When Hydrangea (Galileo) captured last Saturday’s Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, at Ascot, she not only gave trainer, Aidan O’Brien a record equalling 25th Gr1 win for 2017, but also provided her full brother, and Moutonshoek sire, The United States, with a boost to his pedigree.
The United States (white blaze) in race action
Hydrangea, who had won the Gr1 Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes two starts back, shares her dam, Beauty Is Truth, with another group winner, Fire Lily, as well, However, The United States is by no means the only local sire with siblings faring well on the international scene.
Byword
The Gr1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner, Byword is a half-brother to this season’s high class performer, Finche (Frankel). Finche won the Gr2 Prix Eugene Adam earlier this year, before running third, behind subsequent brilliant Gr1 Champion Stakes winner, Cracksman (Frankel), in the Gr2 Prix Niel. Byword’s dam, Binche, is also dam of Proviso (Dansili), a multiple Gr1 winner who earned over $1 706 000, as well as 2017 winner, Adjective – a full sister to Proviso.
Flying The Flag
Flying The Flag – striking chestnut
A Group winning son of Galileo, Flying The Flag is out of one of the world’s hottest broodmares, in the form of triple Gr1 winner, Halfway To Heaven – like Beauty Is Truth and the dam of Cracksman, by prominent sire Pivotal. Halfway To Heaven has been represented by a pair of group winners in 2017 thus far, with her daughter, Rhododendron, landing the Gr1 Prix de’l Opera (over Hydrangea) and Gr2 Debutante winner, Magical . Rhododendron (like Magical a full-sister to Flying The Flag) was also second in both the 2017 1000 Guineas and Investec Oaks , while Magical has been placed in all of the Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, Gr1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Fillies Mile.
Duke Of Marmalade
Proven sire, Duke Of Marmalade (Danehill), is out of an exceptional broodmare in the form of Love Me True (Kingmambo). The latter, also dam of Gr1 Investec Derby winner and Coolmore sire, Ruler Of The World (Galileo), and dual Derby placed, Giovanni Canaletto (Galileo), was represented by her third group winner when her son, Annus Mirabilis (Montjeu) won the Gr2 UBET Adelaide Cup earlier this year. Love Me True is herself a sister in blood to US champion and red hot US sire, Lemon Drop Kid, sire of 2017 Gr1 winners, Beach Patrol and Romantic Vision, among others.
Querari during his racing career – developing into an exciting sire prospect
Querari, Quasillo
The half-brothers, Querari (Oasis Dream) and Quasillo (Sea The Stars), are out of Acatenango’s stakes winning daughter, Quetena. A daughter of German classic winner, Quebrada (Devil’s Bag), Quetena made headlines this year through the deeds of her daughter , Quidura (Dubawi). The latter has proven one of the top turf fillies in North America in 2017, with Quidura landing the Gr2 Canadian Stakes and finishing a head second to five time Gr1 winner, and Breeders’ Cup hope, Lady Eli (Divine Park) in the Gr1 Diana Stakes.
Golden Sword
Sire of exported Oaks Trial winner, Belle Rose, Golden Sword is a full-brother to the very talented Rekindling (High Chaparral). Rekindling, who recently finished a close-up fourth in the Gr1 St Leger, won two group races in 2017, the Gr2 Curragh Cup and Gr3 Ballysax Stakes, and holds an entry in the Melbourne Cup.
Sitara, dam of Golden Sword and Rekindling, is directly descended from one of the greatest mares in the stud book –Lost Soul (Solario).
Miesque’s Approval
Former US champion and Breeders’ Cup Mile hero, Miesque’s Approval (Miesque’s Son), is out of one of the most remarkable broodmares – and perhaps one of the least heralded – of the decade. Win Approval (With Approval), dam of Miesque’s Approval, is the dam of no fewer than four horses who have earned $1 000 000 plus and her offspring have won a whopping 70 races . Not only is she dam of Miesque’s Approval, Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile runner up, Za Approval (Ghostzapper) and 20 time stakes winner, Revved Up (Sultry Song), but Win Approval’s son, World Approval (Northern Afleet), currently rates as one of North America’s top turf performers, having won both the Gr1 Fourstardave Stakes and Gr1 Woodbine Mile this year.
To date, World Approval has won six graded races and has already banked in excess of $1.8 million.
Crusade (Mr Greeley – La Traviata)
Crusade
Former Gr1 Middle Park Stakes winner, Crusade (Mr Greeley), is out of the increasingly successful, and brilliant racemare, La Traviata (Johannesburg). La Traviata is dam of Seventh Heaven , winner of both the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks in 2016. Seventh Heaven (Galileo) beat males when triumphant in the Gr2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket earlier this year and also contested the 2017 Gr1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. She has banked more than £1.52 million and no doubt rates an exceptionally attractive broodmare prospect. Among Seventh Heaven’s beaten rivals of a year ago was none other than Arc winner, Found, who could only finish 2.75 lengths behind that filly in the 2016 Darley Yorkshire Oaks. Seventh Heaven’s full-brother, the 2yo, Coat Of Arms, also looks a high-class prospect, with the son of Galileo having finished runner up in the Gr2 Futurity Stakes (beaten a short head) and fourth in the Gr1 National Stakes this year.
