Half-brother to Tarnawa among blue bloods at Leopardstown

Among a number of blue-blooded three-year-olds on an intriguing Leopardstown card on Wednesday, not many stand out as much as the Aga Khan's Tazaral, a half-brother to the outstanding Tarnawa.

Tarnawa, an Aga Khan-homebred daughter of Shamardal and dual Listed-winning Cape Cross mare Tarana, went unbeaten in a stellar season last year with victories in the Prix Vermeille, Prix de l'Opera and Breeders' Cup Turf.

The garlanded five-year-old remains in training this term with a tilt at the Arc among her main targets.

Her three-year-old half-brother, the Fastnet Rock gelding Tazaral, is also trained by Dermot Weld and faces 16 rivals in the three-year-old mile and a quarter maiden (2.35) including the Aidan O'Brien-trained pair of King Of The Castle, a twice-raced brother to last year's Investec Derby hero Serpentine, and Yarrawonga, an Australia half-brother to Superlative Stakes winner Mystery Power.

Delphinia: narrowly defeated in the 2019 British Champions Fillies & Mares StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

O'Brien will also take the wraps off Surely, an unraced sister to dual Group 1 runner-up Delphinia and the Group-placed Delano Roosevelt, and La Joconde, a Listed-placed Frankel half-sister to last season's Irish Derby hero Santiago, in the opening mile and a quarter fillies' maiden for three-year-olds (2.00).

Juddmonte will have two representatives in the mile three-year-old fillies' maiden (4.20) including Acanella, a Dansili filly out of an Oasis Dream half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Flintshire.

Her grand-dam, the Prix de Royallieu heroine Dance Routine, is herself a full-sister to four black type performers including Concentric, the dam of the phenomenal dual Arc winner Enable.

At Newmarket, Highland Reel is set to be represented with his second runner in the John Ryan-trained Reel Of Fortune in the five-furlong juvenile fillies' maiden (1.15). Others to note in the race are the Andrew Balding-trained Nymphadora, a daughter of No Nay Never who cost 185,000gns when sold by Grove Stud to Blandford Bloodstock at Tattersalls Book 2, and Indian Guru, a daughter of first-season sire Ribchester.

Credit: Goffs UK

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