The Weekly Wrap

The perhaps prophetically named Unfortunately (Ire) landed Sunday's G2 Prix Robert Papin to become the first stakes winner for Society Rock (Ire), who was sadly lost to laminitis just over a year ago at Tally-Ho Stud. The posthumous buzz about the late dual Group 1-winning sprinter started at last season's yearling sales, where members of his first crop sold consistently well, and that confidence is so far proving to be justified. Society Rock's 13 winners from 42 runners, with a Group 2 hero to boot, have propelled him to the top of the European freshman sires' table. This puts him just ahead of Dabirsim (Fr), whose daughter High Dream Milena (Fr) was fourth in the Robert Papin and whose connections are planning to appeal the French stewards' decision not to promote the filly's finishing position after Unfortunately swerved to the stands' rail in front of her.

Whether or not he keeps the race–and he should–the Karl Burke-trained Unfortunately looks to have a bright future. A winner second time out in May, he was beaten just a head and a neck in two subsequent starts, the first of these in the Listed Prix La Fleche on his debut visit to Maisons-Laffitte in June.

His victory sparked a successful 24 hours for his breeder Tally-Ho Stud, which was also responsible for Madam Dancealot (Ire), winner of the GII San Clemente H. at Del Mar for Richard Baltas. She too had been the first stakes winner for another Tally-Ho sire, Sir Prancealot (Ire), when winning the G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. at Salisbury last September.

While Karl Burke had selected Unfortunately from the Tally-Ho draft at Tattersalls Ireland's September Sale for €24,000, Madam Dancealot was initially the scourge of the sales ring. Unusually, she didn't make an appearance until being offered at the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze-up Sale, at which she was bought back by her breeder/vendor for £5,000. A private sale was agreed with trainer Joe Tuite, who then sold her on to the late Stewart Brown for that same amount. Following one second-place run at Chester behind Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB})–who, incidentally, has just completed his first season at Tally-Ho–Madam Dancealot then sold for £100,000 to Kern/Lillingston on behalf of Olivia Hoare at the Goffs London Sale two days before running ninth to Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot.

If that seemed steep at the time, she later won a maiden and her Group 3 at Salisbury before making her third sales appearance of the year at the Goffs Champion Sale. Luke Lillingston was involved again, with a €260,000 bid from Barry Lynch ensuring that she set sail for America.

The branch of the O'Callaghan family–Tony, Anne and their sons Roger and Henry–which owns Tally-Ho Stud is famed for its staunch support of the farm's own stallions, a factor which persuaded Andreas Putsch to enter into partnership with Tally-Ho to stand his homebred Group 1 winner Vadamos (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), who covered his first mares this season along with the aforementioned Mehmas. With the perennially popular Kodiac (GB) at its helm, it's an otherwise youthful roster which includes Morpheus (GB), an Oasis Dream (GB) half-brother to Frankel (GB) who has his first yearlings for sale this autumn. It's surely odds-on that his first stakes winner is a Tally-Ho graduate.

Meanwhile, the Putsch and O'Callaghan alliance may well be a masterstroke (no pun intended) for the revival of the Monsun line on the Flat in Europe. Despite Monsun's acknowledged excellence, so many of his sons have either gone straight to National Hunt studs or have later been bought to stand as jump sires after not receiving enough support from Flat breeders. As a multiple group winner over a mile, Vadamos is of course one of Monsun's faster sons and he makes an intriguing addition to a farm which houses such a solid band of commercial mares.

God Given Right To Be Good…

One swallow does not a summer make, and the same can be said about stakes winners for stallions. Happily for fans of Nathaniel (Ire), his outstanding dual Oaks winner Enable (GB) is being backed up by an increasing cast of talented runners, the latest of which is St Albans Bloodstock's homebred God Given (GB). As a half-sister to the mighty Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the 3-year-old filly is entitled to be good and she has done little wrong in her five starts for Luca Cumani, who of course masterminded Postponed's early years and his first Group 1 victory in the 2015 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S.

