Why 2024 promises to be the year of the first-time mum

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Here, Martin Stevens takes a look at some of the superstar mares with their first progeny set to run this year. Subscribers can get more great insight every Monday to Friday.

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No doubt the usual intense scrutiny will be applied to the freshman sires this season, but 2024 might actually be the year of the first-time mum.

More outstanding racemares than usual happened to be retired into the breeding shed in 2021, and so have debut two-year-olds set to run.

The cohort included a true all-time great – the imperious Enable – and the 11-time Group/Grade 1 heroine’s juvenile offspring is a Kingman colt already named Encompass by owner and breeder Juddmonte Farms.

The bay youngster has a similar thought bubble-shaped marking on his head to his dam, except his continues down and opens out into a large white blaze around his nose.  

Encompass was foaled quite early in the season – on February 11, an auspicious date for his owner as Frankel was born on that day 14 years earlier – and Kingman was ready to roll in June as a two-year-old, so he ought to be relatively forward. 

Enable and her Kingman colt in the field at Juddmonte in 2022Credit: Edward Whitaker

However, Enable needed a little more time, making a winning debut in November as a juvenile, and she is from a stout family, so it’s probably sensible not to expect her first-born to appear until after the summer at least, assuming we see him at all this year. Fingers crossed we do. 

Enable’s old sparring partner Magical, who struck at the highest level seven times herself, could likewise be represented by her debut runner this year as her first offspring, a daughter by Dubawi, also turned two on January 1.

The Coolmore-bred filly is unnamed and was born later than Encompass, on April 9, but she might still set her stall out earlier than that colt, as her parents were more precocious. Dubawi broke his maiden in June and hosed up in the National Stakes in September, while Magical ran second on her first start in July and took the Debutante Stakes a month later.

Magical’s first-born is bred on the tried and tested cross of Dubawi over Galileo that has also produced a world champion in Ghaiyyath, a 2,000 Guineas hero in Night Of Thunder and a Group 1-winning juvenile for Coolmore themselves in National Stakes scorer Henry Longfellow.  

Coolmore have another Dubawi two-year-old filly who is the first produce of a Group 1-winning daughter of Galileo in the unnamed March-foaled daughter of Irish 1,000 Guineas victress Peaceful. 

Magical: rival to Enable and brilliant mare herself could also be represented with her first runner in 2024Credit: Patrick McCann

One Master, the first horse to win the Prix de la Foret three times, was yet another exceptional mare who retired in time for the 2021 breeding season. Her owner and breeder Lael Stables welcomed a Dubawi colt out of her the following January, although they have yet to name him.

The Dubawi colt and his siblings carry a huge burden of responsibility, as their first three dams were all top-notchers for Lael Stables. One Master is out of the owners’ King George Stakes winner Enticing, and she in turn is out of their champion two-year-old filly Superstar Leo. 

Popular 1,000 Guineas heroine Billesdon Brook, at 66-1 the longest priced winner of the Classic in history, also has a two-year-old colt by Dubawi. Sadly, though, he is the first and last foal out of the daughter of Champs Elysees, as she succumbed to colic when in foal to Kingman the following May.

Godolphin purchased the January-born colt, bred by Stowell Hill Partners and on the same cross as Prix Penelope winner and Prix de Diane fourth Agave, for 400,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Sheikh Mohammed’s operation can also look forward to homebred Dubawi two-year-old fillies who are the first produce of high-class racemares Raffle Prize and Terebellum. 

Nazeef: dual Group 1 winner and half-sister to MostahdafCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Shadwell meanwhile seem to be particularly well stocked with first foals of blue-chip racemares who have just turned two.

The February-born Mohaather filly out of Falmouth and Sun Chariot Stakes heroine Nazeef, a half-sister to last year’s Group 1 star Mostahdaf, could be a valuable flagbearer for the stud’s own freshman sire, while the March-foaled filly by Kingman out of Enbihaar and the February-born filly by Dubawi out of Tawkeel are also exciting prospects.

Shadwell also own the March-foaled Frankel filly who is the first produce of Cheveley Park Stakes winner and European champion two-year-old filly Millisle, having forked out 1,600,000gns for her at Book 1 last autumn.

One of the best-bred two-year-olds out of a first-time dam we might see this year is Hascombe and Valiant Studs’ February-foaled Frankel filly out of Star Catcher, who is not only a three-time Group 1 winner but also a Sea The Stars half-sister to two other Royal Ascot winners in Cannock Chase and Pisco Sour. 

Combining the two modern marvels Frankel and Sea The Stars in matings has already come up with Grand Prix de Paris victor Onesto and Royal Ascot winner Mohaafeth, so maybe this unnamed filly could be another. 

Star Catcher's first foal is a filly by FrankelCredit: Patrick McCann

Japan’s status as the emerging force in international racing and breeding is illustrated in the fact that lots of the most keenly anticipated first foals out of brilliant racemares who recently turned two are located there.

None will be as eagerly awaited as the January-born Epiphaneia colt who could get two-time Japanese horse of the year Almond Eye off the mark as a broodmare. Hopefully he will be as talented as 2020 Japanese Fillies’ Triple Crown laureate Daring Tact, who is by Epiphaneia out of a mare by King Kamehameha, the father of Almond Eye’s sire Lord Kanaloa, and presumably informed the choice of mating.

Normcore, a daughter of Harbinger who took the scalp of Magical in the Hong Kong Cup, also has a first foal who is a two-year-old colt by Epiphaneia, hers having been foaled on February 1.

Another Harbinger mare who European readers will know about, Nassau Stakes heroine and Champion Stakes third Deirdre, has an Irish-foaled, April-born Wootton Bassett two-year-old filly as her first offspring. She has been exported to Japan. 

Japan is also home of the two-year-old Kingman filly and three-year-old No Nay Never colt who are the debut produce of, respectively, Irish Oaks heroine Even So and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Iridessa. 

Iridessa is now in Japan and has offspring of racing ageCredit: Edward Whitaker

The highest profile racemare in the US who could be represented on the track for the first time this year is perhaps five-time Grade 1 winner and Eclipse award recipient Midnight Bisou. The oldest progeny by the Midnight Lute half-sister to top-class Verifying is a two-year-old colt by Curlin. 

There are no guarantees we will get to see those first two-year-olds out of legendary mares Almond Eye, Enable and Magical in 2023, of course; just a sincere wish. Last year’s European champion Ace Impact served another reminder that sometimes the very best horses don’t run until three.

Indeed, we have had to defer the thrill of seeing the first produce of a few top racemares running at two last year. Let’s hope First Ambition, the Invincible Spirit colt out of the courageous Laurens, and Igor Stravinsky, a son of No Nay Never and dual 1,000 Guineas heroine Hermosa, appear at three this year instead.

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Pedigree pick

Karl Burke has been in good form with his three-year-olds since the turn of the new year and pricey purchase Miss Bodacious can continue the run on her debut in the six-furlong fillies’ novice stakes at Southwell on Thursday (12.20). 

The 325,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale buy, who carries the colours of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, is a Zoustar half-sister to Molecomb and Windsor Castle Stakes third Boonie.

Her dam Dice Game is an unraced daughter of Shamardal and Cesarewitch winner Scatter Dice, while Scatter Dice is in turn a Manduro half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Systematic out of Falmouth Stakes heroine Sensation.

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