Winter Watch: A Notable Anniversary

[Wandering Eyes]

Tragedy struck Charlie Appleby and the Godolphin team in Dubai last week when their Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}) lost his life in his quest for a second consecutive triumph in the G1 Jebel Hatta. A seven-time winner all told, with his other wins including last year's GI Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga, he was a terrific servant to connections and another star name for whom it all began on the all-weather. In fact, it will be exactly two years ago on Saturday that he ran out an emphatic debut winner at Kempton.

Speaking of all-weather anniversaries, there is another one which promises to set tongues wagging over the coming hours, as I write this now on Wednesday morning. After all, it is tonight at Kempton that a potentially informative maiden will be run, that which was won last year by another celebrated Appleby trainee in the subsequent 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes hero Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Rest assured, the outcome of both divisions of that race will be picked apart in detail here next week, but for now I can tell you that the odds-on favourite for the first division is a Ghaiyyath (Ire) colt by the name of Opera Ballo (Ire), trained by, you guessed it, Charlie Appleby. Watch this space…

 

Time the Great Healer

The loss of Measured Time is sure to leave a significant void at Moulton Paddocks, but if there was an ounce of recompense to be found in recent days, then that too came on the all-weather in the shape of winners at Kempton and Wolverhampton, both three-year-olds with the potential to make their presence felt at a higher level in time.

Dunstall Park winner Treasure Fleet (GB) is making his second appearance in this space in as many weeks, having maintained his unbeaten record with a comfortable win in the novice run over an extended mile on Tuesday. Burdened with a 7lb penalty for his debut victory over the same course and distance three weeks earlier, the son of Kingman (GB) and Listed winner Pure Excellence (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) justified odds-on favouritism with the minimum of fuss, readily asserting in the final furlong to land the spoils by two and a quarter lengths.

Admittedly, it's possible to pick holes in what Treasure Fleet achieved–the runner-up had finished well beaten when making his debut the previous month, while the overall time was comfortably the slowest of the four contests run over the extended mile on Monday's card–but jockey James Doyle was complimentary enough in his post-race debrief with Sky Sports Racing, expressing his view that the steady pace didn't see his mount to best effect. “The further he went, the better,” Doyle summarised, suggesting it's over middle-distances that this expensive breeze-up buy is likely to really come into his own.

As for Kempton winner Tribal Act (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), he's already shown himself to be a thorough stayer in the making, having powered to a seven-and-a-half-length win in the maiden run over a mile and three furlongs on Wednesday of last week. It was a performance which saw him fully confirm the promise of his debut over the same course and distance five weeks earlier, when making late headway to finish fifth in a maiden won by stable-mate Aegean Prince (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

The Godolphin homebred is the fourth winner from five runners out of the Listed winner Show Day (Ire) (Shamardal), a full-sister to the G2 Dahlia Stakes and G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes heroine Usherette (Ire) and a half to the Listed winner and GII Canadian Stakes runner-up Magnetic Charm (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}).

Already gelded, Tribal Act still looked far from the finished article at Kempton–he was slowly away, before hanging right when produced to lead inside the final two furlongs–and this relentless galloper can only improve as his stamina is drawn out further.

 

Tribal Act (Sea The Stars) does the business nicely at @kemptonparkrace pic.twitter.com/UfLT291vST

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 22, 2025

 

Burke Bandwagon Rolls On

At the other end of the distance spectrum, Rebel's Gamble (Ire) looked one of the most promising three-year-old sprinters we've seen on the all-weather this winter as the full-brother to Nahaarr (Ire), runner-up in the G2 Duke Of York Stakes, made it two from two with an explosive display in the six-furlong novice at Newcastle on Thursday.

When the son of Dark Angel (Ire) won a similar event at Southwell at the start of the month, I wrote that his debut performance didn't really have the wow factor, but it was a different story at Gosforth Park as he brushed aside his chief market rival, Rainbow Nebula (Fr) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}), to whom he was conceding 7lb. Still hard on the bridle when moving up to challenge the leader entering the final two furlongs, he then proceeded to streak clear to win by five and a half lengths with plenty in hand.

