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No Nay Never Excites Coolmore Australia

3 minute read

Exciting Coolmore shuttle sire No Nay Never took centre stage with a notable Group double at Newmarket on Sunday featuring the G1 July Cup win by possible Everest contender Ten Sovereigns.

TEN SOVEREIGNS winning the Darley July Cup Stakes at Newmarket in England. Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

No Nay Never, a boom son of the late Scat Daddy who was the European champion first crop sire in 2018, took his tally of stakes winners to 13 when his 2YO colt Mystery Power won the G2 Superlative Stakes for trainer Richard Hannon.

Mystery Power (No Nay Never x Gems by Haafhd) remains unbeaten after two starts and has the potential to join Ten Sovereigns as a G1 winner.

No Nay Never Picture: Coolmore Australia

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Ten Sovereigns became No Nay Never's first G1 winner when he won the G1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket last year.

He has now won four of his six starts for career prize money of £523,728 and is on the radar to travel to Australia to take the Coolmore slot in the $14 million Everest at Randwick in October, just as O'Brien did with last year's July Cup winner US Navy Flag.

"It hasn't been discussed but I'm sure it could enter calculations," said Coolmore rep Kevin Buckley.

"Aidan will talk to the owners. It's a bit down the track but I'm sure it will come up for discussion."

Under Ryan Moore Ten Sovereigns led on the far side of the straight course before powering away to score by two and three quarter lengths from the G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Advertise (Showcasing) and stablemate Fairyland (Kodiac).

It was O'Brien's fifth July Cup success, equaling the race record held jointly by Charles Morton and Vincent O'Brien, and gave Ryan Moore his second successive win in the famous sprint after riding US Navy Flag in 2018.

Ten Sovereigns, sold as a yearling for 200,000 guineas at the 2017 Tattersalls October Sale, is one of three winners from four to race out of the stakes placed Exceed And Excel mare Seeking Solace, a half-sister to G2 placed Flash Fire (Shamardal).

Seeking Solace is out of the G3 placed Flamelet (Theatrical), a daughter of Darling Flame (Capote, a Ge placegetter whose descendants include the G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Shamal Wind (Dubawi) and his G2-winning half-sister Al Thakira.

Seeking Solace also has an unraced 2YO sister to Ten Sovereigns who was bought by MV Magnier for 600,000gns at the Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale and a yearling filly by No Nay Never.

No Nay Never Picture: Coolmore Australia

No Nay Never, who stood for €100,000 in Ireland in 2019, will return for his third season at Coolmore Australia this year on a fee of $44,000, being one of three sons of Scat Daddy on the roster with Triple Crown champion Justify and Mendelssohn.

It may be four in 2020 with Caravaggio also scheduled for a return to Australia.

The last two July Cup winners are also at stud in the southern hemisphere this spring with Harry Angel (Dark Angel) in his debut season in Australia and US Navy Flag (War Front) standing in New Zealand.

* Mystery Power (No Nay Never x Gems by Haafhd) was first sold as a weanling for €110,000 at the 2017 Goffs November Sale and then made 250,000gns at the 2018 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

He is a half-brother to the G3 placed Seaella (Canford Cliffs) from Gems, a half-sister to the dual Listed winner and multiple Group placegetter Frank Sonata (Opening Verse) and the Group placed (Peaceful Paradise (Turtle Island).

Gems has a yearling colt by Australia.