By Sean Cronin
Godolphin's Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) faced just three rivals in Thursday's British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' S. at Great Yarmouth and outclassed what was placed before her to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status at the first attempt. The grey had already earned a degree of fame when bettering a 300,000gns price tag at last year's Tattersalls October Book 1 sale with the second-highest price, €800,000, at last month's Arqana Breeze-Up sale and doubled up in style on the Norfolk coast. The 8-13 favourite bowled along in second as €230,000 Goffs November foal Huboor (Ire) (More Than Ready) set a modest pace. Angled into the clear and shaken up with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, the response was immediate and she quickened impressively to seize control passing the furlong marker before running on powerfully under negligible cajoling in the closing stages to easily account for Bredenbury (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) by two lengths.
“It's nice to see Kingman's progeny doing so well, he's already had some nice winners and is set to be a great stallion,” said James Doyle, who rode the winner's sire to victory four times at the highest level. “She breezed very well and, quite rightly, cost a small fortune, but I was keen not to give her a hard race on this sticky ground. She's got small feet so we were a little concerned with the going beforehand, but she coped with it fine. Both sire and dam handled similar conditions well and, once we delved into the pedigree, it gave us a little bit of confidence. I knew from her breezing days that she'd be able to drop down and quicken in a short space of time and that's exactly what she did. She's been working well with winners at home and there'll be some nice races coming up for her.”
Summer Romance becomes the third scorer for Serena's Storm (Ire) (Statue of Liberty) and the grey is kin to G1 Moyglare Stud S. and G1 Coronation S. heroine Rizeena (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). Serena's Storm is a winning half to last month's G1 Prix d'Ispahan hero Zabeel Prince (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), MG1SP dual Australian Group 2 winner Puissance de Lune (Ire) (Shamardal), last month's Listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies' Trial victress Queen Power (Ire) (Shamardal), the dual stakes-placed Majesty (Ire) (Shamardal) and a yearling filly by Iffraaj (GB). The winner's third dam Serena's Sister (Rahy), who produced MGSW & MGISP sire Doubles Partner (Rock Hard Ten) and the stakes-winning Stormy Venus (Stormy Atlantic), is a full-sister to storied MGISW US champion Serena's Song, who in turn is the dam of seven stakes performers headed by G1 Coronation S. victress Sophisticat (Storm Cat).
2nd-Great Yarmouth, £5,800, Mdn, 6-13, unraced 2yo, f, 6f 3yT, 1:21.41, sf.
SUMMER ROMANCE (IRE), f, 2, by Kingman (GB)">Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Serena's Storm (Ire), by Statue of Liberty
2nd Dam: Princess Serena, by Unbridled's Song
3rd Dam: Serena's Sister, by Rahy
1ST-TIME STARTER. Sales history: 300,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT; €800,000 2yo '18 ARQMA. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $4,761. O-Godolphin; B-Roundhill Stud (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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