A new era at Royal Ascot is crowned by milestone successes

Bradsell became the first Group 1 winner for Shadwell Stud’s Tasleet with his narrow victory in the King’s Stand Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot. Archie Watson’s three-year-old, from the first crop of the Group 2 winner by Showcasing, was also the first Group winner sired by Tasleet when he was successful in the Coventry Stakes at last year’s royal meeting.

Bred by Deborah O’Brien, who purchased his fourth dam Champenoise, he is the second winner out of Russian Punch, who was also bred by O’Brien and won Newbury’s Listed Radley Stakes for James Given at two. A daughter of Archipenko, Russian Punch is also the dam of May Punch, by Mayson, and she is offered in foal to Tasleet’s sire Showcasing at the upcoming Tattersalls July Sale by Whitsbury Manor, where Showcasing stands.

May Punch was sold by O’Brien through Houghton Bloodstock for 35,000gns at Tattersalls last December, when she was purchased by James O’Mahony. 

Bradsell was sold by O’Brien through Bearstone Stud, where she boards her stock, for 12,000gns at the Tattersalls Sommerville Sale and was snapped up by Highflyer Bloodstock and Harry Dunlop. His next visit to the sales ring yielded a better profit when sold by Mark Grant to Blandford Bloodstock for £47,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale and, after an impressive winning debut at York, he was bought privately by Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s Victorious Racing.

Tasleet is a homebred son of Showcasing for Shadwell and, from his first crop of racing age, the Greenham and Duke of York Stakes winner has sired Bradsell and recent Listed Prix Volterra winner American Sonja.

As a four-year-old Tasleet was runner-up in the Diamond Jubilee, as well as in the Sprint Cup and British Champions Sprint. He is out of Bird Cage, a Cadeaux Genereux half-sister to Champagne Stakes winner and July Cup third Etlaala and to Anna Law, dam of champion sprinter Battaash, who won the King’s Stand for Shadwell in 2020, and The Antarctic, successful in the Group 3 Lacken Stakes at Naas last month and twice placed in Group 1 contests at two last season. 

Tasleet retired to Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud for a fee of £6,000, a figure to which he returned ahead of this season on the back of Bradsell’s exploits.

Coventry winner a marker for Wootton Bassett

Wootton Bassett marked another career milestone on Tuesday, with the success of River Tiber in the Coventry a first Royal Ascot winner for the Coolmore sire. Now unbeaten in all three of his starts this season, River Tiber is the tenth winner of the race for his trainer Aidan O’Brien, who also became the most successful trainer in Royal Ascot’s history when Paddington added the St James’s Palace Stakes to his Irish 2,000 Guineas success later in the afternoon.

Previously Wootton Bassett has sired St James’s Palace third Wootton and Guildsman, who filled the same slot in the Coventry. His Royal Ascot trio of thirds was completed by Great Max in the Chesham.

River Tiber provides Wootton Bassett with a first Royal Ascot winner in the Coventry StakesCredit: Tom Dulat

River Tiber was bred by the Morrin brothers of Pier House Stud and sold by his breeders to MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 480,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1 last year. 

He is out of Transcendence, an unraced Arcano half-sister to the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes winner Mister Manannan and to Shermeen, a stakes winner at Santa Anita who is the dam of Phoenix Stakes and Railway Stakes winner Sudirman, last season’s Dee Stakes winner Star Of India and to Roman Empire, who was second in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes.

Second dam Cover Girl was a Listed winner in Norway and the family is that of Sandhurst Goddess, a half-sister to River Tiber’s third dam. A Listed-winning sprinter, she is the dam of Molecomb and Anglesey Stakes winner Lady Alexander. She in turn in the dam of Queen Mary winner Anthem Alexander, who was third in the Commonwealth Cup, and of Dandy Man. 

Sandhurst Goddess is also the ancestress of Irish 1,000 Guineas and Prix Rothschild winner Mother Earth and her half-sister Ocean Jewel, who was successful in the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes last Thursday, a race in which Sandhurst Goddess was second.

Transcendence was sold by Yeomanstown Stud at the Goffs Orby Sale for €90,000 to MV Magnier but never saw the racecourse and eventually was sold by The Castlebridge Consignment to Peter and Ross Doyle, in foal to No Nay Never, for 120,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale in 2017.

Her sire Arcano won the Prix Morny for Shadwell and began his stallion career at the operation’s Irish base of Derrinstown Stud, but moved to Italy and Allevamento de Besnate after five seasons in Ireland. Although disappointing as a sire, his daughters are showing promise as broodmares, with River Tiber joining the like of Middle Park and Richmond Stakes winner Supremacy, Sakheer, who won last season’s Mill Reef, Hans Andersen and Lemista as Group winners produced by Arcano mares.

Signing off with success

Ahorsewithnoname began her maternity leave on a high, earning Royal Ascot success to go with her Listed hurdles victory at Cheltenham earlier in the year for Nicky Henderson. In between those wins she was covered by Darley’s Group 1 winner Cracksman and has been scanned successfully in foal to the son of Frankel.

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Ahorsewithnoname ends her racing career with success at Royal AscotCredit: Mark Cranham

Part-owned by her breeder Dominic Burke, chairman of Newbury racecourse, the eight-year-old daughter of Cacique was fifth in the Cesarewitch last season and had mixed hurdling with Flat racing with a large degree of success, having been second to Love Envoi in the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2022 before going on to win staying handicaps on the Flat at Newbury and York.

She is a daughter of Cacique, a Grade 1 winner and full-brother to Dansili and Champs Elysees, who despite fertility struggles managed to sire a handful of Group 1 winners. 

Her dam Sea Of Galilee was also bred and owned by Burke and a winner at three, who has produced two winners from as many runners. By Galileo, she is out of the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil Summer Hurdle winner Messange Royale and was bought by Conor Cashman for 10,000gns at the Tattersall July Sale of 2016. She has a three-year-old gelding by Diamond Boy.

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