SHEIKH ABDULLA BIN HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA

Magnum Force (Ire), 2022 c. by Mehmas out of Tropical Rock, by Fastnet Rock

IRISH juvenile form was well advertised in the opening Grade 1 race of the Breeders’ Cup, the Juvenile Turf Sprint, with the Ger Lyons-trained Magnum Force giving his sire a seventh Group/Grade 1 winner, and a third juvenile of 2024 to do so.

These are from the first crop the Tally-Ho Stud stallion sired from better mares, having had his fee raised from €7,500 to €25,000 after his first crop gave us the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes winner Supremacy.

Homebred by Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Magnum Force has won or placed on all his five outings, and justified in great style his connection’s belief in his ability. His dam was purchased for 38,000gns from Jeff Smith’s Littleton Stud after winning twice at two in the care of Ralph Beckett. Her only other winner to date has been Tropical Talent, and that five-year-old won a handicap chase at Sedgefield back in May!

There is no inbreeding in Magnum Force’s pedigree to five generations. Jeff Smith purchased the colt’s grandam, Tropical Treat, a daughter of Bahamian Bounty, as a foal for 28,000gns. She repaid the investment when winning a listed race at two, and then running second in a Group 3 the following year. Magnum Force’s dam is one of her two winners to date.

Two smart juveniles under Magnum Force’s fourth dam were also good at two. Sri Pekan won the Group 2 Champagne Stakes, Group 2 Richmond Stakes, and Group 3 Coventry Stakes, while Daylight In Dubai won the Group 3 Railway Stakes.

SHEIKH MOHAMMED, Godolphin

Rebel’s Romance (Ire), 2018 g. by Dubawi out of Minidress, by Street Cry

WHAT an absolute superstar Godolphin has in Rebel’s Romance. The homebred raised his lifetime earnings to north of €11 million with his latest elite level success, this time taking the honours with a second victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, two years after he set a new course record when annexing the race at Keeneland. This latest win was number 15 in a 22-race career, and he has been a true globetrotter, enjoying success in six different countries.

Rebel Romane’s most valuable win was in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March, after which he added the Champions & Chater Cup in Hong Kong, before finishing third to Goliath and Bluestocking in the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He got back to winning ways in the Group 1 Preis von Europa in Germany before heading to Del Mar.

In 2022, Rebel’s Romance was twice successful in Group 1 races in Germany, his first victories at the highest level, and he landed the Grosser Preis von Berlin and Preis von Europa on his way to taking his first Breeders’ Cup Turf.

This has been a memorable year for Rebel’s Romance’s dam, the stakes-placed Minidress. Her four-year-old Frankel son Measured Time, who won three of his four starts last year in Britain, added the Group 1 Jebel Hatta to a win in the Group 2 Al Rashidiya Stakes at Meydan. Since then, he has gone on to land the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga, and run second at the same track in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes.

THOMAS FAHEY

Found A Fifty (Ire), 2017 g. by Solskjaer out of Fillmein, by Gone Fishin

FOUND A Fifty won the Grade 2 Bar One Racing Fortria Chase, his second win in November, having a fortnight earlier won a Grade 2 chase at Down Royal. He is the outstanding runner by Danehill’s son Solskjaer who stood for just two seasons in Ireland at David Stack’s Coolagown Stud after his importation from South Africa.

Found A Fifty earned Thomas Fahey a Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Month award after he won a Grade 1 novice chase at Leopardstown last Christmas, and then affirmed his class when adding the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree. He has been runner-up three times at Grade 1 level, including at Cheltenham in March.

Found A Fifty won a point-to-point at four trained by Mark Fahey, and was sent to the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale where he was unsold at £180,000. When he made his bumper debut, he was in the Bective Stud silks, trained by Gordon Elliott. He was placed that day, won over hurdles and was graded-placed, and now he has won five of his eight chases, being second in the other three.

Mark Fahey partnered Found A Fifty’s dam Fillmein to her three victories, a point-to-point and two hurdle races. Found A Fifty is the best winner in the family in four generations. That said, there are plenty of winners on the pedigree page, and Fillmein’s siblings include Rathmuck Native, a bumper winner and a Grade 3-placed, dual hurdle winner, and Field Robin, who placed 11 times, including in a Grade 3 hurdle, but never managed to win a race.

SEAN O’DRISCOLL

Home By The Lee (Ire), 2015 g. by Fame And Glory out of Going For Home, by Presenting

A MONTH after winning the 2022 Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle at Navan, Home By The Lee’s Cork owner-breeder Sean O’Driscoll had more reason than ever to celebrate as his Fame And Glory gelding won the hugely emotive Grade 1 Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.

This followed a period chasing where he won the Grade 2 Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase at Naas, the Grade 3 Paddy Power EBF Novice Chase at Cork and ran third in the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse.

Kept to hurdling since, Home By The Lee was placed in last year’s Lismullen Hurdle, was third to Teahupoo and Flooring Porter in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, finished third to Teahupoo and Asterion Forlonge in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown, and has now won a second Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle.

O’Driscoll raced the gelding’s dam Going For Home and she won a point-to-point. She was trained by Joe Crowley after being purchased by his daughter Frances for €16,000 at four. She is dam of Home By The Lee’s own-sister Beautiful Citi who won a couple of bumpers, a hurdle race and placed in a listed hurdle, the three-time chase winner Carole Rose and a dual point-to-point winner, The Mystro.

Going For Home’s dam is a half-sister to Neblin, winner of the Grade 3 Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury and the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, and these were among his 12 career victories. He was the best of seven winners for his winning dam Linbel.