KINGMAN LOOKS SET TO HIT THE TOP

Banstead Manor Stud stallion Kingman (by Invincible Spirit) was a brilliant miler and as his tally of first-crop winners continues to grow rapidly, it seems certain that the identity of his first Group 1 star will become known soon.

The son of classic heroine Zenda (by Zamindar) – who is a half-sister to sprint champion and leading international sire Oasis Dream (by Green Desert) – has an outstanding pedigree, and although nothing in ever guaranteed, it has always been odds-on that he will get at least one or two offspring who succeed at the highest level.

When the John Gosden-trained Juddmonte-homebred Calyx maintained his unbeaten record with an impressive win in the Group 3 Merriebelle Stable Commonwealth Cup Trial Stakes at Ascot on Wednesday – the colt's first run since landing the Group 2 Coventry Stakes last June – he became favourite for next month's Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Right now, he looks the most likely winner of that six-furlong contest, but it's possible that if successful there he may not be a first top-level winner for his young sire.

Dual Group 3 scorer Persian King, who has won his last four starts by an aggregate margin of 16 and a quarter lengths, will bid for classic glory in the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) at ParisLongchamp on May 12th.

That rising star is also engaged in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) on June 2nd and the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes on June 18th, the latter three days before the Commonwealth Cup.

Kingman's Andrew Balding-trained daughter Look Around is due to run in Sunday's Group 1 Qipco 1000 Guineas although George Strawbridge's homebred, a listed winner who finished fourth in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes last month, is among the outsiders in the market for the fillies' classic.

Calyx is out of mile Group 3 scorer Helleborine (by Observatory), who chased home Misty For Me in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac, and that full-sister to Fair Eva's (by Frankel) Group 1 Sprint Cup-winning dam African Rose comes from the immediate family of top-level stars Distant Music (by Distant View), Vanlandingham (by Cox's Ridge) and Temperence Hill (by Stop The Music).

The colt was Timeform-rated 120p as a juvenile and is among the most exciting members of the current three-year-old crop.

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FARHH SON SHOWS CUP POTENTIAL

The Mark Johnston-trained four-year-old Dee Ex Bee, a first-crop son of Dalham Hall Stud stallion Farhh (by Pivotal), advertised his potential as a stayer of note when winning the Group 3 Longines Sagaro Stakes at Ascot on Wednesday.

This was his first start of the new campaign, he beat Raymond Tusk by three and a quarter lengths, and it was the Godolphin-bred's first attempt at two miles.

He was stakes-placed as a juvenile, chased home Masar in the Group 1 Investec Derby 11 months ago, was also Group 1-placed over 12 furlongs in France and Germany, and finished fourth in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster.

The best of several winners out of an unraced mare called Dubai Sunrise (by Seeking The Gold), he looks certain to find an opportunity at stud whenever his racing days come to an end because, in addition to being a high-class racehorse, he is the son of a full-sister to Timeform 140-rated champion Dubai Millennium.

That outstanding eight-to-10-furlong horse died during his first season at stud but left us with classic-winning miler and leading international sire Dubawi.

Furthermore, Colorado Dancer (by Shareef Dancer), the Group 2-winning grandam of Dee Ex Bee, is a half-sister to the Group/Grade 1 stars and blacktype sires Hamas (by Danzig), Timber Country (by Woodman) and Fort Wood (by Sadler's Wells) as well as Group 2 scorer and successful stallion Bianconi (by Danzig).

This makes the young stayer a great-grandson of Grade 1 winner and influential broodmare Fall Aspen (by Pretense), and so he is related to many other stakes winners of note.

Farhh was a top-class middle-distance runner and, from smaller numbers of representatives than most other third-crop sires have had so far, he has also supplied Chantilly Group 2 scorer Nocturnal Fox, dual Group 3 winner Wells Farhh Go, two listed-race winners and two others who have been blacktype placed. It is just a matter of time before he gets a first Group 1 winner.

