Dan Briden Two-Year-Old Guide: Charlie Fellowes
Charlie Fellowes talks Dan Briden through some of his two-year-olds for the weeks and months ahead.
Dan offers pedigree guides to the strings of all the leading trainers and gets insight from many of them on the horses and their prospects for the year ahead.
He also speaks to leading owners, racing managers and bloodstock agents to leave you as well prepared as you can be for the newcomers to the Flat racing scene.
Previously published as a book, it's digital content this year and Charlie is the latest trainer to take us through is team for 2024. Links to the previous instalments are below too.
More trainer interviews...
Pedigree guides...
BENTBASA (IRE)
1/4 br c Sioux Nation - Talon Bleu (Anabaa Blue)
Owner: Dahab Racing Sales price: €50,000 (Gordon Watson Bldstck)
Half-brother to Listed-placed multiple 6.5-12f winner Princesse Leila (96) and fairly useful multiple 10-12f winner Culture (90). Dam a French 9.5f 2yo winner (86) who was a half-sister to French 12f Listed winner Stikine (105).
“A very good-looking colt who is shaping up to take more after the female side of his pedigree, so I doubt we will be seeing him until the 7f races begin. He hasn’t missed a beat and will be moving into faster work soon.”
COSI BELLO
4/2 ch c Bated Breath - Fauran (Shamardal)
Owner: Bedford House Racing IIII Sales price: 38,000gns (C Gordon Watson Bloodstock/Charlie Fellowes)
Half-brother to 7f Listed winner Urban Icon (116). Dam a maiden (33) daughter of a 7f-1m 3yo winning (73) half-sister to several winners including triple 10/11f Group 3 winner Blue Monday (120) and Australian 7f Listed winner Rugged Cross (107).
“A smart-looking colt who had a little setback a month ago and we’ve gone easy on him as a result. We will build him back up slowly with the intention of getting him ready to run from July onwards. He will want 7f right off the bat.”
CRESSIDA WILDES
17/2 b f Showcasing - Dancing Warrior (War Command)
Owner: Paul Wildes Sales price: 28,000gns (Paul Wildes)
Half-sister to 2023 6f 2yo winner Onigiri (74). Dam a Listed-placed 5f 2yo winner (88) who was the daughter of a 5-6f winning (92) half-sister to 5f Listed winner Misraah (120).
“This filly did her first piece of work on grass last weekend and though it was only easy stuff she looked good. She is an incredibly straightforward filly and provided all goes smoothly, she should be running before the end of the month.”
DARLING (IRE)
5/3 b f Australia - Bodak (Kodiac)
Owner: Highclere Thoroughbred Racing - Wren Sales price: 70,000gns (Highclere Agency)
Second foal of an Irish 1m 3yo winner (74) who was closely related to Irish 7f 2yo Group 3 winner Valeria Messalina (109) and a half-sister to Irish 1m Group 3 winner Pincheck (112) and the dam of 2023 6f Group 2 winner Azure Blue (118).
“A beautiful filly who is still backward and has therefore been sent out for some spring grass. She is very much one for the backend and next year, but I am looking forward to seeing what she can achieve given her looks and physique.”
DUBAI GOLD (IRE)
25/3 b c Persian King - Sesame Birah (Gregorian)
Owner: Daniel MacAuliffe & Anoj Don Sales price: €48,000 (Stroud Coleman Bloodstock)
First foal of a Listed-placed dual 7f 2yo winner (92) who was the daughter of a 12f 3yo winning (80) half-sister to Italian 10f Group 3 winner Distain (108) and Group 3-placed 10-12f winner Farhan (108).
“This colt is just cantering up Warren Hill at present and is still quite immature. He will be one for the autumn.”
