Second winner of the Morny for No Nay Never as Whistlejacket extends sire's reputation with two-year-olds

Whistlejacket joined the likes of Blackbeard, Ten Sovereigns and his full-brother Little Big Bear in highlighting sire No Nay Never’s prowess with two-year-olds by winning the Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday.

Remarkably, the colt was running at Deauville just eight days after his first crack at Group 1 level, in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, where he was second to Juddmonte’s Babouche.

Whistlejacket was bred by Camas Park, Lynch Bages & Summerhill out of the Bering mare Adventure Seeker, a Listed winner and Group-placed for the Wildensteins 

A good buy at €125,000 by Brendan Bashford Bloodstock when she came on the market at Goffs in November 2016, Adventure Seeker is also dam of the Phoenix Stakes winner Little Big Bear, who this year stood his first season at Coolmore alongside No Nay Never.

Whistlejacket may well be destined to join them in future, especially with this first strike at the top level under his belt, while the dam also has four other winners on her CV.

The Adain O’Brien-trained colt was having his sixth start of the campaign, his best previous effort coming when winning the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket.

His trainer indicated he would return there for the Middle Park Stakes, ahead of the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, his late-season target.

“He’s fast and precocious, and we thought he could do both races,” said the trainer, referring to the quick turnaround from the Phoenix.

“He’s very quick and Ryan [Moore, jockey] just let him go; speed is his big thing. He’s a five- to six-furlong horse.”  

No Nay Never had already struck in the Morny through 2022 winner Blackbeard – who likewise now stands at Coolmore – and he went on to land the Middle Park.

Ten Sovereigns was also a Middle Park winner, while Alcohol Free (Cheveley Park Stakes), Meditate (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf) and the aforementioned Little Big Bear are others who have showcased No Nay Never as a fantastic sire of two-year-olds.

He is more than that, however, with Alcohol Free training on to win three more times at the highest level, while Madame Pommery and Brooke have also won Group 1s for the sire.

No Nay Never stood his tenth season at Coolmore this year, at the slightly reduced fee of €150,000.

Adventure Seeker, meanwhile, could be in line for a slightly unusual double as Whistlejacket’s half-brother by Zoffany, Vin Rouge, holds an entry in a handicap hurdle at Newton Abbot on Thursday.

Read this next:

‘This will change my children's lives’ - Coulonces in clover as €12,000 investment returns a €420,000 sales star