As befits the season’s leading sire the Aintree Grand National meeting worked out well for Yeats, and the stallion’s progeny, although without a big race win, added again to their sire’s seasonal prize-money tally.
Yeats’s 2022 Grand National-winning son Noble Yeats claimed fourth place in the big race, Flooring Porter took third in the JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle (G1), and there was a one-two in the valuable Village Hotels Premier Handicap for the seven-year-olds West Balboa and Pounding Poet.
However, the most interesting results from a British and Irish sires’ perspective was achieved by a stallion away from the top order and who pocketed two decent results – the Old Road Stud-based sire Arctic Cosmos bagged a first-ever Grade 1 winner with daughter Apple Away, winner of the Winners Wear Cavani Sefton Novices Hurdle (G1), while his son Blizzard Of Oz finished a promising second in the Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk National Hunt Flat Race.
Arctic Cosmos has stood at the Hannon family’s Old Road Stud since retiring to stud in 2013. The son of North Light (Danehill), bred by Sheridan and Ladora Farm, enjoyed a Classic-winning three-year-old campaign with victory in the St Leger, that success coming after he collected a second spot in the King Edward VII Stakes (G2) and third place in the Gordon Stakes (G2).
After his Doncaster success, the John Gosden-trained colt went on to finish second in Ascot’s Cumberland Lodge Stakes (G2) and then travelled to Woodbine for the Canadian International (G1) where he was a good fourth behind Sarah Lynx (Montjeu), Joshua Tree (Montjeu) and Treasure Beach (Galileo).
Arctic Cosmos’s four-year-old year in 2012 did not reap anything like the same rewards and, after picking up the Listed Magnolia Stakes at the start of the season, he finished last in three subsequent starts.
He is the first and best runner out of the 10-time winner Fifth Avenue Doll (Marquetry) and is from the first crop of the Ballymacoll Stud-bred North Light, who was standing his first season at Adena Springs, Kentucky in 2006.
As a yearling, Arctic Cosmos was sold at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale in 2008 where he was bought by Blandford Bloodstock from Pier House Stud for 47,000gns. He was owned in training initially by Gosden’s partner Rachel Hood with Robin Geffen joining the ownership team in 2011.
Apple Away was bought by trainer Lucinda Russell and Paul McIvar at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale 2022 for £35,000, sold by Ballynoe Castle Stud for breeder, owner and point-to-point trainer Terence Leonard after she had picked up form figures of 2,4,1 in Irish maidens.
Her purchase is very indicative of Russell and McIvar’s buying methodology – the pair steer away from the top draw and successfully pick out top prospects at a sensible price, horses who are not always the most “obvious”. And they always look for types who should stay 3m.
The six-year-old mare has now run seven times for Russell, has won four races and finished second and third once.
Her dam by Dr Massini managed to win a maiden point-to-point, her grand dam Dams Belle went one better with two maiden pointing wins and was dam of the Kennel Gate Novices’ Hurdle (G3) second placed Dr Des.
The third dam won twice under Rules (a hurdle and a chase) and was 11-time placed. She was dam of Danaeve, who finished third in the Ellier Novice Chase (G3).
It was an Aintree meeting to remember for Arctic Cosmos’s connections with the Willie Mullins-trained and Simon Munir & Issac Souede-owned Blizzard Of Oz taking second place in the Weatherbys-sponsored bumper.
There is a spot more quality in this pedigree than for the paternal half-sister – Blizzard Of Oz’s unraced dam by Definite Article is out of a half-sister to the World Hurdle (G1) winner More Of That.
The “double green” owners bought into the five-year-old Blizzard Of Oz after he had finished second in a Listed Limerick bumper last March for trainer Lar Byrne and jockey Harley Dunne. The gelding was bought as a three-year-old from Monamore Stables by Dunne and David Mullins for €16,000 at the Tattersalls May Sale, held that COVID year in August. Blizzard Of Oz, now a five-year-old, was bred by James Hannon.
Arctic Cosmos’s books have not been large, but he stands at only €2,500 and has proved he can get a good performer; and it would certainly be worth breeders with mares descended from Sadler’s Wells to consider him an option.
Both Apple Away and Arctic Cosmos’ second-highest rated runner Stellar Magic are out of mares by the former champion sire’s son Dr Massini, while Captain Cody, a bumper winner for Mullins when getting the better of Blizzard Of Oz at Limerick in January, is out of a mare by Cloudings. Captain Cody, though down the field in the bumper at Aintree, went on to finish sixth in the Weatherbys Champions NHF race at The Festival.
Even as we move through the descending generations of Sadler’s Wells and Danehill, the cross between the big two sires still provides breeders with rich seam of winners.