O'Brien clan to the fore as blue-bloods set for debuts at Dundalk

Two Aidan O'Brien-trained blue-bloods are set to go head-to-head in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (4.30) at Dundalk on Wednesday, one of whom is a Zoffany half-sister to last year's Commonwealth Cup hero Golden Horde.

Heart To Heart, bred by James Cloney's CN Farm and a 580,000gns purchase from Highclere Stud at Tattersalls Book 1 last year, is out of the winning Pivotal mare Entreat - a half-sister to International Topkapi Trophy scorer Producer - and can therefore count last year's Royal Ascot hero among five winning half-siblings.

Golden Horde's finest hour came when denying American raider Kimari in the Royal Ascot Group 1, while he also landed the Richmond Stakes at two and was also placed in the Prix Morny, Middle Park, July Cup and Sprint Cup.

Formerly trained by Clive Cox, the son of Lethal Force has now taken up stallion duties at Montfort et Preaux for a fee of €10,000.

Heart To Heart is also a half-sister to Exhort, Cheveley Park's daughter of Dutch Art who landed Listed honours for Richard Fahey, and Line Of Departure, a son of Mehmas who landed the valuable Weatherbys Racing Bank £200,000 2-Y-O Stakes last term for Roger Varian and Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa.

Among her seven rivals in the five-furlong juvenile contest includes Yet, a daughter of War Front and out of Butterflies, a Group-placed Galileo half-sister to the mighty Giant's Causeway and the brilliant producer You'resothrilling, the dam of European champion Gleneagles and Group 1 winners Marvellous and Happily.

Donnacha O'Brien provides the Coolmore partners with a third shot as Orinoco River, a daughter of War Front and a $475,000 purchase from the Keeneland November Foal Sale, also lines up. She is a half-sister to Donna Veloce, a Grade 3 winner and second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Starlet Stakes.

O'Brien snr will also take the wraps off the Coolmore-owned and bred Malawi in the concluding mile and a quarter maiden for three-year-olds (7.30).

The son of Galileo is the sixth foal out of Weekend Strike, a half-sister to the prolific Breeders' Cup Mile hero Court Vision, and is a full-brother to Sizzling, a Group 3 and Listed winner for the same connections.

Malawi will come up against the Joseph O'Brien-trained Witham River, another son of Galileo and a half-brother to Art Connoisseur, the winner of the Golden Jubilee and Coventry Stakes for Michael Bell.

Witham River was a 200,000gns purchase from Tattersalls Book 1 and is the eighth foal out of Withorwithoutyou, a winning daughter of Danehill.

Credit: Goffs UK

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