MONDAY, 14 JUNE 2021 DJ STABLES BUYS MAJORITY OF MASSETO A ROYAL LINE THRIVING Len Green's DJ Stable has purchased a majority interest in Masseto (GB) (Territories {Ire}), who is scheduled to start in Tuesday's G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. The 2-year-old colt will race in the name of DJ Stable, and will continue to be trained by Donnacha O'Brien with minority partners involved in the ownership. Masseto, a debut winner at Navan Apr. 25, was second in the G3 GAIN Marble Hill S. in his second outing over heavy ground as the 15-8 favorite. He was a 62,000 gns Tattersalls December Foal and a 65,000 gns Tattersalls Book 2 October Yearling. AAs an entrepreneur, I study patterns and seek out business opportunities," said Len Green of the purchase. "About four years ago, we noticed that European-based horses who journeyed to the United States were successfully competing in some of the top graded stakes turf races. We wanted to know why; was it the training regimen, their pedigrees, the way they A confirmation shot of Royal Applause at 28 | Emma Berry were raised, or a combination of those factors?@ Cont. p4 By Emma Berry Near the entrance to The Royal Studs at Sandringham is a magnificent bronze commemorating the Prince of Wales's IN TDN AMERICA TODAY homebred Persimmon (GB) (St Simon {GB}), whose racing record MANDALOUN SPREADS WINGS IN PEGASUS highlights the fact that things were done a little differently back GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun (Into Mischief) got the job in the 1890s. Very differently, in fact. done after a rough trip in the Pegasus S. at Monmouth Park on The Coventry S. winner of 1895 went on to win the Derby and Sunday. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. the St Leger and, kept in training, he returned to Royal Ascot to win the Gold Cup, which had been his principal 4-year-old target. Exactly a century later, the horse who was prophetically named to triumph at the meeting, Royal Applause (GB) (Waajib {Ire}), landed the Coventry S.BBthen a Group 3BBon his second start and continued unbeaten through his juvenile season, adding victories in the G2 Gimcrack S. and G1 Middle Park S. The Derby would certainly not have been on the mind of Royal Applause's trainer Barry Hills, who was correct in his publicly-aired doubts following the Middle Park that his colt would even see out the mile of the 2000 Guineas. A son of the 1988 Queen Anne S. winner Waajib, himself representing Try My Best's branch of Northern Dancer's male dynasty, Royal Applause has a thoroughly speedy bottom line which prevailed not just in his own genetic make-up but also in his precociously fast elder sister Lyric Fantasy (Ire) (Tate Gallery). Known as the >Pocket Rocket', she became the first 2-year-old filly to win the G1 Nunthorpe S. in its then 70-year history in 1992. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 18 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 14 JUNE 2021 A Royal Line Thriving Cont. from p1 to Group 2 status before becoming a Group 1 with a name With her own triumph at the Royal Meeting coming in a change in 2002 to make the Golden Jubilee. Currently known as record-breaking romp in the Queen Mary S., Lyric Fantasy the Diamond Jubilee S., the race will presumably undergo a prompted the transfer of her dam Flying Melody (GB) (Auction further rebranding to mark The Queen's Platinum Jubilee next Ring) to the broodmare band of year. Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum's Sent off as favourite for the G1 Gainsborough Stud while July Cup, Royal Applause carrying Royal Applause. If he'd couldn't match the finishing been born these days, Royal burst of 50-1 outsider Compton Applause would have been an Place (GB), but he bounced out obvious candidate for the G1 of his second place at Commonwealth Cup at Ascot Newmarket to land his second but, having finished 10th in the Group 1 success in the Haydock 2000 Guineas, he was then sixth Sprint Cup, prevailing by a length to Pivotal (GB) in the G2 King's and a quarter over Danetime Stand S. and managed just one (Ire). win that season in a conditions One hundred years after race at Doncaster. Persimmon retired to stud, Happily, the imperious nature Royal Applause made his way to of his debut season was Royal Applause grazing at The Royal Studs | Emma Berry Sandringham, replacing the recaptured at four, with Royal retiring Derby winner Shirley Applause adding the Cammidge Trophy and G3 Duke of York S. Heights (GB) on the royal roster. He lives there still in to his winning record before landing the G3 Cork and Orrery S. retirement, at the age of 28 but looking a decade younger, with back at Royal Ascot. The following year the race was upgraded his last two registered foals having been born in 2017. