Winning debut for homebred Sayif colt Green Fortune
1 June 2017
Homebred Green Fortune defied inexperience to make a successful winning debut in novice company for William Haggas at Lingfield on Thursday. In the process he became another winner for our sire Sayif, also responsible for our smart three-year-old Gulliver. Sayif stands at Llety Farms.
Ridden by Andrea Atzeni, Green Fortune missed a beat at the start but travelled well into contention and showed a good attitude to repel Highlight Reel.
“He’s a beautiful horse,” Andrea Atzeni told At The Races. “He travelled into the race and was good enough to win. I hope he has a bright future. He has a very good mind and the ability.”
Maureen Haggas was similarly pleased.
“He didn’t do anything wrong, he was very well behaved,” she said. “When he went down, I wondered if the ground might be a bit quick for him on this track. But during the race, I thought he looked well balanced, he travelled and picked up well.”
Our first two-year-old runner of the year, Green Fortune is the third living foal out of our Queen Mary Stakes runner-up Shyrl, an Acclamation granddaughter of Group 3 Prix de Flore heroine Benicia. Shyrl was purchased by Tony Nerses for 70,000gns from Bansha House Stables at the 2008 Tattersalls Craven Sale and has consistently justified that investment, not only as a Royal Ascot two-year-old but as the dam of Raucous; her second living foal, Raucous was third behind our homebred Ajaya in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, has been multiple Group-placed since and recently returned to action to break the 6 furlong track record at Chelmsford City.
Shyrl has a yearling sister to Raucous, by Dream Ahead, and a filly foal by Kingman. She has been covered this season by Ajaya.
“He’s a half-brother to Raucous, who Imad and Saleh also bred, and he’s got a lot of ability,” added Haggas. “She’s a good mare, there’s plenty of ability in the family. I think we’ll stick to 6 furlongs with him for now and see how it goes.”
Blue Diamond Stud is also home to Shyrl’s daughter Bahie, by Authorized. Bahie has a yearling colt by Sayif – a three-quarter brother to Green Fortune – and visited War Command this season.