The opening day of the St Leger meeting at Doncaster on Thursday, 12 September proved very successful for Darley stallions Dubawi, Night Of Thunder and Pinatubo, who dominated the afternoon’s feature contests.
Night Of Thunder’s hugely exciting daughter Desert Flower was stepping up significantly in class having impressed on each of her first two starts, and the Charlie Appleby-trained filly took things in her stride in the G2 May Hill.
Settled off the early pace under William Buick, Desert Flower began to make headway a furlong out and eased to the front, crossing the line a length and a half ahead of January. Fellow Night Of Thunder filly Miss Tonnerre, who was making only her second start, was beaten less than three lengths into fourth.
Desert Flower is out of the four-time G2 winner Promising Run (Hard Spun), also dam of G3 Solario Stakes second Aablan (Dubawi).
Dubawi ensured that the Darley stallions enjoyed a clean sweep of the day’s Group races as his progressive three-year-old daughter Nakheel won the G2 Park Hill for Sheikh Ahmed al Maktoum.
Owen Burrows’ charge raced behind the early leaders for much of the contest, before being asked to quicken with two furlongs left to run. Nakheel ran on superbly close to home to see off the late challenge from Night Sparkle and win by a length and a half.
Nakheel is out of the Stakes-winning Galileo mare Into The Mystic, a half-sister to multiple Group winner Chachnak.
Earlier on the card, Pinatubo’s son Hallasan put up a gutsy performance to land the valuable 2YO Stakes, run over six and a half furlongs. Also running in the Godolphin blue, he was always prominent and entering into a tremendous battle inside the final furlong with Camille Pissarro, prevailed by a nose at the finish to record his second career victory.
Hallasan was bred by Highview Bloodstock and is out of Fig Roll (Bahamian Bounty), herself a Stakes-winning juvenile. He is a half brother to four winners, including G3 winner Al Raya.
