The first juvenile stakes race of the year in Ireland was run overnight with business as usual for ‘King of the Kids’ No Nay Never, while classic trials for three year-olds produced new stakes-winners for Siyouni and Saxon Warrior.
Coolmore’s classy Scat Daddy son No Nay Never was the Champion European 2YO Sire last year with six stakes-winners, three of them Group I winners and he’s started fast again this year with the Aidan O’Brien trained colt His Majesty winning the Listed First Flier Stakes (5f) at The Curragh on debut.
He scored a stylish three-quarter length win stamping himself as a candidate for Royal Ascot. The race was won last year by another No Nay Never colt in Blackbeard, who went on to a busy juvenile season that yielded G1 wins in the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes.
“He did it lovely. He's a lovely, big, sleepy horse. Seamus gave him a chance and he came home well. He has loads of speed and is a big mature horse. He will have no problem with six,” said Aidan O’Brien.
Bought for 325,000 guineas from the Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale, His Majesty is the first stakes-winner among three winners from Group III winning Sixties Icon mare Czabo.
He is the 46th stakes-winner for No Nay Never, who shuttled to Coolmore Australia for four seasons and now stands in Ireland at a fee of 175,000 euros.
On the same program the Listed Tetrarch Stakes (1m) for 3YO’s produced a first stakes-win for the favourite Paddington, a progressive colt by Siyouni trained by Aidan O’Brien.
He won by a length and a half over Deep Impact colt Drumroll and has now won three of four starts and holds entries for French and Irish Guineas, plus the Epsom and Irish Derbies.
A 420,000 euro purchase from the Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale, Paddington is a half-brother to stakes-placed Masterpiece from stakes-winning Montjeu mare Modern Eagle. He is the 69th stakes-winner for Siyouni and is the second for him from a daughter of Montjeu, the nick producing 12 winners from 15 runners.
The Group III Prix Greffulhe (2100m) at Saint-Cloud produced another stakes-winner for Aidan O’Brien with Saxon Warrior colt Greenland scoring a tenacious nose win.
Competitive in stakes races last year without placing, Greenland has now won two of seven starts and holds entries for all the big races.
A 300,000 guinea purchase from the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, Greenland is the best of two winners from stakes-winning Canford Cliffs mare Aktoria.
He is the fourth stakes-winner for Saxon Warrior, who shuttled to Coolmore Australia for four seasons, but is not on the roster for this year.
