The hugely influential Gr1 July Cup winning Green Desert really made his mark in major races across the world on Arc weekend.
Green Desert is found in the pedigrees of Sunday’s Gr1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact (Cracksman) and third place finisher Onesto (Frankel), and is also found in the pedigrees of big race winners in all of Australia, Britain and France last weekend.
Unbeaten three-year-old Ace Impact, hails from the first crop of Frankel’s four-time Gr1 winning son Cracksman, whose dam Rhadegunda (Pivotal) was produced by the Green Desert daughter St Radegund.
Green Desert – global impact (Pic – Shadwell)
Cracksman himself hails from the same female line as last year’s Arc winner Alpinista, with both horses sired by Frankel.
Green Desert is also the sire of star miler Desert Prince, whose daughter Quiet Storm ranks as the granddam of Gr1 Qipco 2000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder (Dubawi), sire of Sunday’s Gr1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines.
Green Desert’s outstanding grandson Sea The Stars, broodmare sire of Arc third Onesto, came up with his 20th Gr1 winner on Saturday when Sea The Stars gelding Just Fine captured the James Squire Metropolitan at Randwick.
On the same day, Sea The Stars made it Gr1 winner number 21 when his daughter Sea Silk Road won the Qatar Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp. Four-year-old Sea Silk Road was emulating her paternal half-sister Sea La Rosa who had won the same race in 2022.
It has been another fine year for Sea The Stars, whose son Sea The Moon was responsible for a pair of German classic winners in 2023, sire of 2023 Gr1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes hero Hukum, as well as this year’s Gr1 Dahlbury Coronation Cup heroine Emily Upjohn.
Sea The Moon’s Gr1 Preis der Diana winning daughter Muskoka was knocked down for 1.3 million euros at Arqana’s Arc Sale. (Sea The Stars’ sire Cape Cross has made his presence felt this year as the broodmare sire of outstanding filly Tahiyra (Siyouni) among others).
Another Green Desert line horse to make his presence felt over the weekend was Green Desert horse Invincible Spirit.Not only was Invincible Spirit responsible for Saturday’s Gr2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes winner Ghostwriter, Invincible Spirit sons I Am Invincible and Kingman also enjoyed notable big-race success over the past weekend.
Havana Grey’s unbeaten son Vandeek ran out an impressive winner of the Gr1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (Pic – Racing TV)
Not only did I Am Invincible’s daughter Imperatriz claim her sixth Gr1 win when victorious in Friday’s Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes, I Am Invincible’s paternal half-brother Kingman is the sire of Saturday’s bet365 Cambridgeshire winner Astro King.
Oasis Dream, another by Green Desert, is broodmare sire of Sunday’s Gr1 Qatar Prix de la Foret winner Kelina (Frankel). Remarkably, the first four home in the Prix de la Foret all have Green Desert in their pedigrees.
Green Desert also appears twice in the pedigree of emerging sire sensation Havana Grey (Havana Gold), whose unbeaten son Vandeek ran out an impressive winner of the Gr1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes on Saturday.
A winner of all four of his races to date, Vandeek had captured the Gr2 Markel Richmond Stakes and Gr1 Sumbe Prix Morny prior to winning Saturday’s Middle Park Stakes by two and a quarter lengths.
Vandeek’s sire Havana Grey’s granddam Nullabor was sired by Green Desert, while Havana Grey’s sire Havana Gold is out of Gr3 Ballyogan Stakes winner Jessicas Dream, whose sire Desert Style was also sired by Green Desert.
Green Desert’s influence also looks set to grow in South Africa.
His grandson Querari, whose progeny includes recent Listed Betway Spring Spree Stakes winner Quantum Theory and a further 35 black type winners, has been joined by fellow Green Desert grandson and Gr1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic winner Digital Age, with that son of Invincible Spirit having begun his stud career earlier this season.
