ASTRONOMER ROYAL’S FIRST WINNER

His foals sold well (up to $90,000), his yearlings even better (up to $260,000), we’re getting great reports back from trainers and now this …

Tara Madgwick reports on Astronomer Royal’s first winner in England overnight.

One of the last sons of Danzig to go to stud is young Eliza Park based shuttle sire Astronomer Royal (USA), who had his first winner overnight in the UK when Sir Patrick Moore won his debut over six furlongs by half a length at Newbury for Harry Dunlop.

The colt is only the second runner from the first Northern Hemisphere crop of Astronomer Royal (below), who stands at Reboursiere et de Montaigu in Normandy.

Bred in France by SF Bloodstock LLC, Sir Patrick Moore was a relatively inexpensive €16,000 purchase by MAB Agency at last year’s Arqana October Sale. He is the first foal out of French stakes-winner America Nova, a half-sister by Verglas to another French stakes-winner in Cat Nova.

Winner of the 2007 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas) for Aidan O’Brien, Astronomer Royal also won the Group III Greenlands Stakes and was placed in the Group I St James’s Palace Stakes and Prix du Jockey Club.

He has 40 two-year-olds in his first Northern Hemisphere crop and his oldest Australian progeny are yearlings that have sold for up to $260,000.

Astronomer Royal stands this spring at Eliza Park at a fee of $7,700.