TRAINED in Ireland by Aiden O’Brien, Royal Lytham was a group winner in the historic July Stakes at Newmarket at two, and he has recently retired to the Clongiffen Stud in Co Meath, where in mid-February he covered his first broodmare, the listed winner Needles And Pins who is already dam of six winners.

At his modest fee of €4,000, he already has an impressive list of mares booked to visit him this spring, including three more that were stakes-placed and siblings to five Group 1 winners.

Bought for €180,000 as a yearling, Royal Lytham won comfortably at Navan on his first racecourse appearance in June 2019, Then, only 10 days later, he was sent to Royal Ascot for the Group 2 Coventry Stakes and was a very creditable seventh to his stablemate Arizona and Threat, only three lengths behind the winner in a field of 17 runners.

In July he made his next start in the Group 2 Tattersalls July Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket, starting slowly but coming with a great burst of speed to get up in the last few strides and win by a short head from Platinum Star, with the favourite Visinari third. Royal Lytham then ended his first season in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in August, in which he was a close third, only three-quarters of a length and a head behind the unbeaten Siskin and Monarch Of Egypt, with Mount Fuji seven lengths behind him in fourth.

Timeform rated Royal Lytham one of the top eight two-year-olds in Ireland in 2019.

Royal Lytham started the 2020 season in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh early in June and he was one of the pacemakers, prominent early on, but then fading in the last furlong as his old rival Siskin registered another victory.

Only one week later another Group 1 event was lined up for him, in the Commonwealth Stakes at Royal Ascot, and he beat seven of his opponents, but was out of the first four behind Golden Horde.

Two weeks after that Royal Lytham was sent to Naas for the Group 3 Lacken Stakes, in which he was fifth to Art Power, but ahead of the smart Lope Y Fernandez. Every one of his starts had been in group company, except for his debut.

Royal Lytham is one of the best sons from the first crop sired by dual champion Gleneagles, a son of Galileo, who won the 2000 Guineas at both Newmarket and the Curragh. Gotlandia, the dam of Royal Lytham, won the Listed Prix de Saint-Cyr and was third in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte in France and had bred two previous winners. The next dam Grenade bred four winners and is own-sister to Glorosia, successful in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Ascot.

ROYAL LYTHAM (FR), Bay 2017. Won two races, £79,696, from 5 ½ furlongs to 6 furlongs, at 2 years including, Tattersalls July Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.2, also placed third in Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1.

Retired to Stud in 2021.

Stands at: Clongiffen Stud, Enfield, Co Meath, A83 F660, Ireland.

Contact: Gary Duffy.

Telephone: (353) (0) 87 660 8077.

Email: garyduffy1@hotmail.com

Web: www.irishemeraldstud.ie

Fee: €4,000