Interesting 2YO prospects for 2021

I thought it might be worth putting up potentially good 2YO horses for this season. They might not amount to anything but based on pedigrees and the trainers they are with you would hope they might turn out to be useful at least.

Some of these horses don't even have names yet but are related to some good ones in the recent past. The O'Brien's are choked with quality as usual and of course more of them will fail than succeed but I have tried to focus on full siblings to names who will be familiar to most followers of flat racing.

First up is a colt with a name and he is called PARIS LIGHTS by Siyouni out of Cabaret, which makes him a full brother to St Marks Basilica, who won the Dewhurst last season. Trained by Jessica Harrington, he will be of interest when he hits the racecourse.

I'll add more over the coming days.

 

As well as St Marks Basillica (in 2018) Cabaret (Paris Lights dam) also produced Magna Grecia (in 2016) that is quite some results she has had over the past 3 seasons courtesy of these 2 animals. Group 1 wins in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Will the old girl get the 4 timer up in 2021???

 

Been a bit busy with other things this week but here is another I am looking forward to seeing.

PERSIST is owned by Cheveley Park Stud and has been sent to William Haggas. As a daughter of Frankel there is automatic interest to some racing fans but this filly is the first foal of Persuasive, a grey that was very talented for John Gosden. She was by Dark Angel and her finest hour was landing the QEII from Ribchester and Churchill, where she clocked a RPR of 121.

Although mum was grey, Persist is a bay filly and she was an early foal, born on 18th January, who could have an age advantage, in theory, as a 2YO. Persuasive herself didn't appear as a 2YO until November but did make a winning debut and then won first time up in her 3YO season. She improved with her racing and she foiled my ante-post bet on Ribchester in that QEII in what was to prove her final start.

Hopefully Persist is on the scene earlier that her Dam and we get the chance to see her this season.

 

Another Frankel I'm afraid and unimaginatively called Frankella, a filly with Andrew Balding. She is owned by Jeff Smith and out of his tough filly Arabian Queen. There's a year older gelding full-brother who doesn't appear up to much but often first foals can be disappointing. I'd imagine Balding will try to get a few runs into her this year and hopefully she'll win a race.

 

I think Neil Jones is an American, and he breeds and races his produce in the British Isles (Roman definition). In the early '90s he bought a Ballymacoll discard called Ballerina (a beautiful name for a filly and at the same time one of my favourite Van Morrison songs). Let's hear Van now....

The double bass directs and rocks the song, while there are nice vibes.

Well Ballerina was a Dancing Brave half-sister to Sun Princess, whom Dick Hern said was the best filly he ever trained and he trained some good ones. nd Ballerina proved very fertile and capable as a broodmare, while Sun Princess was a relative disappointment as a broodmare though another half-sister produced the really good colt Spectrum and a sister who produced Conduit: so a good branch. Ballerina bred Jones a St Leger winner Millenary (Rainbow Quest) and the useful colt and Derby 3rd Let the Lion Roar (Sadler's Wells). Jones had these horses trained by John Dunlop but for a while sent horses to John Oxx. Lately he's been sending horses to Harry Dunlop, who trained a nice colt Knight to Behold for him.

Choosing 2yo prospects from a list of pedigrees is a mugs game and my offering here is M'Lady Nicole who is a Sea the Stars filly out of an unraced mare called Angel of the Gwaun, who is a full-sister to Let the Lion Roar. M'Lady Nicole is a full-sister to Knight to Behold. My reasons for putting her up is not only the breeding but the fact that Jones has sent her to Haggas. Wouldn't expect to see her before August.

 

I like the look of Aidan O'Brien's HMS Endeavour.

This colt is by War Front out of Lady Eli. The sire is well known but this is Lady Eli's first foal. Lady Eli was a top class horse who won 10 of her 14 races for Chad Brown and she earned over £2 million in her career. Obviously these pedigrees don't always pan out but I thought HMS Endeavour was a fascinating prospect for the season.

Holds entries in 5F and 6F races at Naas on Saturday. I would have thought 6F would suit better.

 

Back to sobriety

 

Pardon me sir? I don't get your point here.