It wasn't simply a case of style over substance, either. The overall time, for example, compared favourably with that of the class 4 handicap run over the same course and distance earlier on the card, while runner-up Rainbow Nebula brought a solid level of form to the table, having finished a close-up third when making his debut in the Newcastle novice won by The Watcher (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) back in December.

Rebel's Gamble and The Watcher both hail from the Middleham yard of Karl Burke, who was also among the winners at Kempton on Wednesday when newcomer Zeus Olympios (GB) struck in the seven-furlong maiden at odds of 2-7. That SP suggests anything other than victory for the son of Night Of Thunder (Ire) would have been a disappointment, so it was a case of job done, even if he didn't exactly set the world alight in beating a now-six-race maiden by a length.

“He has been working really well at home but he's had his niggles,” jockey Clifford Lee told Racing TV afterwards. “He's done that quite nicely in a race that didn't feel that strong. I thought going to the two-furlong pole I was going to pick them up and do it quite easily, but then the greenness kicked in and I had to get after him.”

The first foal out of the Listed-placed Rhea (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred Zeus Olympios should certainly improve for the experience and he couldn't be in better hands with Burke, who is ticking along nicely at a 31% strike rate since the turn of the year, having saddled nine winners from 29 runners at the time of writing.

 

Look at him go!

Rebel's Gamble is very impressive for @CliffordleexLee and @karl_burke at @NewcastleRaces, making it two wins from as many starts… pic.twitter.com/Wmq55aygpx

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 23, 2025

 

No Stopping Night Of Thunder

It's been a similarly blistering start to 2025 for Darley's Night Of Thunder, who has fired in a hat-trick of new three-year-old winners since the last installment of Winter Watch, in which his Purple Rainbow (GB) earned a very favourable mention following her impressive success at Kempton on January 15.

In addition to the win of Zeus Olympios, Night Of Thunder enjoyed an across-the-card double on Monday, as Dance In The Storm (GB) battled to victory in the seven-furlong fillies' novice at Wolverhampton, before Thunder Song (Ire) kicked off his career in style in the seven-furlong maiden at Dundalk.

The Joseph O'Brien-trained Thunder Song probably didn't face much in the way of meaningful opposition on his debut, but there was plenty to like about the way he overcame greenness to run out a decisive winner, still looking full of running as he hit the line three lengths clear of his closest pursuer.

Bred by James Hanly of Ballyhimikin Stud, Thunder Song is out of the winning Oasis Dream (GB) mare Song Maker (GB) who, in turn, is out of the G2 Cherry Hinton Stakes scorer Please Sing (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}). A 90,000gns purchase at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, before he was then withdrawn from the Arqana May Breeze-up Sale, this gelding most definitely finds himself in the shop window now, appealing as just the sort to interest overseas buyers.

As for Jeff Smith's homebred Dance In The Storm, she's a half-sister to Dancing Star (GB) (Aqlaam {GB}) and Foxtrot Lady (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}), both winners of the G3 Sceptre Fillies' Stakes at Doncaster. Incidentally, Dancing Star has done her own bit to contribute to Night Of Thunder's electric start to 2025 through her four-year-old son, Storm Star (GB), who has climbed to a BHA rating of 95 following back-to-back wins over a mile at Newcastle.

Storm Star is the fourth generation of this family to have been bred by Smith at his Littleton Stud, after his purchase of Peckitts Well (GB) (Lochnager (GB}) around four decades ago. Her first foal was the remarkable Lochsong (GB) (Song {GB}), the European champion sprinter of 1993 and 1994, and she went on to produce another winner of the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes in Lochangel (GB) (Night Shift), the grandam of Dance In The Storm and great grandam of Storm Star.

