A number of prominent racehorses and sires enjoyed memorable milestones this past weekend, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
FRANKEL
The unbeaten legend had his first winner when his first runner (and foal) Cunco made a winning debut at Newbury on Friday for John Gosden.
Frankel – champion and proud Dad
Cunco, who is out of Danehill Dancer’s Gr3 winning daughter Chrysanthenum, ran on readily to score in a maiden plate for 2yos over 1200m.
His sire Frankel, currently eighth leading first crop sire in GB, has now been priced up to as second favourite to sire most winners of a first crop sire in 2016. (The betting for that market is headed by Exceed And Excel’s top class son Helmet, whose first Northern Hemisphere two year olds already include four winners).
Frankel (Galileo), regarded by many as the finest thoroughbred ever to race in Europe and unbeaten in 14 starts, has 116 juveniles racing for him this year and they include some true blue bloods.
Among the well related Frankels racing this year are the Gr1 Phoenix Stakes entries Khattar (out of Gr2 Sun Chariot Stakes winner Danceabout), Dream Castle (out of Dubawi’s Gr2 winner Sand Vixen) and Lightening Fast (out of Gr1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lightening Pearl).
The champion’s first juveniles also include siblings to such high profile Gr1 winners as Arcano (Oasis Dream), Byword (Peintre Celebre), Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), Finsceal Beo (Mr Greeley), Laragh (Tapit), Price Tag (Dansili), Proviso (Dansili), Total Gallery (Namid), Treasure Beach (Galileo) and We Are (Dansili) –to name but a few!
REDOUTE’S CHOICE
Australia’s triple champion sire was represented by his 30th individual Gr1 winner on Saturday when his son Howard Be Thy Name won the South Australian Derby.
That colt is one of 3 Gr1 winners for his sire in 2016, and one of 12 stakes winners for Redoute’s Choice this season. (The sire, who hails from the same family as current leading SA first crop sire Pathfork) has a total of 132 stakes winners.
Howard Be Thy Name is also another top class performer sired by Redoute’s Choice whose dam is by a son of Mr Prospector. (He is out of a mare by Faltaat).
Majmu
Other Gr1 winners bred on this cross include former Equus Champion Majmu and Golden Slipper winner Miss Finland.
Majmu is out of a mare by Hussonet (Mr Prospector) –who is also the broodmare sire of Redoute’s Choice’s Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes winning grandson Extreme Choice. Redoute’s Choice’s Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes winner Hampton Court is out of a mare by the Mr Prospector line sire Broken Vow,
Redoute’s Choice’s British stakes winning son Elzaam, who is currently one of the leading first crop sires in the UK, is out of a mare by Kingmambo – also damsire of Redoute’s Choice’s Oaks winning daughter Gallica. Local sire, and Gr1 Caulfield Guineas runner up Time Thief, is out of a mare by Mr Prospector son Jade Hunter.
To date, Redoute’s Choice has more Gr1 winners to his credit than the likes of Bernardini (A P Indy), Dansili (Danehill), Dubawi, Medagalia D’Oro (El Prado) and Oasis Dream. As further testimony to the greatness that is Redoute’s Choice, North America’s number one sire Tapit has 17 individual Gr1 winners.
SIR PERCY
The former Epsom Derby winner had his first Gr1 winner when his son Wake Forest won the Man O’War Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday.
A son of former champion miler Mark Of Esteem (a versatile sire who threw Gr1 performers from 1000-2900m), Sir Percy was among the best of his generation at both two and three, winning the Gr1 Dewhurst Stakes at two, and the Derby at three. (He also finished second to the exceptional George Washington in the 2006 2000 Guineas).
At stud, Sir Percy has 13 stakes winners to his credit, with Wake Forest his biggest winner thus far.
He is one of the last high profile descendants of the great racehorse and sire Mill Reef currently active at stud. This number also includes the top class sire Dalakhani (Darshaan) and the successful German based sire Lord Of England.
However, while the Mill Reef male line no longer dominates Europe, this great horse’s presence should be felt in pedigrees for decades still to come.
Dubawi (Dubai Millennium – Zomaradah)
Deploy (by Mill Reef’s best sire son Shirley Heights) is damsire of current outstanding sire and promising sire of sires Dubawi, while Mill Reef himself is sire of Bahamian, second dam of champion sprinter and outstanding sire Oasis Dream (Green Desert) and third dam of the latter’s three parts brother, and Horse Of The Year, Kingman (Invincible Spirit).
Shirley Heights’ son Darshaan is damsire of the late, great High Chaparral, whose champion son So You Think has made such a promising start to his stud career, while last year’s shock Gr1 Juddmonte International winner Arabian Queen (Dubawi) is inbred to Shirley Heights himself.
DANSILI
An outstanding and well established sire himself (his runners include 19 individual Gr1 winners), Dansili (a full brother to the dam of Mauritzfontein sire Ideal World) is giving indications that he could well make his mark as a sire of sires in 2016.
Already sire of Gr1 sire Rail Link, and last season’s Leading First Crop Sire Zoffany, Dansili recently had a pair of sire sons, Bated Breath and Delegator, get off the mark as stallions.
Dansili
Another Dansili son to catch the eye in 2016 is the New Zealand sire Zacinto – whose first crop of 2yos have already yielded two stakes winners.
Despite having had just a handful of starters in 2016, Zacinto’s first crop have made such an impression that their sire, currently New Zealand’s third leading first crop sire, has had his stud fee doubled for the upcoming breeding season.
A smart performer himself, Zacinto was awarded victory in the 2009 Gr2 Totesport.com Celebration Mile after original winner, and paternal half brother, Delegation tested positive for a prohibited substance.
Out of Gr3 Prestige Stakes runner up Ithaca, Zacinto’s second dam, Reams Of Verse, won the Epsom Oaks.
