New Group winners for Churchill and Dark Angel at the Curragh as Cracksman filly keeps family in headlines at Hanover

The black-type action in Europe was spread between Ireland and German and three stallion farms in two countries will have been cheered by new stakes winners for their sires despite the rainy conditions.

At the Curragh on Sunday afternoon there were Group 3 winners for Churchill and Dark Angel while Cracksman added a Listed winner to his roll of honour with the success of Diamond Crown in Hanover.

Churchill registered an all-important juvenile Group win at the Curragh where Heavens Gate determinedly saw off the challenge of Fiery Lucy to claim the Group 3 Weld Park Stakes by a neck for Ballydoyle and Coolmore.

It was a double success for trainer Aidan O'Brien who, along with wife Annemarie, bred Heavens Gate under their Whisperview Trading banner.

Heavens Gate was making the seventh start of her career having been third behind stable companion Bedtime Story in the Group 3 Albany Stakes before filling the same position in the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, behind Arabian Dusk who was third in Saturday's Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes. 

The Churchill filly won the Ballyhane Stud Auction Stakes at Naas on Bank Holiday Monday and was fourth in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes.

She is the tenth foal out of Itqaan, a winning Danzig full-sister to the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes winner and Group 1 Champion Stakes runner-up Mawatheeq.

Of more consequence, Itqaan is a half-sister to Ghaanati, winner of the 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes, and they are out of the Listed Virginia and Oh So Sharp Stakes winner Sarayir who is a daughter of Shadwell's foundation broodmare Height Of Fashion.

Itqaan was purchased for €72,000 at the 2014 Goffs November Mares Sale from the Derrinstown Stud draft.

Heavens Gate is the 15th individual Group winner for Churchill who has sired three top-level winners including Vadeni and Blue Rose Cen, both of whom triumphed in Classics.

Gestut Brummerhof's Camelot colt out of Preis der Diana winner Diamanta sells to Anthony Stroud for a record €850,000 at the BBAG Yearling SaleCredit: BBAG

Dark Angel continues to enjoy his best season and he added a new Group winner at the Curragh when My Mate Alfie made the breakthrough in the Renaissance Stakes for Ger Lyons and Austin Whelan.

Ridden by Colin Keane, the three-year-old gelding had landed a massive premier handicap at the Curragh during the recent Irish Champions' Festival and he previously won the Listed Dash over course and distance on Irish Derby weekend. My Mate Alfie is one of 106 individual stakes winners that Yeomanstown Stud's kingpin has sired in his career.

Now the winner of four of his 15 starts, My Mate Alfie was bred by Peter O'Callaghan and BT Bloodstock and is out of the Group 3 Curragh Stakes winner and Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes fourth Bear Cheek.

That daughter of Kodiac has produced three winners from four runners including Shameful, from the first crop of Shaman, who made a winning debut at Newbury earlier this month for Clive Cox, Teme Valley and Austin Whelan. Shameful holds an entry in Redcar's Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy on Saturday.

Bear Cheek has produced four winners from five runners and has a yearling colt from the third crop of Invincible Army who made £35,000 to Clive Cox at the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale in late August.

At Hanover, Cracksman's three-year-old daughter Diamond Crown earned her first blacktype success in the Listed Grosser Preis der Privatbank ODDO BHF for Andreas Suborics.

The filly is owned and bred by Gestut Brummerhof, who recently celebrated selling the most expensive yearling ever at auction in Germany when Anthony Stroud went to €850,000 to secure their Camelot colt at the BBAG September Yearling Sale.

That colt is out of the Group 1 Preis der Diana winner Diamanta, who is a Maxios three-parts sister to Diamond Ring, the unraced dam of Diamond Crown.

Diamond Ring is a half-sister to the Listed Langer Hamburger winner and Group 2 Oleander-Rennen third Diamantis by Golden Horn and they are out of the Group 3 Preis der Winterkonigin runner-up Diamantgottin by Fantastic Light.

Second in the Group 2 T von Zastrow Stutenpreis at Baden-Baden earlier this month, Diamond Crown is the ninth stakes winner by Cracksman, whose best progeny is the unbeaten Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Ace Impact.

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