By Tom Frary
Saturday's opening mile maiden at The Curragh has been a key race for Aidan O'Brien and Darkness Falls (Camelot) followed some smart predecessors with a seven-length success to become the stable's latest TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard.
Having won the John Ormonde Wexford Sand Irish EBF Maiden nine times out of the last 10 renewals, including with Hawk Mountain, Mogul and Saxon Warrior, the Ballydoyle handler put forward a strong trio of Camelot-sired 2027 Derby hopefuls with Ryan Moore on the 4-6 favourite.
Third on debut behind the subsequent Futurity Stakes third Green Dreamer and winning stablemate Shakespeare in Leopardstown's Frank Conroy Maiden over seven furlongs last month, Darkness Falls was bounced out of the stalls to lead and it was fairly straightforward from there.
Turning the screw three out, the grandson of the 1999 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Hula Angel (Woodman) stayed on powerfully to stretch away from stable companion Albany County, who had shown such promise when third here on debut days earlier. There was half a length between that half-brother to the 1,000 Guineas and Prix Rothschild winner Mother Earth (Zoffany) and the newcomer Cluster (Frankel), one of Joseph O'Brien's Juddmonte projects who is a close relative of Midday (Oasis Dream). Ballydoyle's third runner and only newcomer Kingdom Of Camelot, a €1.2million Arqana Deauville August purchase, was 1 1/4 lengths away in fourth in a race that is certain to resound as the months go on.
“He had a lovely run the first day and is a Camelot with a lot of class,” O'Brien said of the winner, Camelot's eighth TDN Rising Star with the past cast including the luminaries Bluestocking and Sir Dragonet. “He's a beautiful mover, so ground won't matter to him. When Ryan said 'go', it was over very quick.”
“We thought he was good,” he added. “The maiden he ran in at Leopardstown was a very good race–we thought the second was very good and the winner was just beaten in the Futurity last week. He's in the mix for the Golden Fleece [Champions Juvenile] at Leopardstown. That's why he ran again today.”
No sweat for Darkness Falls 🌬️@curraghrace | @coolmorestud pic.twitter.com/oFDxsyc6eF
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 29, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Darkness Falls is the second foal out of the Listed-placed sprinter You'resobeautiful (No Nay Never), one of two black-type performers out of the aforementioned Hula Angel alongside the stouter-bred The Fist Of God (Sadler's Wells) who was runner-up in the Eyrefield at two. Her daughter Promise Me by Camelot's sire Montjeu produced the star stayer Coltrane (Mastercraftsman), whose career tally includes wins in the Lonsdale Cup, Doncaster Cup and two renewals of the Sagaro and placings in the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and two editions of the Prix du Cadran.
From the family of the celebrated Kentucky Derby-winning champion Spend A Buck, You'resobeautiful's 2025 and 2026 colts are also by Camelot.
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