WHAT a weekend it was for the Burns family at Rathasker Stud, just outside Naas. Three of their sires had stakes winners, with the highlight surely being the breakthrough first blacktype winner for Coulsty, a son of Kodiac (Danehill).

Speed is one of the hallmarks of Coulsty whose first crop are juveniles this year. Coulsty won every year from two to five, from the minimum trip to seven furlongs, and he started his career with a bang, winning at Leicester. He earned some juvenile blacktype when he was sent to France and finished third in the Listed Prix Francois Boutin at Deauville. He went back to France at three for what proved to be his biggest win in the six-furlong Prix de Meautry at Deauville.

A listed winner at four, he was runner-up to Adaay in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes. From the family of speedsters Lugana Beach (Tumble Wind) and King’s Stand Stakes winner The Tatling (Perugino), Coulsty stood his first two seasons at Rathasker for €5,000, moved to Norman Court Stud for a year at £4,000, and completed his fourth season back at Rathasker this year at €4,000.

His first crop contains just 44 individuals, but he had been catching the eye with four of his first nine runners visiting the winners’ enclosure. Leading the way is the David Loughnane-trained Santosha, who was bred by Paddy Murray but races in the colours of Susan Lynas. She also raced Santosha’s dam Princess Zoffany who is by the Dansili (Danehill) sire Zoffany, and thus Santosha is in-bred 3x4 to the mighty Danehill (Danzig).

In the space of a month Santosha made a winning debut at Lingfield, chased home Dandalla and Fev Rover in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket, before regaining the winning thread at the weekend in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot. With such ability and promise, how sad it is to learn that she is the sole produce of her dam who was twice placed over 10 furlongs.

Princess Zoffany has four wining siblings and is out of Tara Gold (Royal Academy) who won a 10-furlong maiden at Epsom at three for owner Tom Gaffney. She then raced in the USA and added a further success there at four. Princess Zoffany was born two years after her full-brother Gold Academy (Royal Academy). He was a listed winner at three and managed to run third in both the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes and Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, beaten by Sendawar and Dubai Millennium respectively. Tara Gold’s grandam was the Group 1 Oaks d’Italia winner Paris Royal (Mill Reef).

Plainchant

While Santosha was winning a group race in England, another juvenile daughter of a Rathasker stallion was gaining her first stakes success in France. Plainchant, a daughter of Gregorian (Clodovil), won the Listed Criterium du Bequet on her third start, having been placed on her debut and winning at the second time of asking.

Bred at Haras des Loges, Plainchant failed to find favour with buyers as a foal, and it took a private sale, by Federico Barberini, at only €5,000 to acquire her as a yearling. She has won six times her purchase price, been successful at stakes level, and is now a valuable filly. She is the third winner from her dam Nadinska (Doyen) who was bought for only 2,000gns, carrying Plainchant, at the 2017 Tattersalls July Sale by Rathasker Stud.

Nadinska raced for Norman Court Stud when trained by Mick Channon and she earned a well-deserved success on her 16th and penultimate start, having been in the frame no fewer than 10 times. On a prior mating with Clodovil (Danehill) she produced the dual winner Texas Katie, while with his son she has now produced a stakes winner. This cross has worked in the family before. Nadinska’s half-sister is the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham winner Laugh Out Loud, and she is by Clodovil. Placed in the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes, Laugh Out Loud is the dam of the 2019 Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes winner Platinum Warrior (Galileo).

Gregorian was placed at the National Stud in Newmarket for his first four seasons by Rathasker Stud where he commanded a fee of £4,500. His first crop, now four-year-olds, did well and the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes winner moved to Rathasker where his fee for the past two seasons has been €6,000. His first crop included Queen Jo Jo, winner of the Group 3 Summer Stakes a fortnight ago, and the listed winner Greach. Plainchant is his third stakes winner.

Not to be outdone by his son Gregorian, Clodovil also had a stakes winner at the weekend when Majestic Colt doubled his listed race tally in Germany. Jaber Abdullah’s five-year-old is one of four stakes winners in 2020 for his sire. The 20-year-old Clodovil’s best runners are headed by the Group 1 winners Nahoodh and Moriarty, and five Group 2 winners.

Majestic Colt was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and is the second produce of the stakes-winning Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) mare Majestic Dubawi. In 2015 she was sold at Goffs for €260,000 to Ballylinch Stud. The foal Majestic Dubawi was carrying is Kodiqueen (Kodiac) and she won twice for Ballylinch last season and remains in training.

Majestic Dubawi has a two-year-old filly, Isabella Giles (Belardo). She sold to Kevin Ross, on behalf of the Rooneys, for €45,000 last year at Goffs and has won two of her three starts to date from Richard Fahey’s stables. On the ground is a yearling colt by Nathaniel (Galileo) and a filly foal by Fascinating Rock (Fastnet Rock). Majestic Dubawi visited Arc hero Waldgeist (Galileo) this year.

Majestic Dubawi

From the second crop of Dubawi, Majestic Dubawi sold twice as a yearling, once for only 2,800gns in February and then for 22,000gns eight months later. Sent into training with Mick Channon, she won two of her first three starts as a juvenile, including the Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr over six furlongs.

The best of a pair of winners from her dam Tidal Chorus (Singspiel), Majestic Dubawi is from the immediate family of last year’s smart Ballydoyle juvenile Lope Y Fernandez (Lope De Vega), winner of the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh and runner-up to the champion Pinatubo in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. This year he has finished second in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat and third in the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas. Lope Y Fernandez is a grandson of the listed winner South Rock (Rock City), a half-sister to Tidal Chorus.

Lope Y Fernandez is not the only good winner in the family by a Ballylinch stallion. Majestic Dubawi’s third dam bred a dual Group 1 winner by Soviet Star (Nureyev). Named Soviet Line, his 16 career victories were highlighted by two successes in the Lockinge Stakes.

Clodovil won five of his eight career starts, beating Catcher In The Rye to win the 2003 Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French 2000 Guineas. He is one of 83 Group/Grade 1 winners by Danehill.

On Wednesday at Goodwood Clodovil’s son Steel Bull caught the attention of many as he won the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes. This was his second win in a week and came just four weeks after he was bought by Michael O’Callaghan for £28,000 at the breeze up sale. Bred by auctioneer John O’Kelly and his wife Magali, this is a heartwarming tale which I will return to next week.