Winter Watch: More to Come from The Last Dance

[Wandering Eyes]

Alongside the Godolphin duo of Nations Hope (Ghaiyyath) and Palladas (Lope De Vega), The Last Dance (Iffraaj) recently made an impressive debut at Chantilly to become the third European-trained three-year-old to be named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' since our Winter Watch run began back in November.

It looked a strong race in which The Last Dance debuted on March 3, facing eight other newcomers over 9.5f on the Chantilly all-weather. They included the Wertheimer homebred Maine (Night Of Thunder), a sibling to two winners of the G1 Prix Vermeille in Aventure (Sea The Stars) and Left Hand (Dubawi), as well as the Andre Fabre-trained Mennula (Wootton Bassett), a daughter of the dual American Grade III scorer Aigue Marine (Galileo).

In the event, however, it was all about one horse as The Last Dance dominated from start to finish to win by 4 1/2 lengths, always travelling well within herself before quickly sprinting clear of Mennula when shaken up entering the final furlong. The right horses completed the frame as well, with Maine staying on well to pass the post a short neck behind Mennula in third.

Bought for €105,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale, The Last Dance is a half-sister to another talented performer from the Carlos and Yann Lerner yard in Godspeed (Hello Youmzain), who was a six-length winner on her Chantilly debut last February and later won the G2 Prix de Sandringham, as well as finishing fourth in the G1 Prix Rothschild.

Don't be surprised if the Lerners plot a similar path through 2026 with The Last Dance, with her Classic entries in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches – in which Godspeed finished eighth last year – and Prix de Diane suggesting that she's a filly thought capable of mixing it at a much higher level.

 

Francis Graffard Starts To Flex His Muscles

Staying in France, champion trainer Francis-Henri Graffard has fired a couple of early warning shots across the bows of his rivals, with the newcomers Grande Baigneuse (Kingman) and Lord Clover (Siyouni) featuring among the others to have the caught the eye at Chantilly.

The performance of Lord Clover was particularly striking as he ran away with the 1m maiden staged on February 25, ultimately proving in a different league to his nine rivals as he forged clear in the closing stages to win by 6 1/2 lengths. He has entries in both the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey Club, as well as a pedigree which suggests he's one to follow.

A €200,000 purchase at the August Yearling Sale, the Siyouni colt is out of the G3 Prix de Lieurey heroine and G1 Prix de l'Opera third Lady Frankel (Frankel), a half-sister to the dual Classic-winning sire Lope De Vega, among others. Lord Clover is the first winner from two runners out of Lady Frankel who, incidentally, is now in the ownership of Bobby Flay after changing hands for €900,000 when offered at the 2023 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale as part of the Gestut Ammerland dispersal.

As for Grande Baigneuse, she wasn't quite so emphatic when winning over 9.5f on February 19, but it was a pleasing start to her career nonetheless as she ran on well under a hands-and-heels ride to take the measure of Aurora Beau Real (Siyouni) close home, with just a length separating the two market principals at the line as they pulled another 4 1/2 lengths clear of the rest.

The first two both hold entries in the Prix de Diane and Aurora Beau Real, who was an expensive purchase at the August Yearling Sale when bought for €500,000, should be a banker for a similar event next time, while Grande Baigneuse, whose dam is a half-sister to the Irish Derby winner Treasure Beach (Galileo), appeals as a smart prospect for middle-distances. She most recently sold for €140,000 at the Arqana May Breeze-up Sale, having previously fetched 52,000gns as a foal and 78,000gns as a yearling when going through the ring at Park Paddocks.

Last but not least for our summary of the recent action across the Channel, Turbulente (Australia) is another filly who could well prove up to taking up her Prix de Diane entry if the manner of her debut success at Chantilly is anything to go by.

Another Wertheimer homebred, Turbulente ran out authoritative two-length winner of that 9.5f heat having travelled strongly throughout, with the runner-up, Persian Grace (Persian King), giving the form a solid look given that she'd filled the same position when making her debut at Deauville last August. Turbulente is out of the Listed-winning Kendargent mare Armoricaine and black-type races will surely be on her agenda before too long.

 

A Familiar Story With Hidden Force

In addition to the aforementioned Nations Hope and Palladas, Hidden Force (Frankel) looked yet another exciting prospect for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin when providing those connections with a third consecutive victory in last month's “European Road To The Kentucky Derby” Conditions Stakes at Kempton.

Following a promising debut success at the same venue back in December, Hidden Force proved well suited by the step up to 1m when following up in comfortable fashion on February 25, justifying short odds with the minimum of fuss as he asserted in the final furlong to land the spoils by 1 3/4 lengths.

Much like the stable's two previous winners of that contest, Notable Speech (Dubawi) and Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath), stiffer tasks now lie ahead for Hidden Force, who is a general 25/1 shot for the 2,000 Guineas and has a winner of that Classic fairly close up in his pedigree. His dam, the Listed scorer and dual Group 3-placed Winter Lightning (Shamardal), is not only a half-sister to the dual Dubai Wold Cup winner Thunder Snow, but also to the G3 Oh So Sharp Stakes heroine First Victory (Teofilo), who is perhaps best known as the dam of Coroebus (Dubawi).

