City Of Troy's half-sister set for career launch at Leopardstown for Ballydoyle and Coolmore

Our resident bloodstock experts profile the well-bred eyecatchers and expensive purchases set to grace the track.

TAKEMETOTHEMOON

Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (4.10, Leopardstown, Saturday)

What's the story?

A fortnight before her year-older half-brother City Of Troy bids to cap his glorious career by beating the Americans in their own backyard in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, Takemetothemoon makes her debut much closer to home.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly contests the 7f maiden at Leopardstown, in which she has been drawn eight in the 14-strong line-up.

How's she bred?

The two-year-old is by Coolmore America supersire Uncle Mo and out of the Galileo mare Together Forever, winner of the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile and a full-sister to Oaks heroine Forever Together, and a half-sister to fellow top-level winner Lord Shanakill. 

Together Forever’s masterpiece, at least to this point, is City Of Troy, this year’s Derby hero and also winner of the Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International, not to mention the Dewhurst as a juvenile. He is by fellow Ashford Stud sire Justify.

City Of Troy: half-sister makes her debut at Leopardstown on SaturdayCredit: GROSSICK RACING

City Of Troy’s year-older full-brother is the Group-placed winner Bertinelli (renamed Unbelievable after going to Hong Kong), while the mare produced full-siblings to War Front for the previous three years.

The middle of those foals became the Group 3 winner Military Style, who stood his first season at Haras du Tallis this year.

Together Forever’s first runner was the Listed-placed King Of Athens, while Absolute Ruler, her 2018 foal, was Group-placed and also a winner over hurdles.

Who does she face?

This looks a typically interesting maiden for the track, and there are debutantes from other big yards including Dermot Weld, Willie Mullins, Jessica Harrington and Johnny Murtagh.

Ballydoyle also fields newcomer Guarded, by Frankel and out of Scat Daddy’s daughter So Perfect, the dual Group 3 winner and also placed multiple times at Group 1 level, most frustratingly of all when short-headed by O’Brien-trained stablemate Fairyland in the Flying Five Stakes.

Weld fields Moyglare homebred Bella Isabella and Jaber Abdullah’s Bint Queen Kindly – you can have one guess who she is out of – both of whom have strong pedigree profiles.

Mullins will have his mind on other matters soon enough, the Melbourne Cup being chief among them, but Barnane Stud’s homebred Candleford Green, out of Dorcas Lane – the owners clearly fans of the BBC drama Lark Rise To Candleford – is a sibling to a few winners, notably Listed scorer Candleford and Royal Ascot winner Atty Persse.

None of the eight with racecourse experience have set the world alight yet, so chances are one or more of the newcomers will be in the shake-up.

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