GROUP 1 GLORY FOR EVER PROMISING SIRE

Powerful Glory joined the likes of Ruling Court, Perfect Power and Sands of Mali at the weekend, becoming the latest breeze-up expat to score at the highest level. The Bansha House homebred chinned Lazzat in the Champion Stakes At Ascot, proving himself in a Group 1 field.

The Richard Fahey-trained three-year-old is by Cotai Glory, out of the Kodiac mare Wouldntitbelovely – the same cross has already produced Prix de l’Abbaye heroine The Platinum Queen. The colt was consigned by Amy Marnane at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and he changed hands there for 37,000gns. Tally Ho Stud bought him and prepped him for the Goffs Breeze-Up at Doncaster where he realised £190,000, purchased by Blandford Bloodstock.

He won on debut in the August of his juvenile year and then followed up in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury, in the colours of Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum. His performance seemingly underwent a blip at the start of this season, but he has since done more than enough to make up for it. At Tattersalls last week, Tally Ho consigned Powerful Glory’s half-brother by Minzaal. That colt was knocked down to Church Farm for 105,000gns, at Book 2.

Cotai Glory is about to enter his ninth year at stud at Tally Ho, where he has spent all of his retirement. Although his current covering fee of €15,000 is a career high, it is still relatively modest – even though he has now produced six Group winners, including the likes of Excellent Truth and The Platinum Queen. The son of Exceed And Excel would still appear to operate as a trader’s stallion as his yearlings seem well able to realise a significant increase on their covering fee.

This year at Tattersalls Book 2 a colt consigned by Glenvale Stud who hailed from the extended family of Dream Ahead was knocked down to Jamie McCalmont for 125,000gns, and at the Goffs Premier Sale Karl and Kelly Burke signed for a colt out of Listed performer Flying Sparkle, who was knocked down for £100,000. Amo Racing gave €195,000 for a half-sister to Weld Park Stakes scorer Caught U Looking at the Part 1 of the Orby. At the Somerville, Highflyer Bloodstock and Phil Cunningham gave 100,000gns for a filly from the immediate family of Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up The Mackem Bullet. Yearlings by Cotai Glory averaged over 60,000gns at Book 2 and €93,000 at Part 1 of the Orby.

In other news, I thought I’d mention two other well-related breezers (out of a few) that have won recently, albeit under slightly different conditions. I imagine that winning a juvenile maiden hurdle at Sedgefield was unlikely to have been the original aim for Only One Blue, given that the three-year-old daughter of Blue Point was a 105,000gns Craven expat. Regardless, I would argue that it is still much better than losing a juvenile maiden hurdle at Sedgefield. The filly, now trained by Max Comley, is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Eagles By Day.

The Craven Sale also produced the recent black-type scorer Pearl Fortune, who struck in the Criterium de Vitesse (L) for trainer Karl Burke, following her fourth-place finish in a Listed race at Ayr in September. The two-year-old, also by Blue Point, did manage to breeze respectably for Brown Island Stables but was withdrawn from the sale before selling privately to her current owners. Pearl Fortune is a half-sister to the Group winner Ventura Storm and she won on debut at Beverley in July and then again on Monday. I could be wrong, but I imagine connections are relieved that she’s broken her maiden over less than mile, and without having to clear any obstacles.