No Nay Never

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a half-brother to G1 St Leger third The Mediterranean (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 16.45 Dundalk, Mdn, €14,000, 2yo, c/g, 8f (AWT) Atlantic Thoroughbreds' 140,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate ATLANTIC BREEZE (IRE) (No Nay Never), a Donnacha O'Brien trainee, is a son of MG1SP G2 Queen Mary...

By Emma Berry and Kelsey Riley NEWMARKET, UK--Philipp Stauffenberg is well known for being a pretty fearless pinhooker but he surpassed even his own decent results of the recent past when selling a full-sister to Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) to Cheveley Park Stud for 825,000gns. A further compliment to the filly's family was paid by having the team from Juddmonte as underbidders, and this type of scenario was in Stauffenberg's mind when he paid €260,000 for lot 110 at Goffs last December. "She was a very good physical but...

A snapshot of history, that of the Shergar (GB) colt Authaal, takes pride of place on a wall in the bar within the Goffs sales auditorium. Close to four decades have passed since that image was taken of the white-faced youngster and a celebratory Trish Hyde following his sale for Ir3.1 million gns to Tote Cherry-Downes. It had been a record-breaking transaction, a moment of enough consequence to hit the national news, and for vendor Timmy Hyde of Camas Park Stud, one that had repaid handsomely on the colt's Ir325,000gns...

NEWMARKET, UK--Ah, the yearling sales. It's a long old season and sometimes the more elderly members of the press desk can get a little jaded by the halfway point, not to mention discombobulated. After all, we're at a Tattersalls Ireland sale in Newmarket, where instead of selling in guineas or euros, the horses are changing hands in sterling. But every now and then a feelgood story comes along to soften even the stoniest of hearts. Let's face it, the day started pretty well: the sun shone and the free ice-cream...

Improving again off her success in the G3 Princess Margaret S. at Ascot July 24, Saeed Al Tayer's Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never) made the three-pound penalty of Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) tell as she denied that G3 Albany S. and G2 Duke of Cambridge S. winner by a length in Thursday's G2 Sky Bet Lowther S. at York. Always in the perfect spot closely tracking the pace, the 6-1 shot was delivered on the front end by Ray Dawson with a furlong remaining as Kirsten Rausing's previously-unbeaten 6-5...

G1 Coronation S. and G1 Sussex S. winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) will revert to the mile distance over which she won those two features for the Oct. 16 G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. after beating just one home in Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International over a mile and a quarter. The 3-year-old filly, who also won last year's G1 Cheveley Park S., was racing beyond a mile for the first time. "Going up to a mile and a quarter was always going to be a punt," said trainer...

Group 1 winner Ebro River (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) is likely for the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket on Sept. 25 provided that fellow Al Shaqab Racing runner and G3 Molecomb S. winner Armor (GB) (No Nay Never) runs in the Aug. 22 G1 Prix Morny according to trainer Hugo Palmer. "He's come back [from Ireland] great, you wouldn't know he'd had a run to be honest," said the Newmarket handler of Sunday's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. hero. "I think Al Shaqab are very keen to run Armor in...

The catalogue for the Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale, featuring 14 yearlings by the late 12-time European Champion Sire Galileo (Ire), is now online. Slated for Oct. 5-7, the sale is also jam-packed with yearlings by fellow top sires Dubawi (Ire) (20), Frankel (GB) (24), Kingman (GB) (43), Lope de Vega (Ire) (43), and Sea The Stars (Ire) (34) just to name a few. Of the 502 yearlings-all eligible for the £20,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus--set to go through the ring at Park Paddocks, there are half- or...

It would be perfectly natural to feel some regret for having sold a mare in the same year that she foaled a subsequent treble Group 1 winner. But you will hear nothing of the sort from Michael Gaffney of Churchtown House Stud, breeder of Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never). "We are absolutely thrilled with what she has done. We are very proud of her and very pleased for her owner Jeff Smith," says Gaffney. "It's a huge thing for us to have bred a filly like her--we are not...

In the battle between the 3-year-old colts and fillies, it was Jeff Smith's Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) who prevailed over Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) with an impressive success in Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Goodwood. Trapped wide throughout the early stages from her wide draw and forced to take back and race towards the rear, the 7-2 second favourite who had annexed the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 18 was delivered by Oisin Murphy to cut down Jim Bolger's G1 2000 Guineas and...

Al Shaqab Racing's Armor (GB) (No Nay Never) backed up an Apr. 24 maiden score at Doncaster with a close-up fifth, to the reopposing Chipotle (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}), in Royal Ascot's June 16 Listed Windsor Castle S. and announced his arrival on the juvenile scene with a devastating closing burst to seal an impressive triumph in Wednesday's G3 Markel Molecomb S. at Goodwood. The 6-1 chance was sharply into stride from the stands' side stall and occupied a forward berth in sixth through the early fractions of this five-furlong...

Entering Saturday's G3 Princess Margaret Keeneland S. off an impressive maiden win over this six-furlong trip at Newmarket June 25, Saeed Al Tayer's Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never) was produced in the nick of time by the young weighing room talent Ray Dawson to nose out Desert Dreamer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in a brief rainstorm at Ascot. Held up towards the rear early racing alongside the eventual runner-up, the 15-2 shot came stand's side of the pack while that 9-4 favourite was taken far side in what amounted...