Regally bred runners and rags to riches tales: Royal Ascot day one in preview

Queens of the Queen Anne

If Accidental Agent does not manage to regain his Queen Anne Stakes crown, connections will no doubt be hoping his rival Mohaather lands the mile Group 1 instead.

Accidental Agent is trained by Eve Johnson Houghton for her mother Gaie, who bred and has raced the six-year-old son of Delegator since he was a vendor buyback at just 8,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Gaie Johnson Houghton bred last season's Greenham Stakes scorer Mohaather from the same family, with Shadwell purchasing the son of Showcasing for 110,000gns at Book 2 two years after Accidental Agent had gone begging.

Mohaather (left): son of Showcasing is closely related to Accidental AgentCredit: Edward Whitaker

Mohaather is effectively Accidental Agent's maternal uncle as he is a half-brother to the older horse's dam Roodle, a dual-winning daughter of Xaar.

Mohaather and Roodle are among eight winners out of the Listed-placed Inchinor mare Roodeye, along with dual US Grade 2 winner Prize Exhibit and stakes-placed Harbour Master.

Roodeye's third dam is the Johnson Houghtons' foundation mare Sirnelta, a daughter of Sir Tor from whom Gaie and husband Fulke bred another Royal Ascot winner in Dead Certain, successful in the Queen Mary Stakes before going on to land the Lowther Stakes, Cheveley Park and Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Circus Maximus a true one-off

Queen Anne Stakes favourite Circus Maximus, who struck in the St James's Palace Stakes last year, is a true one-off as the only foal produced by his dam – a dual Royal Ascot winner herself.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained son of Galileo was bred by the Niarchos family and is the first foal out of their Danehill Dancer mare Duntle, who scored in the Sandringham Handicap in 2012 and took the Duke of Cambridge Stakes a year later.

Circus Maximus: sure to be close to the Niarchos family's heartsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Duntle was bred back to Galileo but suffered a difficult delivery second time around, with the foal dying and the mare succumbing to laminitis not long after.

The tragic story should have a happy ending as the Niarchos family and Circus Maximus's co-owners Coolmore will no doubt take great pleasure breeding from such a top-class colt with a blue-chip pedigree when he is eventually retired to stud.

Ribblesdale riot for Oppenheimer

Hascombe and Valiant Studs' wonderful Lora family takes centre stage in the Ribblesdale Stakes.

Stud owner Anthony Oppenheimer and trainer John Gosden are bidding to win the race for the second year in a row after Star Catcher in 2019 with hot favourite Frankly Darling.

The three-year-old daughter of Frankel – the sire who gave Oppenheimer his world champion Cracksman – caused a stir when breaking her maiden by five lengths on her second start in a Newcastle maiden this month.

Frankly Darling: deeply impressive on debut at NewcastleCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

She is a half-sister to Galtres Stakes winner Our Obsession, the dam of last year's Musidora Stakes runner-up Frankellina (also by Frankel), and the pair are among six winners out of Cheshire Oaks victress Hidden Hope, who was a slightly disappointing fifth in the 2004 renewal of the Ribblesdale.

Our Obsession is a half-sister to Coronation Stakes heroine Rebecca Sharp and to Fleche D'Or, the dam of Oppenheimer's outstanding Derby and Arc winner Golden Horn.

They descend from Hascombe and Valiant Studs' taproot mare Lora, dam of 1,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner On The House and ancestress of Cracksman.

Two of Golden Horn's first-crop daughters are taking on Frankly Darling in the Ribblesdale – the Lingfield Oaks Trial runner-up and third Golden Lips and West End Girl, the latter sold to Badgers Bloodstock on behalf of Cayton Park Stud for £420,000 in the first Tattersalls online sale on Monday.

Treble on the cards for Shastye?

Only a few broodmares have managed the remarkable feat of producing three individual Royal Ascot winners. Coincidentally, two of those in recent years have close links to Hascombe and Valiant Studs.

Frappe, bred by Oppenheimer but owned by Hugo Lascelles and Norelands Stud, produced Coventry Stakes winner Power and Ribblesdale Stakes scorers Curvy and Thakafaat, while Lynnwood Chase, bred by London Thoroughbred Service and Derry Meeting Farm and bought by Hascombe and Valiant Studs, produced Star Catcher and Hampton Court Stakes winners Cannock Chase and Pisco Sour.

Another mare who could join that elite group is Newsells Park Stud's golden goose Shastye. The daughter of Danehill is dam of last year's King Edward VII Stakes winner Japan and Wolferton Handicap scorer Sir Isaac Newton, as well as Mogul, who is odds-on to take the King Edward VII Stakes on Tuesday.

All three are by Galileo, as is Shastye's Group 2-winning and Classic-placed daughter Secret Gesture.

Kuriously well bred filly

If the result of the King's Stand Stakes was decided by the quality of the runners' distaff pedigrees then Kurious would be a clear-cut winner.

The Henry Candy-trained four-year-old, winner of the Group 3 Coral Charge on her last start in July, is a half-sister to two Group 1-winning sprinters in Alpha Delphini and Tangerine Trees as well as two other runners who achieved three-figure Racing Post Ratings over speed tests in Fairy Falcon and Masai Moon.

The siblings are out of Marie Matthews' admirable mare Easy To Imagine, now in retirement with Bumble Mitchell. The unraced daughter of Cozzene and Coronation Stakes third Zarani Sidi Anna was bought as a breeding prospect for just 5,200gns and, even more remarkably, she produced just eight foals having been bred from in alternate years between 2005 and 2011.

Kurious: represents some nifty horsetrading by Ed HarperCredit: Edward Whitaker

Kurious represents a fine piece of horsetrading by Whitsbury Manor Stud's Ed Harper. He negotiated a private deal for the filly when she was a two-year-old with no black type to her name, reinvesting after selling homebred Queen Mary Stakes winner Heartache to Coolmore for 1,300,000gns at the Tattersalls December Breeding-Stock Sale in 2018. Harper now leases her to Hot To Trot Racing.

Needless to say, as a Group 3-winning – at the moment – half-sister to two Group 1 winners, Kurious holds significant value as a broodmare.

She is a daughter of Starfield Stud's breakthrough sire Kuroshio, a Group 2-winning Exceed And Excel half-brother to the dam of Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck.

Miss O Connor a social climber

Success in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes for Miss O Connor would cap a remarkable rags to riches journey for the William Haggas-trained mare.

The five-year-old was bred by Kilnamoragh Stud by sending Magadar, a winning daughter of Lujain, to Roderic O'Connor, a beautifully bred son of Galileo who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas but who turned out to be an unfashionable sire.

Miss O Connor was bought back by Kilmanoragh Stud for just €4,000 when she was presented at Part 2 of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale in 2016, and was instead leased to Ray McSharry and placed in training with John James Feane.

Miss O Connor: a vendor buyback as a yearling at just €4,000Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

She ran out a 16-1 winner on debut at four at Gowran Park for those connections and was subsequently bought privately by Sam Haggas – whose Hurworth Bloodstock sponsored this month's Coronation Cup – on behalf of Lael Stables, and was transferred to the young agent's father William.

Miss O Connor won three more times last year, taking in victories in the Dick Hern Stakes and Prix Perth, and now lines up unbeaten at Royal Ascot, rubbing shoulders with bluebloods and big money buys.

Her rivals with fancier profiles include Jubiloso, by Shamardal out of Frankel's half-sister Joyeuse; Magic Lily, a daughter of Epsom Classic winners New Approach and Dancing Rain; and Queen Power, a 500,000gns Shamardal sister to Puissance De Lune.

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