Dawn Approach has made a superb start to 2018 and last weekend, two of his earliest winners of the new year, Court House and Morning Has Broken, followed up in impressive fashion when each recording their second straight victories.
The John Gosden-trained Court House, who broke his maiden over a mile at Newcastle on Thursday 4 January, justified odds-on favouritism at Lingfield today when despite being slowly away, flew home over the same distance to win by almost four lengths. There may well be better yet to come for this promising performer, who has since been allotted a Timeform rating of 96p.
Bred by Nanallac Stud and now running in the colours of HRH Princess Haya, Court House is out of the Cape Cross mare Crossanza, also dam of Stakes-winning filly Cape Factor.
Later on the same card, exciting filly Morning Has Broken followed up her seven-furlong win at Kempton on Saturday, 6 January with another convincing victory, this time over a mile.
Always in command and quickening well once asked for her effort a furlong out, David Elsworth’s charge has earned herself an entry for this year's G1 1,000 Guineas.
Morning Has Broken was bred by Mrs Clodagh McStay and is out of the winning Halling mare Romie’s Kastett, a full-sister to Group winner Norse Dancer.
A day earlier, Dawn Approach added another new winner when Viridorix (trained by Jean-Claude Rouget) was victorious at Cagnes-sur-Mer, while on Thursday, 18 January, the Irish-bred filly Sunshine Mist was victorious over six furlongs at Kenilworth, South Africa, despite carrying the same weight as horses approximately six months older than her.
Dawn Approach, European Champion Juvenile and 2,000 Guineas hero, recorded an impressive four Group or Stakes horses with his first runners last year. He stands at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €20,000, October 1, Special Live Foal.
