OWNED by the Red Lily Racing Syndicate (representing the county colours of Cork and Kildare), King Cuan has, in the space of six weeks, won some €135,000 for connections, culminating with his weekend success in the valuable Irish EBF Auction Series Race Final at Naas.

This was the two-year-old’s second win at the Co Kildare venue, and he was also, appropriately, victorious at Cork, the scene of his first win. These three wins have come on the back of a debut fourth at the Curragh, and hopes are high that the colt will go on to gain blacktype. The manner of his wins, and the high regard in which he has always been held by trainer Paddy Twomey would suggest that he could take high order next year.

The question for King Cuan’s trainer and owners is whether to follow the sprint route or to stretch the colt to a mile. He holds an entry in the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas. On breeding alone it would appear that keeping him to sprint distances would be the more likely to yield rewards.

King Cuan is among the best of the 26 individual winners sired to date by Tasleet (Showcasing), and the best of these is the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes winner Bradsell.

All of Tasleet’s five wins were over six and seven furlongs, and his biggest came at York in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes. He always seemed to come up against a star, and he was runner-up in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes to Shalaa at two, while as a four-year-old he was second in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup to Harry Angel, the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes to The Tin Man, and the Group 1 British Champions Sprint Stakes.

Bred by Scarlett Knipe at her Cobhall Court Stud, King Cuan is a half-brother to a pair of winning sprinters, Ernest Rutherford (Ardad) and Enta Omry (Havana Grey). They are the first three foals out of Rutherford (Dutch Art), and the mare’s fourth produce, a filly by Kameko (Kitten’s Joy), will be offered at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

Pinhooked by Leon Carrick, King Cuan realised 20,000gns as a foal but was a loss-making €21,000 yearling at the Goffs Sportsman’s Sale where he was found by Paddy Twomey.

Consistent

A most consistent runner, Rutherford cost Scarlett and Robin Knipe 20,000gns as a four-year-old, sourced through Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock, and she had won two of her 11 starts but been placed on seven occasions.

Bred by Eimear Mulhern, Rutherford is one of five winners out of Carraigoona (Rock Of Gibraltar), and while there is no blacktype of any kind under the first two dams of King Cuan to date, it is surely just a matter of time before he adds some.

Rispoto (Mtoto) is the third dam of King Cuan, and this winning mare bred six offspring who were successful on the track, the best being Highdown (Selkirk). Trained at various stages by Mick Channon, Marcus Tregoning and Saeed Bin Suroor, he was a listed winner twice in England, won the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville, and was runner-up to Black Sam Bellamy in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh and to Ransom O’War in a Group 1 in Germany.

Considered good enough to take his chance in the Derby at Epsom, Highdown’s half-brother Elshadi (Cape Cross) was runner-up next time out in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, but he failed to build on that subsequently.

River Spey

Rispoto is a daughter of River Spey (Mill Reef), and she won a listed race at two and was runner-up in the Group 3 Cheshire Oaks the following year, all gained from just three starts. She bred a pair of stakes winners among her eight successful progeny, Jahafil (Rainbow Quest) and his full-sister Mondschein. The former won the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh and was also a multiple stakes winner in Britain and the USA.

Mondschein won a listed race in France and she bred four stakes winners, three of them in Scandinavia. The exception was Beatrice Aurore (Danehill Dancer), and she was, like many in the family, a regular traveller. She won the Group 3 Prix Chloe in France, a listed race at Goodwood, and she was runner-up in the Group 1 Premio Lydia Tesio in Italy. At stud, Beatrice Aurore’s stakes winners include the Group 2 Celebration Mile heroine Lavender’s Blue (Sea The Stars).