Royal Ascot produced another potential Group 1 winner from the family of incoming Blue Gum Farm’s Irish-bred sire Glass Harmonium.

His younger half-brother Arab Spring created a big impression winning the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (2400m) last Saturday.

Arab Spring (4c Monsun – Spring Symphony by Darshaan) came with a strong run to score going away by two-lengths in the style of horse that is still improving.  He is unbeaten this year following earlier victories at Kempton Park, Doncaster and York.

Like Fiorente and Glass Harmonium, who both came to Australia to win at Group 1 level, Arab Spring is a homebred for Ballymacoll Stud.

“The Australians would like to buy him, particularly being by Monsun the sire of Fiorente and a half-brother to Glass Harmonium,” Ballymacoll manager Peter Reynolds said.  “He’s in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket which Fiorente won.

“He has some serious entries including the Arc de Triomphe.  It’s the one race that Ballymacoll haven’t had a winner of yet and we would love to do it.  If he’s good enough to get to the Arc, we might just be there.”

Fiorente and Glass Harmonium were also trained by Sir Michael Stoute.  “Arab Spring suffered a hairline on a hock last year and, as a result, missed getting the long slow distance work into him,” Stoute said.

“He’s a progressive horse but is still a bit of a playboy walking around.  We will now go into Group company with him – he is a very interesting horse – a typical Ballymacoll late maturing horse”

Glass Harmonium (Verglas) has just retired to Blue Gum Farm as the winner of 5 races and $1.64 million in earnings.  In Australia, he was successful in the G1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) and G2 Eagle Farm Cup (2200m) as well as a cracking second to All Too Hard in the G1 Futurity Stakes (1400m).

Blue Gum Farm will stand Glass Harmonium for an introductory fee of $6,600 (inc gst).

ARAB SPRING