Global Weekly Review - 24.08.15

Jim Bolger is set to aim Godolphin-owned Herald The Dawn at the major two-year-old targets later in the season following the colt's impressive win in Sunday's G2 Futurity Stakes at the Curragh.

If there is a sense of déjà vu about the forthcoming selection of races, it is hardly surprising. The colt is a brother to Dawn Approach, being by New Approach out of Hymn Of The Dawn, by Phone Trick.

New Approach and Dawn Approach, both trained by Bolger, won the National Stakes at the Curragh and Newmarket's Dewhurst Stakes to finish their respective two-year-old careers unbeaten.

While Herald The Dawn, who finished second on debut, will be unable to equal them on that score, he certainly has the class and ability to be a realistic contender for both the National Stakes and the Dewhurst. And Bolger believes this colt, too, will be a 2000 Guineas type in the long-term.

With heavy rain overnight, Air Vice Marshall was withdrawn, leaving Shogun the sole Ballydoyle representative, but the latter was well held in the soft ground, the winning margin being one and a quarter lengths.

"The conditions (underfoot) were not ideal for Herald The Dawn, but he has overcome them. The reason we ran him here was to find out whether he could handle it," Bolger explained.

"There are G1 options coming up in England, Ireland and France, which we will look at," he added.

Bolger also made the point that unlike Dawn Approach, Herald The Dawn was a late May foal and had not come to hand early. But, it seems, the colt is about to make up for lost time.

The Futurity success capped a fine week for Godolphin and Bolger. Pleascach landed the G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks in the famous royal blue colours for the same combination at York on Thursday.

Overall, the Ebor meeting was a noteworthy one for Godolphin, with a total of four winners being recorded. Adding to Bolger's triumph with Pleascach, Saeed bin Suroor won with Memorial Day (dead-heat) and Elhaame, while Charlie Appleby sent out Mistrusting.

Meanwhile, at Deauville, the John Gosden-trained Shalaa chalked up his fourth successive win, ploughing through very soft ground to beat Gutaifan in the Darley Prix Morny. On the same card, Alex My Boy took the Darley Prix Kergorlay in the colours of Jaber Abdullah, overhauling Oriental Fox in the final furlong.

Two other items to take out of the weekend were Order Of St George winning the G3 Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh by seven and a half lengths to stake his claim for the Doncaster St Leger, and news that trainer David Elsworth is eager for another crack at Golden Horn with his Juddmonte Stakes-winning filly Arabian Queen in the near future.

"We will have to supplement her, but we think we can beat him again," declared the bullish Elsworth. Arabian Queen is a daughter of the Darley stallion Dubawi.

There was further success for Godolphin in Australia when the John O'Shea-trained Shards, ridden by James McDonald, took the G3 Up And Coming Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.