Dubawi juvenile Irish Field stepped up on his second place in the G3 Prix du Bois earlier this month to land the G2 Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte, leading home Broox, by Darley Japan stallion Xaar.
Trained in Spain up until now by Mauricio Delcher-Sanchez, the colt, who won his first two starts in Madrid, looks to have run his last race in Europe as he has been sold and will shortly be transferred to race in Hong Kong.
Out of the Hernando mare Turkana Girl, Irish Field is named for the country in which he was bred by Denis McDonnell. He is the eighth Group winner for Dubawi, who oldest runners are three and include 2,000 Guineas winner Makfi, dual Italian Classic winner Worthadd and King Edward VII Stakes winner Monterosso.
Shamardal, who headed Dubawi in last season’s leading first-crop sires’ table, posted a new Stakes winner on Sunday when the Australian-bred Gingerbread Man won the Listed Juvenile Championship at Kranji in Singapore. Bred in NSW by R and BN Harvey, the colt is out of Quaffle, by Hurricane Sky, and is a half-brother to Quaffle On, a winner for Exceed And Excel.
Shamardal, whose short stud career to date has already produced VRC Oaks winner Faint Perfume and dual French Classic winner Lope de Vega, continues to excel, with his current northern hemisphere two-year-olds including the eight-length G3 Anglesey Stakes winner Dunboyne Express, currently rated the top juvenile in Europe with a Timeform mark of 119p.
Another Darley stallion enjoying a tremendous season is King's Best and he celebrated yet another new black-type winner on Sunday when Kilo Alpha won the Listed Prix Bagatelle on the same card as Irish Field at Maisons-Laffitte.
Bred on the same cross that has already produced this year’s record-breaking Derby winner Workforce and G1 Lockinge Stakes winner Creachadoir, who stands alongside his sire at Haras du Logis, Kilo Alpha is out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Anasazi and is a full-sister to the multiple Listed winner Runaway. Like Workforce, Kilo Alpha was bred by Juddmonte Farms.
