When King Pelles (Duke Of Marmalade) won last Saturday’s Glorious Goodwood Gr3 Chairman’s Cup (2500m) at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, he further embellished the fine record of his dam Grail Maiden.
The daughter of Galileo, a four-time winner who ran third, beaten two lengths, in the 2010 Listed Winter Oaks, has produced five winners, of which four are black-type performers.
A proud moment for Gareth van Zyl as he poses with King Pelles (Athandiwe Mgudlwa) after his feature win last Saturday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
A further feather in the cap of Grail Maiden is that all four of her black-type performers were sired by different stallions.
Her first performer of note was Gr1 SA Derby winner Hero’s Honour (by Await The Dawn), while the following year she foaled the Trippi filly Railtrip. The latter won three times and ran second, to champion Return Flight (Pomodoro), in the 2018 Gr1 Thekwini Stakes.
Subsequently, Grail Maiden produced King Pelles in 2020, and followed that up when producing the classy Legend Of Arthur (by Lancaster Bomber) in 2021.
Legend Of Arthur made a cracking start to his career when running third on debut before winning his next two starts by an aggregate of ten lengths.
This season, Legend Of Arthur gave Grail Maiden more black type to her credit when finishing third, beaten just over half a length, in the Betway Gr3 Graham Beck Stakes.
Arguably, Grail Maiden could well have enjoyed greater success but some of her mates in between her black-type stars were not stallions out of the top drawer.
Grail Maiden’s success as a broodmare should come as no surprise, however, given her pedigree. She is a daughter of one of history’s greatest stallions (Galileo mares have already produced well over 350 stakes winners), and hails from a family packed full of high-class performers.
A three-part sister to the top-class Galileo sired broodmare Starfish (dam of dual Gr1 winner La Collina, and no fewer than four other stakes winners), Grail Maiden is directly descended in female line from Cheveley Park Stakes winning champion Sixpence (Ballyogan).
The latter’s granddaughter Sorbus (Busted) was a high-class, if unlucky, racemare. Sorbus was demoted from first to second place in the 1978 Gr1 Irish Oaks and also finished second in the Gr1 Irish 1000 Guineas, Gr1 Irish St Leger, and Gr1 Yorkshire Oaks.
Sorbus, the granddam of Grail Maiden, founded a dynasty through her Oaks Trial Stakes winning daughter Bahamian (Mill Reef).
Among the numerous stars descended in female line from Bahamian are top-class gallopers and stallions Kingman, New Bay and Oasis Dream, as well as Gr1 winners Zenda (French 1000 Guineas), Beat Hollow (Grand Prix De Paris), Reefscape (Prix Du Cadran) and Wemyss Bight (Irish Oaks).
Through his son Querari, Oasis Dream also made his mark at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, with Black Cheetah landing the Charles Dickens Stakes and his daughter Candy Town victorious in the Franschhoek Motor Museum Winchester Sprint Cup.
The late Duke Of Marmalade, has already enjoyed success with the daughters of Galileo.
Other group/graded stakes winners produced on the Duke Of Marmalade/Galileo cross include Gr3 Track And Ball Oaks winner Seville Orange (out of the Galileo mare Serruria), and Gr1 Irish Oaks/Gr1 Yorkshire Oaks runner up Venus De Milo (out of the Galileo mare Inchmahome).
Ruler Of The World – the Duke’s half brother (Pic – Supplied)
Galileo is also the sire of Duke Of Marmalade’s Gr1 Investec Derby/Gr3 Chester Vase winning half-brother Ruler Of The World, as well as his smart full-brothers Norway and Giovanni Canaletto.
Duke Of Marmalade is one of just several sons of Danehill to have excelled when sent Galileo mares.
The outstanding Fastnet Rock has sired more than 40 Gr1 winners – of which 11 are out of daughters of Galileo, while Danehill’s multiple champion sire son Redoute’s Choice sired the five time Gr1 winner and promising sire, The Autumn Sun, when sent Galileo daughter Azmiyna.
