Notable newcomers galore in egg-citing Easter package in Ireland and Britain

It’s hard to know where to start with Saturday’s nine-meeting offering in Ireland and Britain, but certainly for those who like their maiden events, Cork, Newbury and Nottingham will provide plenty of interest.

At Cork, the 1m2f maiden for three-year-olds and up (4.00) has drawn a big field, and quite a few catch the eye.

One such is Ballydoyle’s Fleet Commander, a brother to this year’s Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup winner Russian Emperor, who also won the Hampton Court Stakes for Fleet Commander’s trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Late sire Galileo needs no introduction, while dam Atlantic Jewel was an exceptional performer herself, winning four top-level races down under including three at Caulfield,

Fleet Commander runs in the Atlantic Jewel Syndicate silks and was bred by Coolmore, Louri Macri and partners.

Stablemate Martinstown - and no, he is not owned by JP McManus, rather his daughter, and Martinstown's breeder, Sue-Ann Foley in partnership with Coolmore - is also by Galileo and out of Listed winner Alive Alive Oh.

That makes him a brother to last year’s Park Hill Stakes and Prix Minerve winner Free Wind.

Also in the line-up is the Joseph O’Brien-trained Olympicus, who led a Marking Your Card the other day but was a non-runner.

He is by US Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of Prix Marcel Boussac and Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Rumpelstiltskin, and so a half-brother to Yorkshire Oaks winner Tapestry, and to Group 3 winner John F Kennedy.

Turning to Newbury, and both divisions of the mile maiden (4.10 and 4.45) look belters and will take some winning.

In division one, Nawras is something of a happy throwback in being a 625,000gns purchase by Shadwell at the October Book 1 sale of 2020, prior of course to Hamdan Al Maktoum’s death the following year.

Bred by Fittocks Stud and Andrew Bengough out of the once-raced Umniyah, the son of the great Sea The Stars is a brother to US winner The Path Not Taken. He represents the Marcus Tregoning yard.

In division two, Tregoning unleashes a Shadwell homebred, Morghom, a brother to a winner and half-brother to five more, notably Greenlands Stakes and Jersey Stakes winner Mustajeeb.

Out of Rifqah, he is by Dubawi and like his stablemate in the preceding race will have the assistance of Jim Crowley in the saddle.

Among his rivals is James Wigan’s homebred Morning Post, trained by Sir Michael Stoute. By Time Test and out of Hayyona, the colt is closely related to New Bay’s son Bay Bridge, a four-time winner last year, including of the Listed James Seymour Stakes.

Bay Bridge: his close relation Morning Post is set for his debut at Newbury on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Another homebred to catch the eye is Yvonne Jacques’ Indemnify, the first foal out of Lingfield maiden winner Karisma, and by Lope De Vega. While the dam did not scale too many heights on the racecourse, she is a half-sister to Classic hero Phoenix Of Spain by Lope De Vega.

The 1m3f maiden (5.20) that follows looks red-hot too. Charlie Appleby, who has started the Flat season in tremendous form, saddles two highly interesting newcomers in Natural World and Ottoman Fleet.

The former, a son of champion sire Frankel, is a Godolphin homebred out of Skiffle, winner of the Listed Height of Fashion Stakes.

Ottoman Fleet - the mount of William Buick, which perhaps suggests he is the stable number one - was a 425,000gns purchase by Godolphin from the 2020 October Book 1 sale. By Sea The Stars, he is out of Innevera, a well-related winner in France.

Among the opposition is another costly purchase from the 2020 yearling sales, in the John and Thady Gosden-trained Shadowfax, who set connections back €490,000 at Arqana.

Representing Qatar Racing and LNJ Foxwoods at Newbury, the colt is by Galileo and the first foal out of Prix Minerve winner Golden Valentine, from the family of the great Goldikova.

There’s not much time to take a breather as the notable maiden action continues into the evening at Nottingham, where the mile and a quarter contest (6.15) in particular looks worth keeping tabs on.

Among the 13 declared, and from the always to be respected combination of Roger Varian and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, is Almeric, a half-brother to Aclaim, no less.

Dam Aris was an Irish maiden winner herself, producing the Group 1-winning Aclaim, who has gone on to be a successful sire at the National Stud.

Three-year-old Almeric is by Frankel and set his owner back 360,000gns at Book 1 in 2020 - a sale that is something of a theme to Saturday’s action.

Also carrying the colours of Sheikh Obaid is Space Odyssey, a son of Sea The Stars out of the owner-breeder’s Lady Of Dubai, who was a Listed winner at Goodwood and also third behind Qualify in the Oaks. The homebred is with the Richard Hannon yard.

The Stoute-trained Believe In Stars, owned by Saeed Suhail, was a Book 2 purchase in 2020 for 175,000gns and he is a brother to Rose Of Kildare, who totally belied her €3,000 price tag by claiming three Group 3s.

Their dam Cruck Realta was a fair performer in her racing days, taking the Listed Ballymacoll Stud Stakes, and her Nottingham runner on Saturday is by Make Believe.

Stoute also runs the Queen’s homebred Naval College, who has already been gelded ahead of his debut.

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