HAAZEEZ (IRE)
20/3 b c Mehmas - Oasis Sunset (Oasis Dream)
Owner: Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum Sales price: 115,000gns (Federico Barberini)
Closely related to useful 7f-1m 3yo winner Sunset Dream (95; by Acclamation) and a half-brother to Group 3/Listed-placed Irish 6f 3yo winner Flash Gordon (104) and useful multiple 8.5f winner Umm Hurair (101). Dam an Irish 7f 2yo winner (82) who was a half-sister to Cheveley Park Stakes winner Seazun (110).
“A lovely Mehmas colt from Book 1 who is ready to go and will be given entries next week. He is a nice, straightforward colt and it would be nice to think he could be Royal Ascot material, but we’ll find out for sure in the next few weeks. He might actually start in that good 6f maiden at Newbury (May 17) that we ran our smart two-year-old Marbaan in a couple of years ago.”
IVATT
11/2 ch c Ghaiyyath - Lady Bergamot (Mastercraftsman)
Owner: Andrew & Julia Turner Sales price: n/a
Second foal of a fairly useful 10-14f winner (95) who was a half-sister to Listed-placed French 8-9.5f winner Persiste Et Signe (102) and useful 8.5f-2m winner Lord George (109).
“A great big colt who is a beautiful mover but, as his pedigree denotes, is very much one for the backend of the season and more so next year over middle distances.”
JERSEY MAVERICK (IRE)
3/4 b c Kodi Bear - Absolute Music (Consolidator)
Owner: Cottier, Clark, Spence and Fellowes Sales price: 33,000gns (C Gordon Watson Bloodstock/Charlie Fellowes)
Half-brother to fairly useful 5-5.5f winner Cosmopolitan Girl (94) and 5f 2yo winner Tecumseh (71). Dam a Group 3/Listed-placed dual 5f 2yo winner (98).
“This is quite a sizeable colt who I thought might be an early starter but is taking a little bit longer than expected. He is cantering away and I suspect he will running around July or August time.”
LUTHER
20/2 b c Frankel - Give And Take (Cityscape)
Owner: P Hickman and Nicholas Jones Sales price: 250,000gns (C Gordon Watson Bloodstock)
Half-brother to Listed-placed 7f-1m winner Good Gracious (101) and 2023 8.5f 2yo winner Offer And Receive (78). Dam a Musidora Stakes winner (105) who was the daughter of an unraced sister to five-time 10f-2m 4f Group 1 winner/Derby runner-up Fame And Glory (133) and the dam of 1000 Guineas winner/Oaks runner-up Legatissimo (122).
“This colt is currently doing two canters up Warren Hill having suffered a minor setback a month or so ago. He wouldn’t be the biggest in the world but then his dam wasn’t and won a Musidora, while Frankels come in all shapes and sizes and it rarely stops them. He has plenty of substance to him and will probably be running over 7f in July or August.”
MAUI BREEZE
20/2 b f Bated Breath - Hula Girl (Oasis Dream)
Owner: The Waiting With Partnership Sales price: 41,000gns (C Gordon Watson Bloodstock)
Second foal of a maiden (71) three-parts sister to 10f 3yo winner Fiji (92) and 2023 6f 2yo winner Flying Fletcher (85) out of a dual 7f Group 3 winning (116) half-sister to 5f 2yo Group 2 winner Ubettabelieveit (105), Italian 5f 3yo Group 3 winner Harlem Shake (110) and 10f Listed winner Shenanigans (105).
“This is a uncomplicated filly who shows plenty of dash though is still a bit babyish. I expect to see her debuting over 6f by the end of this month though is the type who could get faster with age.”
OUTLANDISH (IRE)
23/2 b c Calyx - Bean Uasal (Oasis Dream)
Owner: P Hickman, de Ramsay and Dobson Sales price: €65,000 (Gordon Watson/C Fellowes)
Half-brother to useful Irish triple 1m winner Blues Emperor (105) and useful prolific 6f-1m winner Geological (105). Dam a fairly useful Irish 6-7.5f winner (94) who was a full sister to the dam of Phoenix Stakes winner Sioux Nation (116).