Placed third in two maidens as a juvenile behind subsequent G1 Prix Saint Alary winner Sobetsu (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the first and G3 Musidora S. winner Shutter Speed (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in the second, God Given was beaten only a half-length for second on her 3-year-old debut before scorching to a four-length maiden victory at Haydock on June 9. Stepping up in class again, she is now a listed winner after dominating the Aphrodite S. at Newmarket on Saturday under talented young apprentice George Wood, who was notching his first stakes success.

Ever Rigg (GB) (Dubai Destination), the dam of Postponed and God Given, died earlier this year, but Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock has been dealt some compensation in having retained her final daughter to race. There are also colts by Dubawi (a brother to Postponed) and his son Makfi (GB) still to come.

Nathaniel has an interesting debutante later today in the Newsells Park Stud colours when 2-year-old Mail Order (GB), a daughter of G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Mail The Desert (Ire) (Desert Prince {Ire}), lines up for Mark Johnston at Ffos Las.

A Race Fit For A King…

Enable could be seen out again as soon as this Saturday in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S., with John Gosden and the Juddmonte team set to make a decision tomorrow. Let's hope the trainer is swayed by the fact that his previous Oaks winner Taghrooda (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) romped to a three-length victory in the race after her Epsom triumph, though she of course had not been sent to The Curragh in between.

As the only one of this season's Classic winners among the entries, Enable's participation in this high-summer battle of the ages would be welcome indeed, but even without her, the King George, so often maligned these days, is not lacking in interest.

Enable aside, the Galileo (Ire) brothers Highland Reel (Ire) and Idaho (Ire) head the betting, with recent G1 Eclipse S. winner Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) also standing his ground at this stage. Godolphin could potentially field two Group 1 winners–Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling) and Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy) from a quartet of entries–while the horse who has grafted his way into many hearts this season, Permian (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), seeks swift compensation for being in front everywhere but the line in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris on July 14.

The most intriguing runner of all, however, is Sixties Song (Arg) (Sixties Icon {GB}), the top-rated turf 3-year-old in South America who will become the first ever Argentinean-trained runner at Ascot. The colt, deemed to be a 4-year-old in the Northern Hemisphere, is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Blissful Song, whose half-sister Celestial Woods (Forestry) is the dam of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner and new Lanwades Stud stallion Bobby's Kitten (Kitten's Joy).

Sixties Song is currently being prepared for Saturday's race in Newmarket and we'll be hearing from his trainer Alfredo Gaitan Dassie in the TDN later this week.

Bansha En Fete…

Few nations know how to party like the Irish and most of Tipperary turned out on Saturday night to continue the celebrations which started at Royal Ascot. The hosts were Con and Theresa Marnane, who had the marquee outside their Bansha House decked out in yellow and black to mimic the racing colours of their G3 Albany S. heroine Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}).

The typically generous Marnanes weren't merely celebrating their own good fortune–which continued last week with the victory of Rioticism (Fr) (Rio De La Plata) in the Listed Prix des Reves d'Or–but also that of friends, colleagues and neighbours. Bansha House's longstanding head man Mike O'Brien also tasted Royal Ascot success as the co-breeder of G1 Queen Anne S. winner Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), while the Marnanes' neighbour Jim Mulcahy bred G2 Coventry S. winner Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) with his Kentucky-based son Geoff.

Con Marnane paid tribute to them all in his emotional party speech, adding, “In Bansha, we only have one pub, one church and one petrol station, but we have three Royal Ascot winners.”

Sara Thorman of Trickledown Stud had flown over from Hampshire to join the celebrations and was toasted as the “woman who didn't sell Different League.” Rarely have an owner and consignor been so delighted not to find a buyer after the €8,000 foal purchase was marked not sold as a yearling at £14,000. However, the same Trickledown draft at the Goffs UK Premier Sale also contained Rajasinghe, stabled just two boxes down from Different League, and he was sold to Phil Cunningham's Rebel Racing for £85,000.

“The last horse we sold Phil was [dual G1 2000 Guineas winner] Cockney Rebel, so I've told him he has to stop there as we'd like to keep our 100% record intact,” laughed Thorman.