The Coventry Stakes: where did they come from?

One of these 17 colts was picked up as a foal for just €4,200, while another was a €380,000 yearling. As ever, the backgrounds of the runners in early juvenile contests, even at group level, offer a rich variety of homebreds and sales horses at all levels.

Arizona
No Nay Never – Lady Ederle (English Channel)
Bred by Stephen Sullivan, the impressive Curragh maiden winner was pinhooked by Charles Briere's Fairway Partners as a foal for 65,000gns and resold at Arqana's August Sale for €260,000.

Coase (Ire)
Zoffany (Ire) – Sharnberry (GB) (Shamardal)
A Tattersalls October Book 3 yearling, Coase was sold for breeder Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock for 28,000gns through Whatton Manor Stud and was a winner at the end of May on his sole start for Lit Lung Lee and Hugo Palmer.

Fort Myers
War Front – Marvellous (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
From one of the families of the moment, out of a Classic winner from a family replete with Group 1 winners, including first-season sire Gleneagles. Bred by the Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt syndicate, Fort Myers was a winner on debut at Dundalk in last April and was beaten a short-head at Newbury on Lockinge day.

Golden Horde (GB)
Lethal Force (Ire) – Entreat (GB) (Pivotal {GB})
Trainer Clive Cox has a habit of selecting relatively inexpensive yearlings himself and turning them into decent gallopers. He did so with this colt's sire, and he picked up Golden Horde at Goffs UK's Premier Sale for £65,000 from Highclere Stud, which consigned him on behalf of breeder CN Farm Ltd. His Cheveley Park Stud-bred dam, out of a half-sister to champion Serena's Song (Rahy), was bought carrying him at Tattersalls July Sale for 14,000gns.

Guildsman (Fr)
Wootton Bassett (GB) – Dardiza (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire})
A six-length winner on debut at Goodwood 11 days ago, the Haras de Saint Pair-bred colt was bought by Roger Marley of Church Farm at the Arqana October Sale for €67,000 and then resold at the same venue in May to David Redvers for €125,000. He is closely related to treble Group 1 winner Almanzor (Fr), being by the same sire and out of a half-sister to his dam.

King Of Athens
War Front – Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Runner-up to Arizona on his debut at the Curragh during Irish Guineas weekend, he is bred on the same cross and by the same team as Fort Myers, and is the first foal of the G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner whose sister Forever Together (Ire) won last year's Oaks.

Kuwait Direction (Ire)
Kodiac (GB) – Open Verse (Black Minnaloushe)
A maiden after two starts but beaten only a nose at Doncaster on 1 June, Kuwait Direction was sold at the Goffs UK Premier Sale by his breeder Tally-Ho Stud for £120,000. He is a half-brother to G3 Horris Hill S. runner-up Tangled (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}).

Light Angel (Ire)
Dark Angel (Ire) – Light Of The Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire})
Homebred by Gestut Ammerland, he is the first foal of a Group 3-placed half-sister to Lope De Vega (Ire). Light Angel was runner-up on his May 4 debut and won a Newbury maiden a fortnight later.

Lord Of The Lodge (Ire)
Dandy Man (GB) – Archetypal (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire})
A winner on his sole start at Ayr, the Mountarmstrong Stud-bred colt was bought as a foal by Joe Foley for just €4,200 and resold through his Ballyhane Stud for €35,000 at Tattersalls Ireland to trainer Karl Burke. His dam is a half-sister to listed winner Viz (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), herself the dam of G2 Park S. winner Viztoria (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}).

Majestic Sands (Ire)
Kodiac (GB) – La Grande Zoa (Ire) (Fantastic Light)
Only two but already a veteran of the sales ring. His price tag was highest as a foal, when he was sold for breeders Paul and TJ Monaghan for 100,000gns. He came back to make £77,000 at Goffs UK as a yearling, and then 90,000gns at the Craven Breeze-up, which was an awful lot more than his half-brother, the Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}), fetched as a 2-year-old.

Makyon (Ire)
Make Believe (GB) – Mise (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire})
A six-length winner at Hamilton 12 days ago, this half-brother to G1 Falmouth S. winner Nahoodh (Ire) (Clodvil {Ire}) was bought at Tattersalls October Book 2 from his breeder Ballylinch Stud for 22,000gns by trainer Mark Johnston, another master of the inexpensive yearling purchase.

Maxi Boy (GB)
Oasis Dream (GB) – Lavender and Lace (GB) (Barathea {Ire})
A three-parts-brother to the progressive Philippine Cobra (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), Maxi Boy was a 380,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase by Alex Elliott for Amo Racing from breeder Al-Baha Bloodstock. His dam, a half-sister to Group 1 winners Mandaean (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) and Wavering (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}), failed to win or place in ten starts and was sold by Darley as a 2-year-old for £2,200, before going back through the ring a year later for £800.

Monoski
Street Boss – Wipe Out (Hard Spun)
The Godolphin homebred is another to have had the benefit of two starts, including his Pontefract victory on May 24. His dam is a half-sister to GI Forego S. victor and young stallion Emcee (Unbridled's Song) and Meydan Group 2 winner Surfer (Distorted Humor).

Ropey Guest (GB)
Cable Bay (Ire) – Hadeeya (GB) (Oratorio {Ire})
Bred by Kirtlington Stud and Sarah Hamilton, he has been unplaced in two starts after being sold as a foal for 31,000gns, bought in at £110,000 as a yearling and then bought by Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock on behalf of John Guest Racing for £55,000 at the Ascot Breeze-up Sale. From a family which traces back to Meon Valley Stud's Reprocolor (GB), he is out of a half-sister to G2 Superlative S. winner Good Old Boy Lukey (GB) (Selkirk).

Royal Lytham (Ire)
Gleneagles (Ire) – Gotlandia (FR) (Anabaa)
A winner on debut ten days ago, he was bought for €180,000 at Arqana's August Sale from his breeder Haras du Logis St Germain. His Quesnay-bred dam was a Group 3-placed listed winner in France and is a half-sister to the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Glorosia (Fr) (Bering {GB}).

Threat (Ire)
Footstepsinthesand (GB) – Flare Of Firelight (Birdstone)
A 100,000gns foal purchase by Capital Bloodstock from Derek Veitch of Ringfort Stud, who bought his dam, the Niarchos-bred daughter of G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Shiva, for 9,000gns as a 3-year-old at the Tattersalls December Sale. This is her second foal and he won on debut at Newmarket during the Guineas meeting.

Well Of Wisdom (GB)
Oasis Dream (GB) – Alessandria (GB) (Sunday Silence)
One of a bunch of early juvenile winners for Charlie Appleby's stable this spring, breaking his maiden on debut at the Craven meeting, he is a Godolphin homebred half-brother to Avilius (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), a dual Group 1 winner in Australia earlier this year.