The influence of Night Of Thunder can certainly be seen in Dance In The Storm who, like Storm Star, looks more of a miling type than many in her family. Fifth on her debut at Chelmsford back in November, she showed the benefit of that experience with an accomplished performance at Wolverhampton, albeit she was a shade keener than ideal through the first part of the race. Despite that she was able to save plenty for the finish, ultimately winning by a length and three-quarters, having dug deep to repel what looked a threatening challenge from the runner-up.

It was a performance backed up by the clock–the overall time was at least 0.8 seconds faster than both divisions of the class 6 handicap which followed–and this filly is very much one to be positive about for a sire who can seemingly do no wrong at present.

 

Nice performance!

Dance In The Storm – a half-sister to Stewards' Cup winner Dancing Star – stamps her class on the race, defeating Dancing Colours under Callum Hutchinson! @AndrewBalding2 | @WolvesRaces pic.twitter.com/2qBIm329KU

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 27, 2025

 

Hello Zaman, Goodbye Rivals

Another notable performance on the clock last week came from the James Tate-trained Hello Zaman (Ire), the winner of the first division of the six-furlong novice at Lingfield on Friday, in a time around 1.7 seconds faster than the second division won by Sweet Couture (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). In addition, it was a whole second faster than the class 6 handicap which kicked off the card.

The son of Hello Youmzain (Fr) was always to the fore in a race run at a solid pace, so it was testament to how well he maintained the gallop that his closing sectional of 11 seconds flat for the final furlong was the fastest of any horse in the field, skipping clear of the sole previous winner in the line-up, Miraculous (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), for a three-length success.

A first winner for James Tate in the colours of Jaber Abdullah–who raced Hello Youmzain with great success before he was sold to Haras d'Etreham and Cambridge Stud–Hello Zaman was purchased for 40,000gns when offered by Mountain View Stud at Book 3 of the October Yearling Sale. He is the first foal out of the Listed-placed Dandy's Beano (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) who, in turn, is out of a half-sister to the GII San Antonio Stakes scorer Blingo (Artie Schiller).

Both that pedigree and the manner of his victory at Lingfield suggest we're dealing with an out-and-out sprinter in Hello Zaman, one who has always been held in high regard, according to his trainer.

“I've always liked him a lot,” Tate told the Racing Post. “He had a few babyish niggles as a two-year-old, which is why he didn't appear until December, and he was very green on debut. Thankfully, he showed a bit more like what we think of him there.”

Only fifth when making his first racecourse appearance at Southwell, Hello Zaman was clearly a sharper model with that outing under his belt and further progress should ensure that he develops into a smart sprint handicapper, at the very least.

 

He's bolted up!

Hello Zaman records impressive sectionals in the final furlong, scoring second time of asking for @CliffordleexLee and James Tate at @LingfieldPark… pic.twitter.com/2upW4VHtjv

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 24, 2025

 

Winners in Waiting

Cupola (GB)
Harry Angel (Ire)-Adorn (GB), by Kyllachy (GB)
Cheveley Park Stud homebred Cupola, a half-sister to the G2 Richmond Stakes winner Saayerr (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) and G2 Flying Childers Stakes runner-up Ornate (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), came home with a wet sail to take third in the six-furlong novice won by Sweet Couture at Lingfield on Friday. Beaten just half a length at the line, she probably would have won had she not been left with so much ground to make up, albeit that was entirely self inflicted through a slow start and a lack of know-how when first asked for her effort. That experience won't have been lost on her and she can make amends before too long.

Dancing Teapot (Ire), runner-up at Dundalk (November 22) since publication
Padua (Ire), seventh at Kempton (December 4) since publication
Marhaba Ghaiyyath (Ire), winner at Lingfield (December 3) since publication
Safe Idea (GB), third at Wolverhampton (December 21) since publication
Indian Springs (Ire)
Spanish Voice (GB)
Noble Horizon (GB)
Dixieland Blues (GB)
City Of God (Ire), winner at Southwell (January 17) since publication
War And Love (GB), runner-up at Chelmsford (January 11) since publication

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