Exciting season ahead for Danehill Dancer
16th May 2007
Coolmore's established star names have enjoyed a great start to the 2007 season, not least Danehill Dancer - who looks to have a live candidate for all the top G1 mile races in Betty Moran's colt Jeremy (4c Danehill Dancer-Glint In Her Eye by Arazi) pictured right.The Brookdale Farm-bred colt, a $375,000 weanling purchase from Keeneland, landed the G2 Betfred Mile at Sandown on his seasonal return, hitting the front before a furlong out and going on to score by a length and a half under Frankie Dettori.
"He was a good three-year-old last year and seems to have improved through the winter - he won very easily," said Dettori.
Considering future targets, winning trainer Sir Michael Stoute added: "He's entered in all the top mile races, but we shall have to stop and think about it."
Jeremy was conceived when Danehill Dancer was standing for a fee of just Ir9,000gns and expect to hear plenty about him this year as the products of the better mares he subsequently covered appear.
Indeed he is responsible for two of the best two-year-olds seen out this season, both trained by Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle.
At the Curragh last week, Warsaw (2c Danehill Dancer-For Evva Silca by Piccolo) justified strong market support to land the Listed Coolmore Stakes by a length and a half.
"He's quick and there's plenty of length to him," said O''Brien. "He did it effortlessly and is a possible for the G2 Norfolk Stakes or Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot."
Warsaw was bred at Jimmy Murphy's Redpender Stud and sold for 250,000gns as a yearling.
A day before Warsaw's victory, Achilles Of Troy (2c Danehill Dancer-Twice The Ease by Green Desert) ran out a five-length winner of the maiden at Newmarket in which George Washington made his debut two years earlier.
Achilles Of Troy, a 115,000gns yearling who was bred by Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House, is another set for Royal Ascot.
"Achilles of Troy was very green first time out at Naas, but he learned a lot from that and he has always been pretty quick," said O''Brien. "We will put him in both the G2 Norfolk Stakes and G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and shuffle our options nearer the time, but it would not matter if he stayed at five furlongs or moved up to six."
Danehill Dancer's own sire Danehill continues to make his presence felt at the highest level and he looks set to have a brilliant flagbearer this year in Dylan Thomas (4c Danehill-Lagrion by Diesis), winner of last season's G1 Irish Champion Stakes and G1 Irish Derby.
Aidan O'Brien's charge quickened with great panache to take the G1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp by two lengths and he looks to be a leading contender for all the top prizes this year. He is ante-post favourite for both the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot.
