Eye-catching maiden win for pricey No Nay Never colt Forest Of Dreams

Forest Of Dreams took the first serious step in repaying the huge investment Coolmore made in him as a yearling with a taking victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over five and a half furlongs at Navan on Friday.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained colt, signed for by MV Magnier at 900,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last autumn, had finished an eye-catching fifth on debut at the same track last month.

View full result and watch race replay

He made no mistake second time out. Ridden prominently by Seamie Heffernan, he hit a flat spot at the two-furlong pole but fairly motored home soon after, staying on to score by two and a quarter lengths from Coill Avon, a Ger Lyons-trained son of Kingman.

Heffernan was full of praise for his mount, telling Racing TV after the contest: “I always knew I was going to win on him. He has plenty of pluses – a great mind, scope and tactical pace. There's plenty going for him.”

Forest Of Dreams was bought from the draft of his breeder Croom House Stud to become the second most expensive lot at Book 2 last year.

He is by No Nay Never – rapidly becoming established as O'Brien's go-to sire for sprinters and sharper milers – out of Winning Sequence, a daughter of Zafonic who was a winner over seven and a half furlongs at Deauville for Andre Fabre.

Winning Sequence has now produced four winners, including the useful handicapper El Hayem. Although none of those has yet secured a stakes placing, she is the granddam of a black-type scorer in Barbill through Fiuise, her unraced daughter by Montjeu.

Winning Sequence was a €480,000 acquisition by BBA Ireland on behalf of Denis Brosnan's Croom House Stud as a five-year-old at Arqana in December 2007.

She is a half-sister to that year's Prix Saint-Alary winner Coquerelle and future Prix du Lys scorer Spring Master out of Cracovie, a placed Caerleon half-sister to US Grade 1 winner Roi Normand.

Winning Sequence died last year at the age of 17, leaving a Profitable colt – now a yearling – as her final produce.

No Nay Never: stands at Coolmore at a fee of €175,000Credit: Coolmore

It was a good day at the office for No Nay Never, as he registered two three-year-old novice stakes winners in Britain on Friday.

Eternal Blush, a filly trained by David O'Meara for Clipper Logistics, remained unbeaten in two runs with a comfortable success over six furlongs at Hamilton.

The filly, bred by John Connolly out of the placed Kyllachy mare Surrey Pink, was unearthed by Joe Foley for just €30,000 at Part 2 of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

She had earlier been bought as a foal by the Winners Enclosure Syndicate for the even bigger bargain sum of €15,000.

Meanwhile, Able Grace broke her maiden for trainer Clive Cox and owner Charmaine Li over seven furlongs at Haydock on her third start.

She was bred by Minch Bloodstock and Castletown Stud out of Sanadaat, an unraced daughter of Green Desert from the family of Park Express, New Approach and Dazzling Park.

Pinhooked by Tally-Ho Stud for €47,000 as a foal at Goffs, she was resold to Ric Wylie for €110,000 in the same ring at the Orby Yearling Sale.

No Nay Never, a Norfolk Stakes and Prix Morny winner by the late lamented Scat Daddy, has supplied 20 stakes winners in the northern hemisphere from his first three crops of racing age.

His standout performers are dual Group 1 hero Ten Sovereigns, Coventry Stakes winner Arizona and this season's 2,000 Guineas runner-up Wichita.

He stood at Coolmore this year at a fee of €175,000.

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