Champion Sprinter Sire Dark Angel Recorded a Stakes Double on Sunday
Dark Angel enjoyed a double on Sunday which saw his stakes tally move to 63. The double was kicked off by the Roger Teal-trained Gussy Mac who showed a good turn of foot to win the 5f Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown, while the second leg of the double was provided by the Paddy Twomey trained Sonaiyla’s victory in the 6f Listed Sweet Mimosa Stakes at Cork.
Gussy Mac lands the spoils in The Dragon Stakes (Listed Race) at Sandown.
Gussy Mac was last seen breaking his maiden at Wolverhampton two weeks earlier when triumphing in the 5f Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown on Sunday, swooping widest of all to land the spoils. The son of Dark Angel had finished sixth in a strong Newmarket maiden on his debut at the beginning of June and showed plenty of improvement again yesterday when overcoming trouble in running in the 5f dash.
Purchased by Richard Ryan for £52,000 at the 2019 Goffs UK Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale, the Yeomanstown Stud homebred could now aim for the Gr.2 Richmond Stakes over 6f at Goodwood. Gussy Mac is a half-brother to Shamsaya , who won three times. Their dam is juvenile winner Masaya, who was placed in both the Listed King Charles II Stakes and the Listed Eternal Stakes, and is out of a Listed-winning half-sister to the Gr.1 Prix de l’Opera heroine Satwa Queen.
Sonaiyla, brings up a stakes double for Dark Angel in The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sweet Mimosa Stakes at Cork.
Meanwhile later in the afternoon, Billy Lee steered Sonaiyla to victory at Cork, breaking sharply from the stalls to lead the stands-side group, she was ridden along over 1f out and kept on to hit the line well when headed by the Phoenix Thoroughbreds owned Back To Brussels in the closing stages. She won by half a length, with Pronouncement a further two and a half lengths back in third. Bred by Aga Khan Studs, Sonaiyla is out of winning More Than Ready mare Sinaniya, who is herself out of Listed winner Sindirana, the dam of fellow Listed scorer Sirrin.
This was the third stakes victory for a progeny off the stallion in two days, with Royal Ascot winner Art Power having produced an ultra impressive performance to win the 6f Gr.3 Coolmore Sioux Nation Lacken Stakes at Naas on Saturday.
