Record-breaking Doncaster top lot Admiral Nelson makes explosive debut

Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners unleashed their latest top juvenile prospect on Friday when Admiral Nelson, a record-breaking buy from the Doncaster yearling sales, made an impressive debut in the Tally-Ho Stud Irish EBF Maiden at the Curragh.

The Kingman colt, who was snapped up by MV Magnier at last year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £440,000 when offered by Hillwood Stud, required just hands and heels riding to see off the challenge of his stablemate Merchants Quay, a €300,000 son of No Nay Never.

That performance saw Admiral Nelson catapulted into 6-1 favouritism for the Coventry Stakes, with O'Brien nominating the Royal Ascot Group 2 as the colt's likely next port of call.

The trainer said: "He travelled well through the race and he could be a Coventry Stakes horse. The short gap is not ideal but we were lucky to get a race into him and we'll see what happens."

Bred by Bob and Pauline Scott of Parks Farm Stud, the colt is the fifth foal out of Shamandar, a Listed-winning daughter of Exceed And Excel. The dam, a winner of the Dick Poole Stakes during her own racing days, has now produced two winners, with Admiral Nelson a half-brother to two-time scorer Dutch Story.

In turn, Shamandar is a half-sister to the Listed-winning Hung Parliament and Mazhilis, a Grade 1-winning chaser in Italy.

Admiral Nelson is not the first noteworthy winner O'Brien has saddled by Kingman this week, as the champion trainer also fielded Cormorant, a 1,050,000gns yearling buy who landed the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial.

Coolmore have also thrown their support behind the Juddmonte stallion by buying into Calyx, the Coventry Stakes winner who stood his first covering season at Coolmore this year.

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