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 18 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 14 JUNE 2021 A Royal Line Thriving Cont. In 19 crops, he only hit the 100-mark five times, with his 110 foals of 2006 being his largest output. But nevertheless, Royal Applause is becoming an increasingly significant influence in a modern-day breeding world which values precocity over more Classic attributes, notwithstanding the fact that speed is a vital component of a top-class racehorse irrespective of the distance Senior Vice President Gary King at which he competes. Twitter: @garykingTDN The GI American Oaks and GI Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup [email protected] winner Ticker Tape (GB) remains Royal Applause's sole winner at + 1.732.320.0975 the top level. Battle Of Hastings and Whatsthescript also excelled in America, and they are two of his nine Group/Grade 2 International Editor winners, along with Acclamation (GB), his stand-out son from his Kelsey Riley first crop, who is doing most to keep the line not just alive but Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN thriving. [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry Twitter: @collingsberry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editors Alan Carasso Christina Bossinakis Royal Applause=s nameplate | Emma Berry Cafe Racing Sean Cronin Almost a quarter of the field for Tuesday's Coventry S. are Tom Frary male-line descendants of Royal Applause, the quartet being by [email protected] his grandsons Dark Angel (Ire) and Mehmas (Ire), both by Acclamation. Another of the latter's sons, the late Harbour Irish Correspondent Watch (Ire), was responsible for an unusual double on Oaks day Daithi Harvey when Pyledriver (GB) won the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom and Baron Samedi (GB) claimed the GII Belmont Gold Cup in New Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | John Berry | Kevin Blake York. Amy Lynam | Melissa Steele Acclamation and Dark Angel will of course both be well represented this week, and more notably so will last season's record-breaking freshman sire Mehmas, who has maintained his lead in the second-crop sires' table and has eight group entries at Royal Ascot. Dark Angel has a growing number of sons at stud, with freshman Birchwood (Ire) currently topping the list for 2-year-old winners in France. It's not hard to imagine that sons of Mehmas will soon follow. Cont. p4 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 18 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 14 JUNE 2021 A Royal Line Thriving Cont. soon as he's on the grass he walks with a swagger indicative of the supreme athlete that he once was. Best of all though is his Another of Acclamation's sons, the dual G1 King's Stand S. temperament. There's not an ounce of sourness in the old winner Equiano (Fr), has stallion. recently moved to the Irish "He's never been the type of National Stud but has played his horse who has to have the same own part in extending the person look after him," says success of this line at the Royal David Somers, manager of The Meeting in particular through Royal Studs. "Everyone here the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. loves him because he's so easy, winner The Tin Man (GB). he's an absolute gentleman." Equiano is also the sire of GI The esteemed old gentleman is Breeders' Cup Turf sprint winner no longer troubled by the Belvoir Bay (GB). hubbub of a race meeting or the Birchwood is not the sole covering shed in his quiet corner representative of Dark Angel's of Norfolk. His excitement these branch in France as Gutaifan days is in working out which of (Ire) is now at that country's his visitors has a packet of Polos most reliable source of fast in their pocket. But there will be horses, Alain Chopard's Haras Royal Applause | Emma Berry plenty of royal applause ringing des Faunes. The July Cup winner Lethal Force (Ire) is another to out at Ascot this week, and no doubt some of it will once again have relocated and is now at Haras de Grandcamp, while his be for his descendants. Long may they run, and long may he smart juvenile son and G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Golden reign. Horde (Ire) is at Haras de Montfort et Preaux under Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe banner. A reliable broodmare sire, Royal Applause also features in that Masseto Cont. from p1 category for the young stallions Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal), "After months of thorough analytics and evaluations , we felt Adaay (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Cappella Sansevero (GB) ready to invest in a handful of European horses," Green (Showcasing {GB}), and for the G3 Winter Derby winner Forest continued.