barren to Shamardal in the preceding breeding season.

The mare also has a Dubawi yearling filly and a Galileo colt foal born in May, having been among the first cohort of Darley mares sent to the Coolmore phenomenon last year after Sheikh Mohammed relaxed his operation's embargo of their great rival's sires.

Eastern Joy is only maintaining family tradition by excelling at stud, as she is a half-sister to Prix de Diane winner West Wind out of Sun Chariot Stakes scorer Red Slippers, a Nureyev half-sister to Oaks and Irish Derby heroine Balanchine and Group 2 winner Romanov.

Eastern World is one of two Godolphin colts by Dubawi making their debut in the race, alongside Saeed Bin Suroor's charge Khatm.

Bred by Shadwell, he is out of Cumberland Lodge Stakes winner Hawaafez, a Nayef mare from the family of Epsom Classic winners Generous and Imagine.

Another newcomer of note is Peter Brant's homebred colt Kuramata, a son of Australia out of Blue Kimono, a winning Invincible Spirit half-sister to Classic winner Beauty Parlour who cost €675,000 at the Wildenstein dispersal at Goffs in 2016. He is trained by John Gosden.

Gosden also takes the wraps off Halfwaytothemoon, a Sea The Stars half-sister to Listed winner Biographer, bred by Bjorn Nielsen but representing Lady Bamford after Charlie Gordon-Watson paid 500,000gns for the filly at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

In a deep race, Hughie Morrison also unleashes Starcat, a Lope De Vega colt out of dual Group 3 winner Purr Along; and David Lanigan is represented by Prince Of Eagles, a Free Eagle colt out of Sleeping Beauty, an Oasis Dream half-sister to Ghaiyyath out of Nightime.

However, they will all have to go some to beat the Ralph Beckett-trained Juddmonte homebred Summit Reach – a Dansili three-parts brother to dual Australian Group 1 winner Harlem who brings the best form into the race, having finished second to the exciting Khaloosy on debut at Wolverhampton last month.

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