Milestone moment for Affinisea at Hereford on Wednesday

The first runners are a milestone in any young stallion's career, it's the time when opinions and hype are replaced with evidence. That moment is upon Affinisea, the busiest stallion in Europe last year, who has his first track representative on Wednesday.

Sea Village makes his debut in the bumper at Hereford (4.45) for Oliver Signy and the Mick Fitzgerald Racing Club and, on pedigree, he would appear to have decent prospects of making a winning start.

He is a half-brother to Village Vic, a dual Grade 3-winning chaser by Old Vic, and Royal Village who was second in the Listed Summer Plate at Market Rasen. Both of those geldings, and their Fame And Glory half-brother Hijack all won at four with Village Vic striking in a point-to-point and bumper while Royal Village won a bumper and Hijack a maiden hurdle.

They were bred by Godfrey Moylan out of the Garde Royale mare Etoile Margot, who was third in the Prix Wild Monarch and is a half-sister to the Auteuil Listed winners Royal Vergaland and Royale Flamby.

Etoile Margot is the dam of five winners from seven runners to date and Sea Village is the most expensive of her offspring to come under the hammer at Tattersalls Ireland.

Consigned by Coolamurry Stud he made €40,000 to Shane Donohoe at the firm's 2021 Derby Sale and is the final foal produced by Etoile Margot who died last year.

Affinisea stands at the O'Neill family's Whytemount Stud in Kilkenny and has been represented by two point-to-point runners this month with Lakefield Flyer third on debut at Belharbour for Shark Hanlon.

A Sea The Stars three-parts brother to Irish Derby and Coronation Cup winner Soldier Of Fortune, Affinisea was bred by Jim Bolger out of the Listed winner Affianced, an Erins Isle half-sister to the Group 1 winner and top-class National Hunt stallion Sholokhov and he has 71 horses in his first crop.

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