HMS Endeavour isn't running at Naas this weekend but has an entry in a maiden at York next Thursday.

 

I was ridiculing my previous post and congratulating you bringing it back to subject

 

It didn't take her long! Cabaret achieved the 4 timer yesterday when St Mark's Basilica took the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. And the 'Racing Post' today proclaimed 'Cabaret elevated herself to the truly elite class of broodmares as she produced her second Classic winner'.

When Paris Lights does make it onto the track that is quite some family reputation he is going to have to maintain.

 

Another one to look for could be Only.

Trained by Aidan O'Brien it is unlikely that we will good odds on this filly when she first appears and I am sure that her main targets will be later in the season.

By Deep Impact out of Winter, who won English and Irish Guineas before pulling off a hat-trick in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. She then stepped up to 10F to win the Nassau, before just being pipped in the Matron Stakes and then failing to get involved upped to 12F in the Arc.

Deep Impact has sired 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior and numerous progeny rated in the 110's and above. Sadly no longer with us, it would be nice to see Only turn out to be talented and perhaps harbour dreams of big things in 2020.


Only (Deep Impact-Winter)

 

This next horse is a filly I had looked at earlier, based on the breeding but she didn't have a name at that time. She does have one now and is called Prettiest.

Prettiest is by Dubawi out of Alice Springs and is trained by Aidan O'Brien. Alice Springs was a filly I backed ante-post for the 1000 Guineas back in her 2YO career but she was later overtaken by Minding as the top filly in the yard. Alice Springs was 3rd to Minding in that Guineas and didn't hit her stride until later in the season, where she won three Group 1 races.

Prettiest makes her debut at Navan today and she has been backed. She holds an entry for the Group 2 Airlie Stud later in the season. Faces a couple of useful looking previous runners today and even if not winning of debut she may show promise for the longer term.

Prettiest (Dubawi-Alice Springs)

 

Touchdown.

Very taking debut from Prettiest. Always to the fore, she kept finding in front and then perhaps got a little tired but had more than enough to hold on. You would think she can only come forward from this and it will be a step up in class next time.

 

Nice prospect on looks and pedigree, put in at 10/1 for the Albany. Havent watched much of the 2yos yet but will take a nice type to put me off her for that race, Obriens record in the race not great and the form on paper nothing special but looks to have the tools to do much better.

 

Prettiest was given a rating of 86P by Timeform. Of the top 100 rated 2YO's by Timeform this season, only four have been awarded the Big P.

Another is Charlie Appleby's son of Lope De Vega, New Science.

New Science has been mooted as a possible for the Chesham at Royal Ascot.

 

Frankella makes her debut in the 2yo race at Salisbury today. Hope for a promising run in a race that looks popular with top stables: all unraced except one.

 

Aidan O'Brien has said that Prettiest wasn't really ready to run when she made her debut. Contarelli Chapel was going to be their Albany filly but she chipped a bone when beaten at odds-on on her second start. They decided to bring Prettiest's schedule forward, in order that she could get a run in time to then head to the Albany on her second start.

Only 5/1 for the Albany now, the trainer has said she was getting tired in the final furlong last time because she wasn't fully tuned up. You would expect more now and long term she is 33/1 for the 1000 Guineas. That has to be a better bet than Point Lonsdale at 16/1 for next year's Derby. Have Layers already forgotten that you could have backed Adayar at 40/1 on the morning of this year's race? 16/1 is some kind of sick joke and I can only imagine what price he will be with a win in the Chesham.

 

Only 5th for Frankella and beaten a shade over eight lengths. I was surprised to see her starting at 6F on fast going.

I would have thought she will need a mile to be seen to effect this season and it seems sure she will be upped to 7F next time. Slowly into stride and outpaced, this seemed a strange starting place for her.

 

When I read Ballerina I immediately remembered this marvellous song

Together with Walk Away Renee and She May Call You Up Tonight one of their three best songs.

Sorry for the Off-Topic but I couldn't help it, it's a band I like a lot.

 

Looked smallish. Given a very gentle introduction and will need to show more in order to be a competitor.