Relation to In Swoop and Ito an intriguing debutante in the mares' bumper at Ascot

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

IZAKAYA

Betfair Mares' Open National Hunt Flat Race (4.45 Ascot, Saturday)

What's the story?

Izakaya could have skipped a racing career and gone straight to life as a broodmare given her dam is a half-sister to not one but two Group 1 winners on the Flat, and was purchased out of training as a three-year-old, but here she is, making her debut at six in a bumper.

How's she bred?

Impeccably, which is to be expected given that her family originates from one of Germany's most influential and globally renowned stud farms. By Adlerflug, Izakaya was bred by Gestut Hachtsee and is the fourth foal out of her rather undistinguished dam Ituila, who won twice as a three-year-old in Germany.

However, Ituila's Adlerflug half-brothers are much more distinguished than her. They are In Swoop and Ito.

Unraced at two In Swoop defeated subsequent Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso on just his third start when providing Adlerflug with a one-two in the Group 1 Deutsches Derby of 2020. Trained by Francis Graffard for Gestut Schlenderhan, that year In Swoop was also runner-up to Sottsass in the Arc and to Mogul in the Grand Prix de Paris.

Kept in training as a four-year-old,  In Swoop added the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and the Group 3 Prix d'Hedouville to his list of victories. He was acquired by Coolmore as a stallion prospect and stands under their National Hunt banner at The Beeches Stud in County Waterford. His first crop are juveniles of this year.

The flashy bay is the younger full-brother to Ito, who was triumphant in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern to earn him the title of Germany's champion older horse of 2015. In addition to that top-level success, Ito was a dual Group 2 winner in Germany for his owner-breeder Gestut Schlenderhan and trainer Jean-Pierre Carvalho.

Ito was second in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin and in the Group 2 Prix Foy, and he was also third in the Group 2 Grosser Preis der Badischen- Wirtschaft. 

Ito: the Group 1 winner is a full-brother to In SwoopCredit: Yorton Farm

He spent his first season at stud at Gestut Ammerland before transferring to Gestut Erftmuhle and he is now beginning his third season at the Futter family's Yorton Farm in Shropshire

In Swoop and Ito are sons of the Group 1 Preis der Diana winner Iota, who is the dam of two of Adlerflug's nine individual Group 1 winners. By Tiger Hill, Iota is also the dam of Group 3 Counties Cup winner Igraine, by Galileo, who is from the family of Adlerflug.

Izakaya is inbred to that outstanding family as Adlerflug's grandam Alya is a Lombard full-sister to the blue hen Allegretta, who is the granddam of Izakaya's broodmare sire Tertullian.

The six-year-old bay will carry the green and yellow silks of Raymond Allen and is trained by Camilla Poulton. If she can manage to win on Saturday and then go on to add black type to her resume, then her €6,000 purchase price at Arqana in December 2022 will look remarkable.

Who does she face?

It's a tough ask for her first start as Izakaya is up against some experienced rivals, including Belle Le Grand, who is making her first start for Dan Skelton and the Paddy Brennan Racing Syndicate. She won a bumper at Fairyhouse in October for Yvonne Latta and the runner-up that day was Karate Kid, who went on to win at Leopardstown over Christmas before selling for £100,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock at last month's Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale.

Another former jump jockey's syndicate with a last-time-out winner is Noel Fehily, whose Ludlow winner Jackie Hobbs represents Harry Derham. She was bought for £130,000 at Goffs Aintree last April, having made a winning debut for Paul Pierce in a four-year-old fillies' maiden at Monksgrange, defeating Holloway Queen.

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