Brother to world champion Ghaiyyath set for Gowran Park debut on Monday

Our resident bloodstock experts profile the well-bred eyecatchers and expensive purchases set to grace the track.

Duraji

Brian Dunlop Architects Kilkenny (C & G) Maiden (4.05 Gowran Park, Monday)

What's the story?

Galileo's first Classic winner Nightime has proven equally prolific at stud and Dermot Weld saddles her latest newcomer to the track in Duraji. 

The three-year-old, who contests the maiden at 4.05pm at Gowran Park on what is a bank holiday in Ireland, has plenty to live up to given his siblings but he is in the right hands to showcase his talents. 

How's he bred?

The son of Dubawi is the 12th foal out of Nightime, a sister to the winning Phaenomena, the dam of dual Japanese Grade 2 winner King Of Koji and French Group 3 scorer Harajuku. 

Nightime's leading progeny is the brilliant Ghaiyyath, world champion for Godolphin in 2020 with victories in the Coronation Cup, Eclipse and Juddmonte International. 

Also winner of the Autumn Stakes at two and the Grosser Preis von Baden at three – by 14 lengths, no less – the colt had sold to John Ferguson for a cool €1,100,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale. 

Ghaiyyath: exciting first-season sire at Kildangan StudCredit: Patrick McCann

Another top-level winner for the dam is Zhukova, a daughter of Fastnet Rock who also went the way of Godolphin when selling for 3,700,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2017. 

Originally owned by Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, her six black-type victories included a score in the Man o' War Stakes at Belmont Park. At stud, the 12-year-old is the dam of Dubawi's stakes-placed First Ruler.

Other black-type progeny out of the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner include Kingman's Knight To King, third in the Amethyst Stakes last month, plus the Listed-placed Oasis Dream mare Sleeping Beauty, the dam of American Graded-placed performer Irish Territory. 

Another daughter, the Holy Roman Emperor-sired La Chapelle, is the dam of two Listed winners in Mauiewowie and Something Enticing.

Who does he face?

The colt's 13 rivals include Bad Desire, a consistently placed son of Wootton Bassett and a half-brother to French Group scorer Evasive's First. 

Another to note is Genoah, a US Navy Flag colt who did not trouble the judge on his debut but who is a grandson of Yorkshire Oaks winner Quiff, herself a daughter of 1,000 Guineas heroine Wince.

Goffs London Sale

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