High hopes that Aphrodite Stakes has uncovered another Pearl

Eternal Pearl secured important Black Type with a first Listed win in Saturday's Aphrodite Stakes, joining a notable list of fillies to have captured the Newmarket contest.

Catchascatchcan and Dar Re Mi both used the race as a springboard to G1 glory, while it has also established a reputation of unearthing top broodmares.

Dar Re Mi is the dam of multiple Champion and Darley stallion Too Darn Hot, while His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s previous Aphrodite Stakes winner, Anno Luce, is best known as the mother of outstanding hurdler Annie Power.

Mares who went on to produce winners of the Juddmonte International and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes feature on the roll of honour alongside Italian G1 scorer God Given, a half-sister to another Darley resident in Postponed. God Given’s first foal Silver Knott made an encouraging introduction for Charlie Appleby at Newmarket on Friday, shaping well in fourth.

Eternal Pearl will be hoping to emulate such esteemed company in time but more immediate plans include a potential trip to Belmont Park for the G3 Jockey Club Oaks in September.

While it proved a relatively low-key week for Godolphin runners, two Darley stallions enjoyed significant success on Saturday.

Dubawi filly In Italian broke the course record with a dominant display in the G1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga, a race in which Creative Flair finished sixth.

In France, My Prospero gamely made all to take the G2 Prix Eugene Adam. The Iffraaj colt was franking the form of the St James’s Palace Stakes, having finished third behind Coroebus in the Royal Ascot highlight.

Gazelle Stakes winner Nostalgic is due to make her first appearance since the Kentucky Oaks in Saturday’s G1 Coaching Club American Oaks.

Like the Aphrodite Stakes, the Saratoga race has proven fertile ground for subsequent leading broodmares with It’s Tricky and Music Note, the dams of Enticed and Mystic Guide respectively, among four Godolphin fillies to win the race.