Tattersalls Craven Sale top lot Legends Of War makes impressive Yarmouth debut

Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale top lot Legends Of War went some way to justifying the 900,000gns spent on him last month when the son of Scat Daddy made an impressive winning debut in the British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes over 6f at Yarmouth on Wednesday.

Stephen Hillen signed the docket for the Mayfield Stables-consigned two-year-old, who sported the Qatar Racing silks and was saddled by trainer John Gosden on Wednesday.

"He can improve on this," Gosden told At The Races. "He's very relaxed for a breeze-up horse, he was chilled at the back of the field and picked up well. He's a very nice type of two-year-old."

Race result and replay

The colt is the second foal produced by the Rahy mare Madera Dancer, who is out of the Listed-winning Danehill Dancer mare Maxxi Arte. He was pinhooked by Hunter Valley Farm for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase Sale before coming under the hammer in Newmarket.

Legends Of War during the Craven Breeze-Up SaleCredit: Laura Green

He was one of six Scat Daddys sold at the Craven Sale, where the sire averaged 525,000gns, and among 14 lots by the son of Johannesburg sold across the European breeze-up circuit in 2018. The sire will be represented by one lot, a filly out of Akris Queen (lot 125) offered by Mocklershill, at Friday's Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale.

The late Scat Daddy has now supplied five winning two-year-olds in Britain and Ireland in 2018, including the likes of Sergei Prokofiev - who landed the Listed Coolmore War Command Rochestown Stakes at Naas on Sunday - and the impressive second-time-out scorer Van Beethoven, both of whom are trained by Aidan O'Brien on behalf of the Coolmore partners.

The Yarmouth race was billed as a trial for the juvenile contests at Royal Ascot, and after his taking debut Legends Of War joins Sergei Prokofiev and Van Beethoven at the head of the betting for the Coventry Stakes, a race won by another son of Scat Daddy, Caravaggio, in 2016. Also among the principals for the Group 2 contest is The Irish Rover, who is from the first crop of Scat Daddy's sire son No Nay Never.

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