WA’s English Guineas Link
New Approach, the sire of Dawn Approach, brilliant first-up five-length winner of Saturday’s Group 1 English Two Thousand Guineas, comes from the same family as Lynward Park Stud’s Alfred Nobel.
Alfred Nobel’s grand-dam, Dazzling Park, the champion European 3Y0 filly in 1999, is a half-sister to New Approach.
New Approach was champion European 2Y0 and 3Y0 colt in 2007 and 2008.
He won the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, Group 1 National Stakes, Group 2 Futurity Stakes, Group 3 Tyros Stakes and a Curragh maiden in five starts as a juvenile.
The following year New Approach raced six times and won the Group 1 English Derby, Group 1 English Champion Stakes (in Newmarket track record time of 2.00.13 for 10 furlongs) and the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes. He was second to Henrythenavigator in both the English Two Thousand Guineas (beaten a nose) and the Group 1 Irish Two Thousand Guineas and was third to Duke Of Marmalade and Phoenix Tower in the Group 1 English International Stakes.
The authoritative English Racing Post reported yesterday that: ‘New Approach looks set to equal or better his racecourse achievements at stud.’
The Racing Post reported: ‘New Approach’s first crop yielded three Royal Ascot winners and he has also made a flying start in Australia courtesy of the Group 3 winning two-year-old Montsegur. ‘Bred by his trainer Jim Bolger, Dawn Approach is the second winner from four runners produced by Hymn Of The Dawn, a daughter of high-class US sprinter Phone Trick who failed to reach the first three in her five starts over 6f-1m at two to three.’
Like his sire, Dawn Approach was unbeaten at two years. His six wins included the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, Group 1 National Stakes, Group 2 Coventry Stakes and Listed Alfred Nobel Rochestown Stakes.
Bolger was intense in his praise for Dawn Approach, who he bred and sold to Darley’s Sheikh Mohammed last year: ‘He was very impressive and galloped right to the line. I don’t know about the English Derby. Sheikh Mohammed said we should sleep on it. If he wants to, I’d be very happy to. I’m sure he will only improve from here.’
Said jockey Kevin Manning: ‘He’s a very special horse. He did it easy and travelled well throughout.’
And Sheikh Mohammed summed it up simply: ‘I think he’s a great horse.’
New Approach stands for $55,000 at Darley Australia.
Alfred Nobel, the best Irish two-year-old of his year and winner of the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes and Group 2 Railway Stakes, shuttles between Coolmore Stud, County Tipperary, and Lynward Park Stud. Local breeders are high in their praise of his foals and he will stand the coming season at an unchanged $7150, including GST, with a transferable free return.
The Two Thousand Guineas runner-up, Glory Await, is by former champion Australian sprinter Choisir, who like Alfred Nobel, is a son of Danehill Dancer. Choisir gained his 100th Australian winner for the season when two-year-old Apollo’s Choice won at Benalla on Saturday. Choisir has sired 17 two-year-old winners this season and leads the Australian list from Exceed and Excel (11) and Not A Single Doubt, Sebring and Northern Meteor, all on 10.
. New Approach followed up when Talent won the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket yesterday.