A Classic trial looks the obvious next step for Hidden Force, while his stablemate, Pursuit Of Love (Sea The Stars), also deserves a positive mention following his debut victory in the 11f novice run at Southwell on February 28. A half-brother to the G2 Hardwicke Stakes winner Fanny Logan, he looked better the further he went, ultimately winning by 2 3/4 lengths from the Karl Burke-trained High Storm (Nathaniel). He's a thorough stayer in the making and has scope for plenty of improvement with that in mind.

 

Spigot Lodge Firing On All Cylinders

Burke might have been out of luck with High Storm, but it's been a good couple of weeks for his team at Spigot Lodge otherwise, with five winners from 18 winners (28% strike-rate) in Britain during that period.

Most recently, Soul Love (Starman), a half-sister to last year's G3 Superior Mile Stakes second Excellent Believe (Make Believe), looked a potentially smart sprinter when making it two from two with a determined win in the 6f novice at Newcastle on Friday, keeping going well after taking a keen hold to beat favourite Silent Strike (Mehmas) by half a length.

Owner-breeder David Ward has a number of bright prospects by his July Cup hero Starman to look forward to in 2026 – including last year's G2 Rockfel Stakes runner-up The Prettiest Star – and this filly is most definitely another one.

Similarly, Burke is blessed with plenty of strength in depth among his three-year-old contingent, as advertised in the past fortnight when two of his four entries in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket were among the winners.

The first of them was Wolverhampton scorer Crown Relic (Kingman), a rare Southern Hemisphere-bred colt to go into training on these shores. Facing seven rivals in the 7f maiden run on February 23, he made a most promising start to his career in pulling clear with the now-78-rated runner-up, Waterford Castle (Sea The Stars), with Sam James able to ease him down late on to register a decisive success by 2 3/4 lengths.

Crown Relic, whose granddam is the G2 Cherry Hinton Stakes and G2 Lowther Stakes winner Lucky Kristale (Lucky Story), now heads back to Wolverhampton on Monday evening for a 7f novice and the next step in his education.

Billecart (Night Of Thunder), meanwhile, could be another for Burke with Classic aspirations after his five-length stroll in the 1m novice run at Newcastle on Thursday, drawing right away in the final furlong to win exactly as you'd like to see from a 1/6 favourite.

One of four winners from five runners out of the Listed October Stakes scorer and G3 Chartwell Fillies' Stakes third Intense Pink (Pivotal), Billecart could line up next in the Listed Burradon Stakes over the same course and distance, according to Burke, and he remains with significant potential after just two starts, having finished fourth behind the subsequent Group winners Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) and Constitution River (Wootton Bassett) on his debut at Newmarket's July Festival.

 

Amo Spending Starts To Bear Fruit

Billecart featured among a whole host of big-money purchases made by Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing in 2024, in his case when selling for 380,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Admittedly, that spending spree didn't immediately bear fruit on the racecourse in 2025, but it's fair to say that there have been more encouraging signs in the first few months of this year, with Billecart being joined by at least two other three-year-old winners with black-type potential.

Blanc De Blanc (Not This Time), who cost her connections $575,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is the obvious one after her victory in the 1m Patton Race at Dundalk on February 27. She proved a much more professional model there than when making a winning debut over the same course and distance seven weeks earlier, hitting the front over a furlong out and gradually moving clear from there to land the spoils by three lengths from the now-89-rated Whatchadoin (Starman).

One of five winners out of the winning Galileo mare Wonderful, a full-sister to the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders' Cup Turf hero Magician, Blanc De Blanc holds a bunch of Classic entries, and it will be interesting to see where she lines up next to try and book her place in one of them.

Back in Britain with Kevin Philippart de Foy, another Amo runner with Classic engagements is Sin City (Too Darn Hot), who justified odds-on favouritism when kicking off his career in style with a smooth success at Lingfield on February 21. Admittedly, he very much enjoyed the run of the race on that occasion, always prominent in a steadily-run affair over the 1m trip, but there was plenty to like about the manner in which he quickened up when asked for his effort, overcoming signs of greenness to get the verdict by 3/4-of-a-length.

Bought for 200,000gns at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale, Sin City's pedigree is nothing out of the ordinary, but he's certainly shown that he can run, much like stablemate Domenico Contarini (St Mark's Basilica), despite that colt meeting with defeat on his debut in the 1m novice run at Newcastle on February 24.

Domenico Contarini, who most recently sold for 750,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale, pulled five lengths clear of the remainder at Gosforth Park with favourite Exmoor (Farhh), with the latter just doing best in the closing stages for a one-length verdict.

Both horses should progress from this and win plenty of races, even if Exmoor doesn't have share the fancy entries held by Domenico Contarini. Trained by Andrew Balding for Al Shaqab Racing, Exmoor himself was a 380,000gns purchase at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale.

The post Winter Watch: More to Come from The Last Dance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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