APPROPRIATELY-NAMED, Dare To Dream looks to be a live classic and Group 1 hope following her weekend success in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux at ParisLongchamp. What a dream come true it would be for the three-year-old’s young trainer Gavin Hernon were she to do so.

Bought for €67,000 as a yearling at Arqana, Dare To Dream was bred by Ecurie des Monceaux, Meridian International, and Scuderia Waldeck, and she races for owner Dun Shing Lee.

Ten fillies lined up for the nine-furlong Al Shira’Aa Racing-sponsored contest, a stepping stone towards the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks in 10 weeks. On very heavy ground, Dare to Dream (Camelot) seemed to find renewed energy as she gradually pulled away from the pack to win by two lengths.

Off the track for six months, Dare To Dream was competing in her fourth race. Winning her debut at Deauville last summer in the Prix de la Reboursière, she then finished fourth in the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale and third in the Group 3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes over a mile at the Curragh, behind Content and Kitty Rose, and with recent pattern winner Brilliant back in fifth.

Dare To Dream, the €400,000 yearling Amalna (Galileo) and Dream Of Deauville (Le Havre) are the three winners to date from the stakes-placed Debutante (Gold Away), and that mare’s Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) two-year-old realised €260,000 last year when sold to Sumbe. This year she has a yearling filly by Zelzal (Sea The Stars) who was bought in utero when Debutante sold for just €34,000 in 2022.

Debutante is a half-sister to none other than the brilliant Danedream (Lomitas). The outstanding international runner won the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France, the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in England, three Group 1 races in Germany and the Group 2 Oaks d’Italia. In the year that Danedream was foaled, her dam Danedrop (Danehill) was sold for only €17,000.

After the success of Danedream, it was no surprise that Danedrop ended up visiting none other than the great Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), and that mating resulted in the likes of Group 3 Chester Vase winner and Group 1-placed Venice Beach, Group 3 winner Broadway, and last year’s juvenile winner and Group 1-placed Illinois.

Can Dare To Dream go on and add to Camelot’s tally of 11 Group 1 winners in his first seven crops? The Hernon clan will be hoping so.

Atlast

A three-year-old son of Farhh, Atlast won on his first attempt in stakes company on Sunday when capturing the Group 3 Prix La Force at ParisLongchamp.

Always going well in the nine-furlong contest, the classic-entered colt cruised to the front in the straight before holding on for a comfortable victory.

Owned and bred by the Wertheimer Brothers, Atlast is the fourth winner bred by the stakes-placed More Than Ready (Southern Halo) mare Pitamore.

Farhh (Pivotal) was siring his second group winner in France within a week after Tribalist’s victory in the Group 3 Prix Edmond Blanc. Restricted to small books of mares due to subfertility, one wonders what the Dalham Hall Stud sire could achieve with more chances.

He has an impressive 16% stakes performers to runners ratio and his star performers include Group 1 winners King Of Change and Fonteyn, plus highly-rated group winners Dee Ex Bee, Move Swiftly and Far Above.

The dam of Atlast is a daughter of the US stakes winner Pitamakan (Danzig), and she had eight successful offspring, the best of which was Funny Kid (Lemon Drop Kid), winner of the Group 3 Prix de Barbeville. Pitmakan’s full-sister Wasseema (Danzig), a $500,000 yearling buy in 2004, won a listed race at Sandown.

Ottery

Having won the Group 2 Prix de Royaumont at Chantilly last year, one can only assume that Juddmonte kept Ottery (Dubawi) in training this year in the hope that she would graduate to winning a Group or Grade 1 contest. The 800,000gns yearling purchase has made a good start to her quest and at the weekend won for the third time in her career, landing the Listed Prix Zarkava at ParisLongchamp.

Bred by Al Shahania Stud, Ottery is one of three winners out of the German Group 2 winner Longina (Monsun) who was placed in the Group 1 Henkel-Preis der Diana (German Oaks). One of those winners was Letsroll (Too Darn Hot), victorious at the second time of asking at two in France last year. Longina’s dam Love Academy (Medicean) was the champion two-year-old filly in Germany and a Group 3 winner.

Love Academy’s half-brother Lauro (Monsun) stands at Hayes Stud in Navan and he won the Grade 2 Sky Classic at Woodbine and was runner-up in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes in the USA. Their dam Laurencia (Shirley Heights) was a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner and successful sire Lando (Acatenango) and the Group 1 German Derby winner Laroche (Nebos).

Laurencia’s full-sister La Donna (Shirley Heights) was placed in the Group 2 German Oaks, and she is grandam of the 2019 Group 1 Deutsches Derby winner Laccario (Scalo). Their half-sister Laurella (Acatenango) bred the Italian Group 1 and classic winner Lovelyn (Tiger Hill).

Shock winner has a top-class pedigree

DALLAS Star caused an upset in the Group 3 P.W.McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes, a race won in the past decade by Harzand, Rewilding and Bolshoi Ballet, and this was on the three-year-old colt’s first start for Adrian Murray.

Last year he was a novice winner at Bath and earned blacktype when third of four, beaten quite a way by Arabian Crown, in the Group 3 Zetland Stakes at Newmarket.

A son of Cloth Of Stars (Sea The Stars), Dallas Star was bred in partnership by Eliane Dieuaide and Domaine Billard, and sold as a foal for €30,000. As a yearling he sold on to Aguiar Bloodstock for 50,000gns, but then was retained at 180,000gns as a breezer. Connections must have known he had ability.

Dallas Star is one of nine winners for the unraced Agathe Rare (Sadler’s Wells), and she is a daughter of Agathe (Manila), a Group 3 winner who was twice classic-placed, runner-up in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas, and placed in the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks.

As a broodmare she produced a pair of top level winners. Aquarelliste (Danehill) won three Group 1 races, notably the Prix de Diane-French Oaks, while that filly’s own-brother Artiste Royal (Danehill) won a pair of Grade 1 races in the USA.

There is no shortage of Group 1 winners under the third dam of Dallas Star, Albertine (Irish River). She was group-placed, bred the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Arcangues (Sagace), and is grandam of Group 1 1000 Guineas winner Cape Verdi (Caerleon) and dual Grade 1 winner Angara (Alzao).

A well-known highest-level winner descending from Albertine is Luxembourg (Camelot).

Cloth Of Stars has been slowly into his stride as a stallion. Dallas Star is the first group winner for the seven-time winner of the Group 1 Prix Ganay, joining stakes winner Birr Castle. Three of Cloth Of Stars’ other blacktype earners were placed in such races over jumps.