March started well on the first day with a win from homebred Dream Ahead colt FIERY SPICE. At the other end of the ratings another Dream Ahead homebred and Avodale’s first foal VISIONARY stayed on for a comfortable victory in a smart Conditions race in Ireland over 7 furlongs. Today, the 15th March, FIERY SPICE pulled off the hayrick winning for the third consecutive time off a mark of 65. A good training performance by Robert Cowell.

The Dasmal team has had a good start to the year, headed by Visionary who looks like he should progress as a three year old into a smart performer. His win this year has seen his rating rise to 94.

Another winner was homebred Fiery Spice who, returned at the sale for box walking, broke his maiden at the third attempt over the minimum having shown greenness his first two outings.

A third winner was Abatement on Saturday 28th at Lingfield. Such a stunning yearling Mark was underbidder at Tattersalls and having failed to acquire him recommended Mr Dasmal take a share in him with Highclere.

There were also promising runs from Majeed, King Cole and Speed Hawk in Dubai. We are still looking forward to Vin Chaud making his reappearance.

Both Majeed and Vin Chaud showed their upwardly mobile profiles with wins in May at Kempton and Maison Lafitte respectively. They are both rated now in the nineties and are exciting prospects for the summer. Both were bought by Mark at Arqana in Deauville.

Mark was delighted to purchase an Invincible Spirit colt for 75,000 guineas at the 2015 Craven Breeze up for a new partnership. The colt will be trained by Classic winning trainer Roger Varian.

Alizoom’s Craven Breeze

Prince Suhail obliged in the Al Jazira Handicap in Abu Dhabi to become Khalifa Dasmal’s first winner of the year. Bought by Mark Crossman as a yearling he had a modestly successful career in France before being taken out to Dubai last year.

Mark Crossman and Khalifa Dasmal, in whose colours Dream Ahead won five Group 1 races, support the stallion once again this year when going to 240,000gns for this colt from Brightwalton Stud. Angus Gold is the underbidder.

He is the sixth yearling purchased so far this year by Crossman on behalf of Dasmal.

“He will be trained by David Simcock,” said Crossman. He looked the pick of the Dream Aheads, we looked at them all. I think he’ll be a two-year-old, he’s as much like his sire as any I’ve seen – apart from the colour!”

“I’ve been buying for Khalifa since 1991, when we met through a mutual friend in the Bombay Brasserie in London. We’ve enjoyed a lot of success, including Prohibit and Dream Ahead.”

He is the first foal out of his dam, a winning half-sister to Celebration Mile winner Zacinto. His third dam is the 1997 Oaks heroine Reams Of Verse.

Led by a filly out of Flanders that realised 400,000gns to Lordship Stud last week, the first progeny of Dream Ahead have sold consistently well this year – his sale stats currently read 54 yearlings sold for an average of 87,239gns.

Brightwalton Stud paid 125,000gns for Complexion through Anthony Stroud in 2012 so the operation is already ahead with the mare thanks to the sale of this colt.

“He was a lovely horse and correct all the way through,” said stud owner Jeffrey Hobby. “There’s no better way to start the mare. She has a Lawman colt this year – he’s a real belter and will be offered next year – and is in foal to Mastercraftsman.

“It’s nice for the stud, as we’re still relatively new – we started in 2007/08. We mainly breed – we have ten mares – but have the odd pinhook.”

2014 has been a solid season with 12% winners to runners. The star emerging has been Speed Hawk who will continue his upwardly mobile campaign as a turning four year old in Dubai. We hope also to see Dragoon Guard back on track in early 2015.

Others now off to Dubai for the Dasmal team include Prince Suhail and Hard Run.

The yearling buying season is almost at an end. I have been buying mainly Dream Ahead stock for Mr Dasmal although we also got a very nice colt by Fast Company who has already been named Great Company and will go into training with Harry Dunlop representing his first horse for the Dasmal team. Another “freshman” trainer for Dasmal racing is Ralph Beckett who will get a Dream Ahead yearling I bought at Goffs. Other purchases include:-

A colt by Dream Ahead out of Tarawa to be trained by Francois Rohaut in Pau
A filly by Dream Ahead out of Big Monologue to be trained by Henri Francois Devin in Chantilly
A colt by Fast Company out of Sunlit Silence to be trained by Harry Dunlop in Lambourne
A colt by Dream Ahead out of Gladstone Street to be trained by Ralph Beckett in Kimpton
A filly by Iffraaj out of Eyrecourt to be trained by David Simcock in Newmarket
A colt by Dream Ahead out of Silent Secret to be trained by Marco Botti in Newmarket.
A colt by Dream Ahead out of Lamentation to be trained by David Simcock in Newmarket
A colt by Dream Ahead out of Complexion to be trained by David Simcock in Newmarket
In America we acquired a colt by Scat Daddy out of Volver and a sister to Speed Hawk by Street Boss, both to be trained by Robert Cowell.

There is also two homebred colts by Dream Ahead out of Poly Blue and High Spice who have yet to be assigned a trainer.

A very exciting war chest!

On 14th January, Noble Citizen, a nine year old gelding and stable favourite, obliged at Southwell in the Ladbrokes Apprentice Handicap under a sneaky ride up the rail from George Buckell.

This leaves Mr Dasmal’s UK winners to runners statistics standing at 100% for 2014.

Noble Citizen has been a good servant to Mr Dasmal generally paying his way although this win had been two years in the waiting.

To extract from the European Business News:

Narrowly defeated by a short head over course and distance 14 days ago, Dragoon Guard (Jeremy) made a winning return, running on readily to score by a length and three quarters at the third attempt.

He is the third foal out of the placed Elouges (Dalakhani), who is a half-sister to the Gr.2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner and sire Mons
(Deploy), who was also placed in the Gr.1 Racing Post Trophy and the Gr.1 Jockey Club Stakes. Her other siblings include the Gr.1 Irish Oaks third Inforapenny (Deploy), the Listed Godolphin Stakes-placed Funday(Daylami) and the talented hurdler Pigeon Island (Daylami). The second dam, Morina (Lyphard), was a winner at three in France and is also the second dam of the US Listed winner and Gr.2-placed Pronto Pronto (Snitzel) and the French Listed-placed Funmaker (Xaar). The third dam, Arewehavingfunyet (Sham) won the Gr.1 Oak Leaf Stakes, Gr.2 Del Mar Debutante Stakes and the Gr.3 Landaluce Stakes amd was placed in the Gr.1 Del Mar Futurity, Gr.1 Mehmet Stakes and the Gr.1 San Felipe Handicap. She produced eleven winners from 13 runners, including the Listed Kensington Handicap winner and sire Have Fun (Topsider) and the Gr.2 Fort Stakes-placed Holiday Camp (Chester House).

An exciting three year old prospect.

Speed Hawk became Mr Dasmal’s eighth winner of the season when winning at his second attempt at Kempton over 6 furlongs on September 12th and promises to be a useful 3 year old sprinter next year.

Dragoon Guard a stoutly bred 2 year old by Jeremy, nearly overcame a bad draw to go down by a nose over a mile at Wolverhampton at his second attempt. He looks to be an exciting middle distance horse for next year but will have another go this year to win at two.