By Sean Cronin
Navan's Saturday card featured a trio of black-type contests, but early focus centred on the €18,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for juveniles, in which Coolmore and Westerberg's Charles Darwin (Ire) (No Nay Never), a full-brother to dual Group 1 winner Blackbeard (Ire), illuminated proceedings with a spectacular 5 1/2-length triumph.
Aidan O'Brien had annexed three consecutive renewals of the near-six furlong contest, including with subsequent G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) last year, and his 8-11 pick was away sharply to gain immediate control coming back off a debut fourth over five furlongs at the Curragh two weeks ago. Untroubled on the front end throughout, the March-foaled bay was allowed an inch of Ryan Moore's rein passing the quarter-mile marker and powered clear in impressive fashion to earn a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette by daylight. His closest pursuer was the outclassed Ger Lyons trainee Harmani (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}). Charles Darwin becomes the 11th Rising Star for his sire, whose roll of honour includes the stable's Little Big Bear, Ten Sovereigns and Aesop's Fables. This race's three most recent winners–Camille Pissarro, River Tiber and the aforementioned Aesop's Fables–were all tagged Rising Stars.
“He is a lovely, big, powerful and strong horse and we always thought was an Ascot horse,” reported O'Brien. “He was very green first time in the Curragh and the race was a bit messy, but he did everything right today. He travelled, he has loads of speed and quickened very well. He's not short of speed, so it will be the [G2] Coventry or [G2] Norfolk for him at Royal Ascot.”
Charles Darwin is the fourth of five foals, all by No Nay Never, and becomes the fourth scorer produced by a winning daughter of G3 Phoenix Sprint victrix Girouette (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). Descendants of the March-foaled bay's stakes-placed third dam Vassiana (Fr) (Anabaa) include multiple Group 3 winner Max Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and G3 Anglesey Stakes victrix Kairyu (Ire) (Kuroshio {Aus}). Hailing from the family of leading distaffers Mrs Penny and Hatoof, the winner is a full-brother to G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park-winning sire Blackbeard (Ire), Listed Prix de Saint Cyr third Run Away (Ire) and a yearling filly. Run Away was knocked down for €2.6-million as a Goffs Orby yearling and resold for 650,000gns at Tattersalls' most recent December sale.
Impressive 🤩
A brother to Blackbeard, Charles Darwin (No Nay Never) follows in talented @Ballydoyle footsteps by winning this @IrishEBF_ Maiden @NavanRacecourse 🥇
2025 – CHARLES DARWIN
2024 – Camille Pissarro
2023 – River Tiber
2022 – Aesop's Fables pic.twitter.com/GSgSuMQfew— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 26, 2025
2nd-Navan, €18,000, Mdn, 4-26, 2yo, 5f 180yT, 1:14.09, sf.
CHARLES DARWIN (IRE), c, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Muirin (Ire), by Born To Sea (Ire)
2nd Dam: Girouette (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Vassiana (Fr), by Anabaa
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, €11,900. *Full to Blackbeard (Ire), G1SW-Eng & Fr, GSW-Ire, $550,894: and Run Away (Ire), SP-Fr. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & Westerberg; B-Newstead Breeding (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore.
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