With almost two months of juvenile races run in the 2009 flat season, Darley sires Royal Applause and Kheleyf are leading the charge for sires of the younger generation in Britain and Ireland with five two-year-old winners apiece as of 21 May.
Now aged 16, Royal Applause's name has become synonymous with speedy, precocious stock and he has featured in the top ten two-year-old sires in five of the past eight seasons. His son Acclamation became leading first-season sire in 2007.
An early winner for Royal Applause this season is Royal Infidelity, a son of Aweless (Seattle Slew) bred by Lady Chryss O'Reilly's Skymarc Farm and Castlemartin Stud. The Tommy Stack-trained colt has his first Stakes engagement this weekend in the Listed Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh.
Fellow two-year-old winner Corporal Maddox, bred by Theobalds Stud, has the Weatherbys Super Sprint as a longer-term target while Jaber Abdullah's homebred Dream Deer holds an entry for the G1 Phoenix Stakes in July.
Kheleyf (pictured) was leading first-season sire numerically last year with 31 winners in Europe. He has wasted no time in emulating this flying start in 2009. The Noelle Walsh-bred Leleyf won on debut on 30 March and followed this up with her second victory at Salisbury in May. She heads for next week's Listed Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley and could also aim to follow in the footsteps of her year older paternal half-sister Jargelle in landing the Weatherbys Super Sprint on 18 July, a race which is also on the agenda of recent Mussleburgh winner Reignier, who was bred by Sean Gollogly.
Several members of Kheleyf's exciting first crop are engaged at Royal Ascot: Group Three winner Percolator may face Waffle in the G1 King's Stand Stakes while G1 Middle Park Stakes runner-up Sayif looks set to contest the G1 Golden Jubilee and Godolphin's Playfellow, a Listed winner last term, is entered in the G1 St James's Palace Stakes.
Kheleyf stands at Kildangan Stud in Ireland at a fee of €12,000 and Royal Applause at the Royal Studs, Sandringham for £9,000, both October 1, Special Live Foal.
