Europe
Hawk Mountain too good in the Futurity
Aidan O'Brien had a stranglehold on Saturday's G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy and was able to wrap up the British trainer's title with a one-two-three in the Doncaster feature led home by Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett).
Sent off the outsider of the trio at 18-5 under Ronan Whelan, the Beresford winner scrapped it out with Action (Frankel) as the 7-4 favourite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) floundered in the deep ground. At the line, he had half a length to spare over Lambourn's half-brother, with Benvenuto Cellini 2 3/4 lengths away.
“He's a lovely big horse who stays and has pace and a great mind, so he's very exciting,” the trainer said of the son of Galileo's high-class Hydrangea, who was bringing up a dozen renewals for the stable and a 23rd Group 1 win this year.
“We thought Action would be a middle-distance horse next year and he didn't surrender, whereas the winner could get away with being a miler before going up to middle distances.”
“He is big, but athletic and so chilled, he's hardly even blowing which is unusual,” O'Brien added of the winner. “He's 100 per cent homebred and there have been so many people involved with him all along–it's a big team. Christophe said Benvenuto Cellini didn't go in the ground, but he kept coming to the line. He's a good mover who handles fast ground well. They are three lovely horses.”
Aidan O'Brien | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Whelan was continuing his fine record for the operation in 2025 and was impressed by the winner, who he had also ridden in the Beresford. “He's still very babyish and it felt like my biggest job in the last furlong was trying to keep him straight and getting him to go forward,” he explained. “He's just quite idle and it felt like I had plenty more there.”
“The whole way round in the Beresford, he was ears pricked and dossing but when I could feel the others starting to come to me I gave him a smack and he just took off with me,” he added. “He doesn't do much and it's hard to tell where his ceiling is, it's hard to place all these horses. It's my second Group 1 for them this year and my first year being down there and kind of associated with them–it's nice to deliver and feel I belong.”
Pedigree Notes: Hawk Mountain is the fourth foal out of Hydrangea, who had the speed to win the Matron Stakes at a mile and stamina to add the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes to her tally over a mile and a half on testing ground. Her other two runners are Dubawi's Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes winner Wingspan, who was runner-up in the Fillies & Mares last year, and this year's Listed Tetrarch Stakes winner Officer.
Hydrangea is a full sister to the fellow Group 1-winning pair The United States and Hermosa, and to Salsa whose daughter of Wootton Bassett, Whirl, is one of the best in the yard having won this year's Nassau and Pretty Polly. Hermosa, who completed the 1000 Guineas-Irish 1000 Guineas double, is the dam of this year's Hampton Court Stakes winner and Grand Prix de Paris runner-up Trinity College, also by Dubawi.
From the Strauss dynasty of Last Tycoon and Zipping et al, Hydrangea has a yearling full brother to Hawk Mountain and a colt foal by Justify. She has been bred back to the latter for 2026.
Bloom and McAleavy's millionaire My Ophelia impressive
Unbelievably, there was a more expensive yearling purchase than My Ophelia (Wootton Bassett) in Saturday's mile novice at Newbury but it was Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's 1.7 million gns (AU$3.65 million) Tattersalls October Book 1 sensation who emerged as the TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard.
“He couldn't pull her up and she is still pretty raw,” she added. “You'd probably start at a mile next year and see, but she needs a little bit more practice yet.”
While the William Haggas-trained half-sister to the top-flight performers My Prospero (Iffraaj), My Oberon (Dubawi) and My Astra (Lope De Vega) played second fiddle to Alpinista's sister Alpinara (Frankel) at that auction, she was the one making headlines on the track as she rewarded even-money favouritism in style.
At the line, the blueblood bred by Sunderland Holdings had two lengths to spare over stablemate Earth Shot (Time Test) as Alpinara faded to be seventh. The winner's late sire now has 17 TDN Rising Stars includes the likes of Camille Pissarro, with his current crop of juveniles including Albert Einstein, Italy and Dorset. “She looks a nice horse and is bred to be nice,” Maureen Haggas said. “We've had quite a lot of the family and been lucky with them and she looks like she can go a bit.”
“He couldn't pull her up and she is still pretty raw,” she added. “You'd probably start at a mile next year and see, but she needs a little bit more practice yet.”
Pedigree Notes: My Ophelia is the sixth foal and fifth runner out of Sea The Stars' My Titania, who captured the CL Weld Park Stakes and was third in the Kilboy Estate Stakes. Her first three mentioned above were all trained by Haggas, with My Oberon successful twice in Group company and placed in four Group 1 contests, My Astra finishing runner-up in the Pretty Polly and My Prospero a dual Group winner who was third in the Champion Stakes and St James's Palace Stakes.
My Titania's half-brother Muthmir (Invincible Spirit) was a talented sprinter also trained by Haggas who captured the King George Stakes and two renewals of the Prix du Gros-Chene and was third in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. Other smart members of the clan include the Group and Graded-Stakes scorers Dress Rehearsal (Galileo) and Majestic Queen (Kheleyf). Next up from the dam is a colt foal by Too Darn Hot.