“A gorgeous colt who has done a couple of pieces of work and does everything with a degree of comfort. If I got a clear run I’d suggest he will be running before the end of May. A really nice horse.”
REDDEEF (IRE)
1/4 b c Blue Point - Liberating (Iffraaj)
Owner: Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum Sales price: €120,000 (Federico Barberini)
Half-brother to 8.5-11f winner Suffrajet (82) and 6f 2yo winner Heroism (82). Dam a useful Irish 5f 2yo winner (100) who was a half-sister to Group 3/Listed-placed triple 6f winner/2000 Guineas fourth Bossy Guest (116) and the dam of smart sprinters Eastern Impact (117) and Summerghand (116).
“This colt looked like being my first two-year-old runner, but he just got a little niggle which was a warning sign to just back off him a fraction. He is a lovely-looking colt and the work he had done before that setback was both promising and fast. Given he’s only doing hack canters at present, I would say we won’t be seeing him until July time at the earliest.”
SAYTARR
25/3 b c Mehmas - Baarrij (Iffraaj)
Owner: Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum Sales price: n/a
First foal of a fairly useful 8-11f 3yo winner (92) who was half-sister to Listed-placed 8-8.5f winner Yonafis (110) and useful 7-10f winner Nearooz (96) out of a 10f 3yo Listed winner (117p).
“A good-looking individual who has done plenty of work and would have more about him physically than Haazeez, who is by the same sire and also owned by Sheikh Ahmed. They are two really nice colts and this lad is ready to be given entries soon to discover if he also has Royal Ascot potential.”
SIR PALAMEDES (IRE)
5/5 ch c Footstepsinthesand - Irish Romance (Rip Van Winkle)
Owner: Dahab Racing Sales price: €50,000 (Gordon-Watson Bldstk)
Half-brother to 6f 2yo Listed winner Symphony Perfect (102). Dam a French 1m 2yo winner (81) who was a half-sister to French 7f 2yo Listed winner Power Elite (108), German 6f Listed winner La Sylvia (102) and Listed-placed 6-7f winner She’s My Dandy (101).
“This colt ran a cracker the other day at Yarmouth where he travelled as well as anything, but he just got caught in behind a runner who was going nowhere and it halted his momentum. It sounded like most trainers fancied their runners so it’s likely to turn out to be a good race. He has got enough speed for 5f - though will stay further - and should be winning races very soon.”
SWORD OF WESSEX (IRE)
9/5 b c Wootton Bassett - Beluga (Galileo)
Owner: P Hickman and Westerberg Sales price: 350,000gns (C Gordon Watson Bloodstock)
First foal of a twice-raced maiden (51) sister to Irish 10f 3yo Listed winner Kissed (110) and Irish 2m 3yo Group 3/Irish Derby third Dawn Patrol (117) and close relation to Derby winner Pour Moi (125) and French 8/10.5f Group 3 winner/Prix de Diane runner-up/Irish Oaks third Gagnoa (117).
“A fine-looking colt who was bought to be a Derby horse but has very much taken after his father and looks far more precocious than that. He has done plenty of work already and I would expect to see him running in a 6f maiden on a fair/stiff track in the next fortnight or so. I haven’t let the handbrake off just yet but I would hope he’s a particularly nice horse.”
UNNAMED
24/3 ch f Territories - Tessie (Tiger Hill)
Owner: Mervyn Ayers Sales price: n/a
Half-sister to useful dual 12f winner Jeremiah (101). Dam an unraced close relation to 1m 3yo Listed winner/1000 Guineas fourth Dolores (111; later dam of Irish St Leger winner Duncan (121) and Doncaster Cup winner Samuel (119) and Park Hill Stakes winner Gretchen (109p)).
“A lovely, big, scopey filly who is a half-sister to a very talented but fragile horse I trained called Jeremiah. She had a good prep throughout the first part of the year but I’ve turned her out as she’d done all she needed to. I hope to see her running in the autumn, but it’s all about next year with her.”
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