Ballydoyle Big Guns to Debut at Leopardstown

Leopardstown's evening card July 25 features a pair of pattern races for 2-year-olds, with group 2 runner-up Precious Moments—a Gleneagles half sister to Royal Ascot winners Big Audio and Sword Fighter—looking to shed her maiden tag in the Jockey Club Of Turkey Silver Flash Stakes (G3), and Ballydoyle's winning Galileo colts Armory and Toronto set to line up for the Japan Racing Association Tyros Stakes (G3).

Before those feature races, though, some more potentially high-class juveniles are set to have the wraps taken off them in the Frank Conroy Irish EBF Maiden over a mile. For a taster of the caliber of horse we might see emerge from the contest, look to the 2011 renewal, in which the great Camelot made a winning debut.

Camelot's trainer, Aidan O'Brien, has three colts engaged this time around, and all have striking claims on pedigree.

Cabot Hills is by first-season sire Gleneagles—already on the mark with two stakes winners in Royal Lytham and Southern Hills—out of O'Brien's brilliant racemare Peeping Fawn, who finished third in the Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1), second in the Vodafone Epsom Oaks (G1), and then won the Audi Pretty Polly Stakes (G1), Darley Irish Oaks (G1), Blue Square Nassau Stakes (G1), and Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1).

Peeping Fawn, a Danehill half sister to Thewayyouare, is the dam of four winners, including September, successful in the Chesham Stakes and just touched off into second in the Bet365 Fillies' Mile (G1), and Coventry Stakes (G2) third Sir John Hawkins.

Seamie Heffernan takes the ride on Coolmore homebred Cabot Hills.

Cormorant, the mount of Donnacha O'Brien, is a gray son of superstar sophomore sire Kingman out of the Dansili mare Shemya, a middle-distance winner in France and a granddaughter of Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks, G1) heroine Shemaka.

We can construe that this colt, bred by Michael Wates, possesses exceptional looks as he was bought by Coolmore's M.V. Magnier for 1,050,000 guineas (US$1,443,504) at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last year, completing a stunning pinhook success for Michael Fitzpatrick, who bought him as a foal for 135,000gns ($191,744).

Ryan Moore has chosen to partner the third Ballydoyle newcomer, Yankee Stadium. The colt is owned in partnership by Coolmore and Moyglare Stud and was bred by the latter operation by sending the dual U.S. grade 1 winner Switch to the venerable Galileo.

A daughter of Quiet American, Switch enjoyed her finest moments when winning the La Brea Stakes (G1) and Santa Monica Stakes (G1), both top-level events over seven furlongs at Santa Anita Park, in the winter of 2010/11. At the end of her career, she was added to the Moyglare Stud broodmare band for a cool $4.3 million.

Moyglare Stud has another newcomer in the race, Dark Pine, who will be saddled by his regular trainer, Dermot Weld, rather than O'Brien.

That colt is by Ballyhane Stud flag-bearer Dandy Man out of Suitably Discreet, an unraced daughter of Mr. Prospector and Canadian champion Alywow, making him a half brother to grade 2 scorer Speaking of Which and Juddmonte Beresford Stakes (G2) runner-up Capital Exposure.

Look to the Sky

Another newcomer to note Thursday comes at Doncaster.

Sky Vega, a €600,000 ($686,280) Arqana August Yearling Sale purchase, is set to have his first run in the Trent Refractories Novice Stakes over seven furlongs on Town Moor.

The Richard Hannon-trained 2-year-old owes his huge price tag to the fact he is a Lope de Vega full brother to champion 2-year-old and subsequent Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (G1) victor Belardo.

The pair were bred by Ballylinch Stud out of Lowther Stakes runner-up Danaskaya, a Danehill three-parts sister to multiple listed winner Modeeroch.

Sky Vega will carry the colors of China Horse Club, which owns the colt in partnership with Ballylinch.