It remains to be seen if it will be Dee Ex Bee who makes that breakthrough for him, but the colt's entries include the Group 1 Investec Coronation Cup and Group 1 Gold Cup, and he seems likely to have the likes of the Group 1 Goodwood Cup and Group 1 Prix du Cadran on his agenda too.

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ANOTHER CLASSIC CANDIDATE FOR CAPE CROSS

Late Kildangan Stud stallion Cape Cross (by Green Desert), the horse who gave us standouts such as Sea The Stars, Golden Horn and Ouija Board among 13 top-level winners, has his final three-year-olds now and they include a classic prospect in France.

Cartiem, who won the Group 3 Prix Penelope over 10 and a half furlongs at Saint-Cloud on Wednesday, holds an entry in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and could take in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary en route to her classic bid.

The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained filly is one of 115 stakes winners for her sire, she was bred by the partnership of Rashit Chaykhutdinov, Haras Du Mezeray and Christophe Clement, and she has won three of her four starts.

The late January-born black is a €140,000 graduate of the Arqana Deauville October yearling sale, she is the first foal of Mintaka (by Zamindar), and that mare is a winning half-sister to listed scorer Mila (by Cape Cross) and Group 2 Prix de Mallaret runner-up Mandistana (by Azamour).

A more notable indicator of her potential is that her grandam Minatlya (by Linamix), who won the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont, is a full-sister to multimillionaire Manighar, a prolific gelding who began his career in France but starred in Australia.

He won the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay, was runner-up in the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay and third in the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak when based in France before going on to complete a Group 1 hat-trick of Tancred Stakes, Ranvet Stakes and Australian Cup in the southern hemisphere.

It remains to be seen just how good Cartiem will be at her peak, but there is no doubt that she is bred to hit the top.

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FRESHMAN SIRES UPDATE

Several members of the current crop of European freshman sires have had winners this week:

  • Castlehyde Stud's Ivawood (by Zebedee) struck at Doncaster on Saturday when the Tom Dascombe-trained Iva Reflection made a winning debut over five furlongs. The £40,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale buy was bred by Michael O'Mahony and is out of the mile winner Mirror Image (by Acclamation).

  • Whitsbury Manor Stud stands Due Diligence (by War Front) and bred his recent Salisbury winner Good Vibes, a David Evans-trained filly who got off the mark at the second attempt. She is out of the sprint winner Satsuma (by Compton Place) and made £35,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. The stallion hit the target again a day later when his daughter Littledidyouknow maintained her unbeaten record with victory at Southwell. The Archie Watson-trained bay was bred by Rathasker Stud and the €15,000 Goffs Sportsmans graduate and descendant of Sorbus (by Busted) is out of Solfilia (by Teofilo).

  • Dalham Hall Stud shuttle stallion and sprint ace Brazen Beau (by I Am Invincible) added to his tally when the Michael Bell-trained Brazen Safa made it second time lucky when scoring at Brighton on Tuesday. The daughter of Insaaf (by Averti) cost £20,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, was bred by Biddestone Stud Ltd, and is related to the pattern-winning sprinters Priceless (by Exceed And Excel) and Aeolus (by Araafa).

  • Yeomanstown Stud's Gutaifan (by Dark Angel) got on the scoresheet at Pontefract on Wednesday when the Richard Fahey-trained Kidda made it second time lucky. The Jane Allison-bred grey is out of listed winner Lily Again (by American Post) and cost 43,000gns from Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

  • The Charles Hills-trained filly Silver Start made an eye-catching debut at Bath a few hours later, giving Highclere Stud's Cable Bay (by Invincible Spirit) a second winner. R J Tuftt's homebred grey is the first foal of Silver Rainbow (by Starspangledbanner), who is a stakes-winning relation of US Grade 1 scorer Ashkal Way (by Ashkalani).

  • Rathasker Stud's Anjaal (by Bahamian Bounty) was also in the news on Wednesday as his son Sicilian Focus won by five lengths at Capannelle in Italy, giving the stallion a second winner. This E Higgins-bred colt is out of Magical Bupers (by Intikhab) and cost just €4,200 from Part 2 of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.