Rathasker Stud's Anjaal off to a roaring start at Lyon Parilly

Anjaal became the latest first-season stallion to get off the mark in Europe when some familiar connections struck at Lyon Parilly on Thursday.

Ask Me Not was the first of the Rathasker Stud stallion's progeny to reach the winner’s enclosure and represented the combination of consignors Con and Theresa Marnane and trainer Matthieu Palussiere. They have been potent in recent times with two-year-olds such as Different League, a winner of the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot two years ago.

The chestnut, a first foal of the unraced Dangerous Duo, failed to sell when offered at Tattersalls in 2017, but was sourced by Con Marnane for just €2,000 when offered by Clonbonny Stud at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale.

He won the four-and-a-half-furlong Prix du Premier Pas by three-quarters of a length in the hands of Clement Lecoeuvre.

Anjaal’s fee has kept at a consistent €5,000 during his stint at Rathasker Stud and he has big numbers on his side; 123 of his yearlings were offered during 2018 and they sold at an average of 13,954gns.

The former Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned son of Bahamian Bounty, whose best effort came in winning the July Stakes, will also be one of a handful of freshmen stallions to be represented for the first time in Britain on Friday.

Anjaal provides the speedily-bred Richard Fahey contender Mr Fudge in the British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes at Leicester, where Make Believe, Fountain Of Youth and Hallowed Crown are making their European debuts.

Make Believe: First runner starts at Leicester on FridayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Make Believe stands for the highest fee of the trio, opening up at €20,000 at Ballylinch Stud, although this has dropped down to €12,000 for the 2019 covering season. Not seen until the back-end of his juvenile campaign, the son of Makfi ended up winning both the French Guineas and Prix de la Foret under Andre Fabre’s care, with his first yearlings averaging 41,949gns across Europe at a high of 210,000gns.

His maiden representative, Queens Road, has the advantage of being in the care of the past master of the early two-year-old, Bill Turner. The trainer picked her up for the knockdown sum of £5,500 at the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Yearling Sale.

The other two stallions might be rather less familiar names to many readers. Street Sense’s Hallowed Crown shuttled for two years to Kildangan Stud but is now a permanent fixture at Darley Australia.

The Golden Rose and Randwick Guineas hero, who has not struck a blow with his first handful of starters back home, is represented by Never Say Nothing, another bargain purchase for €7,000 by trainer Brian Ellison at Goffs last October.

Spiritulist is a homebred by Bearstone Stud, which stands Fountain Of Youth for £4,500. Bred in the purple by Oasis Dream out of Attraction, the young stallion won twice for Aidan O’Brien in Ireland before a transfer to Mike de Kock.

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