'She took a lot of pulling up after' - Darley's Earthlight off the mark as Lady Lightning catches the eye at Wolverhampton

Darley's first-season sire Earthlight made his presence felt on Monday when his first three runners all finished in the top two, led by Wolverhampton scorer Lady Lightning. 

Leading home a 1-2 for the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner, Lady Lightning showed plenty of her father's tenacity - not to mention his white blaze - to win by a length and three quarters. 

Winning rider Rossa Ryan told Sky Sports Racing:  "She was busy enough going down to the start so if I jumped I thought I’d have to let her roll away. When I got to the front she was happy, she relaxed for me and she kicked off the bend well. 

"I suppose the first day of school is all about teaching them, whatever about winning the race. To be fair to her when I straightened her up and asked her to switch leads for me she did and she picked up again. She did it well, took a lot of pulling up after, so I imagine there should be more to come early on this year."

Earthlight on his way to winning the Middle Park StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Ed Dunlop-trained filly was bred by Cashel Rock Bloodstock out of the German stakes winner Lady Liberty, a daughter of Shirocco and a half-sister to the ill-fated Canadian Grade 1 scorer Wigmore Hall and 2022 American Grade 1 heroine Ocean Road. The trio are out of Love And Laughter, a winning daughter of Theatrical and a half-sister to the Listed-winning Kissing The Camera, by Galileo. 

She sold from Wood Hall Sales to Glidawn Stud for 30,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale before making the same amount to Highflyer and Dunlop when consigned by Glidawn Stud at Tattersalls Book 1. 

Earlier in the day, at Lingfield, Earthlight was just denied the perfect start when his 325,000gns Book 2 graduate Target Man – his most expensive yearling through the ring – was denied by a neck to the once-raced Kuwaitya. The Amo Racing-owned colt is a half-brother to last year's Honeymoon Stakes scorer Selenaia, while their dam, the Declaration Of War mare Dettoria, is a half-sister to another 2023 American Grade winner in Star Fortress - bound for Saturday's Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland - plus Lake Forest, the winner of last season's Gimcrack Stakes. 

Earthlight was bred by Godolphin and sported the famous silks to an unbeaten five-race run at two, including in the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. A son of the operation's much-missed Shamardal, he also won a brace of black-type races at three and was narrowly denied a third top-level contest when a nose behind One Master in the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp. 

The seven-year-old retired to Darley's Kildangan Stud at an opening fee of €20,000 and stood for €15,000 this season.

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