Snow Sky off the mark in Europe with maiden hurdle scorer

Yorkshire Cup and Hardwicke Stakes winner Snow Sky is off the mark as a sire in Europe courtesy of Twoshotsoftequila, who won a Sedgefield maiden hurdle for Rebecca Menzies and Hetton Boys.

The four-year-old was bred by Roger Symes and is one of just nine runners from the first crop of the Nayef brother to Prix Royal-Oak winner Ice Breeze. One of those is Glencorrib Sky, who was a winner over jumps at Colonial Downs for Katherine Neilson.

Twoshotsoftequila is the third winner out of the Heron Island mare Inouette and from the family of Minorettes Girl and Welsh National winner Mini Sensation. He was sold by The Dales Stud to Ian Ferguson for €9,000 as a foal at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.

Snow Sky stands at William Murphy's Ballycurragh Stud outside Carlow and is another classy performer out of a mare by the recently deceased Dansili.

The ten-year-old is a Juddmonte homebred out of the Listed-placed Winter Silence, who is a half-sister to top-level winners Meteor Storm and Polish Summer. She is also a half-sister to Group 3 winner Host Nation and Morning Eclipse, a Listed winner in France. Winter Silence is also a half-sister to Group 3-placed Winter Solstice, who is the second dam of Nassau Stakes winner Winsili.

Second dam Hunt The Sun is by Rainbow Quest and she is a sister to the Group 1 winners Raintrap and Sunshack.

A winner or placed in 11 of his 16 starts for Sir Michael Stoute, Snow Sky also won the Gordon Stakes and was third in the St Leger behind Kingston Hill.

His 2021 crop of foals is his largest so far, with 50 on the ground.

Read More

(£) Bloodstock Big Read with Ronnie O'Neill of Whytemount Stud

Death of pivotal and much-loved Juddmonte sire Dansili at 25

Malinas and Way To Paris leading the line at Coolagown

Sir Ron Priestley heads off for new career at stud