Sadler’s Wells
It can come, surely, as no surprise, that a growing number of top-class international performers are inbred to champion sire Sadler’s Wells. This male line is becoming increasingly potent on both sides of the pond, and inevitably good horses are cropping up who have heavy amounts of the great stallion on both sides of their pedigree.
This combination has produced four Grade/Group winners recently namely: Kitten’s Dumplings (Queen Elizabeth II Cup), Parish Hall (Dewhurst Stakes), Kamsin (German Derby) and La Porotita (Polla De Potrancas).
Other notable horses inbred to the former Coolmore legend include Samba Brazil (Grosser Europa Meile), Rehns Nest (2nd Irish 1000 Guineas) and Samuel (Doncaster Cup). No doubt, this list will grow considerably over the coming seasons!
Sadler’s Wells and his sons are also building up a formidable record when mated to Roberto line mares. The most notable horse bred on this powerful cross is the mighty Kitten’s Joy – sire of no fewer than five Grade One winners in 2013, and currently North America’s leading sire by general earnings.
Kitten’s Joy, whose offspring include 22 stakes winners in 2013 alone, is a son of one of Sadler’s Wells’ best sire sons, El Prado. His dam, Kitten’s First, is a lightly raced daughter of Roberto horse Lear Fan.
Another champion sire bred on this powerful cross is Chilean champion Dushyantor. The former Derby runner up is out of one of Roberto’s very best daughters – Slightly Dangerous.
Another son of El Prado, leading US stallion Medaglia D’Oro, has built up a good record when mated to daughters of arguably Roberto’s best sire son – Kris S. The pair have produced the top filly Marketing Mix (a multiple Gr1 winner of over $1.9 million) and multiple Graded stakes winner Dark Cove.
Recent champions Mahbooba and Igugu are both Galileo fillies out of Roberto line mares – Red Ransom and Red Ransom’s son Intikhab respectively.
Galileo has also sired the cracking full siblings Nathaniel and Great Heavens out of the wonderful Silver Hawk mare Magnificent Style (also dam of two high-class performers, Percussionist and Playful Act, by Sadler’s Wells himself). Between them, Nathaniel and Great Heavens won the King George, Eclipse and Irish Oaks – earning in excess of GBP 2 700 000.
Galileo also sired recent Aus Group One winner Seville (The Metropolitan) from a Silver Hawk mare.
In South Africa, the Sadler’s Wells horse Fort Wood has built up a solid record with daughters of the Roberto horse Al Mufti. The pair have combined in pedigrees to produce the likes of Heir Apparent (SA Guineas), Quickwood (Magnolia Handicap), Royal Fantasy (Thekwini Stakes) and Royal Approval (Equus Champion), while Al Mufti’s son Captain Al is himself now doing well with Fort Wood daughters.
Sharpen Up Makes His Mark
Sharpen Up
While the male line of the late, great sire Sharpen Up is in danger of dying out, the 1971 Middle Park Stakes hero remains a potent force in modern day pedigrees.
Sharpen Up, a sire with a truly rags to riches story, is to be found as the broodmare sire of world leading sire, and emerging sire of sires, Danehill Dancer, and he is also to be found as the broodmare sire of leading sire Cadeaux Genereux (himself the broodmare sire of champion sprinter and young sire Dream Ahead). Another top-class sire produced by a Sharpen Up mare is Dashing Blade – sire of over 50 stakes winners in Germany , while former successful SA sire Dominion Royale was produced by the Sharpen Up matron, Bahamas Princess.
Himself a tremendously versatile sire, Sharpen Up’s daughters produced over 80 stakes winners, including the Group/Grade One winners Encounter, Windsharp, Mister Baileys, What A Prospect and Dashing Blade.
His sons, Diesis, Kris, Selkirk and Trempolino are also active in the modern day thoroughbred – but through their daughters rather than their sons.
Between the four, Diesis, Kris, Selkirk and Trempolino are the broodmare sire of an accumulated 291 stakes winners – 46 of which are Grade/Group One winners. Among the top horses produced by daughters of one of these horses are the likes of Dylan Thomas (Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe), Homecoming Queen (1000 Guineas), Classic Park (Irish 1000 Guineas), Blue Canari (French Derby), Simply Perfect (Falmouth Stakes), Lucarno (St Leger), Doyen (King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Stakes), and Moonshell (Epsom Oaks). Trempolino alone is the broodmare sire of three Breeders Cup winners – Action This Day, Chamberlain Bridge and Round Pond.
Kris is the broodmare sire of exceptional Irish sire Invincible Spirit (his Breeders Cup winning son Vale of York is inbred to Sharpen Up), while Selkirk himself is the damsire of the promising young Rock of Gibraltar son Mount Nelson. Kris is also the broodmare sire of promising young SA sire Noordhoek Flyer, while Selkirk is damsire of another well performed young horse – Main Aim.
Sharpen Up himself is found in the pedigree of one of 2013’s leading 2yos – Strong Mandate. The Gr1 Hopeful Stakes winner is out of a daughter of Sharpen Up’s Gr1 winning daughter, Dream Deal.
With the exception of Diesis (sire of successful stallion Halling and grandsire of leading French sire Muhtathir), none of Sharpen Up sons left behind a male heir of any note – but this has not stopped this male line from prospering in a number of world class racehorses. However, Kris’s son Sure Blade is the broodmare sire of the outstanding galloper St Nicholas Abbey.
Promising Start For Ascot Legend
When he first retired to stud, few people would have predicted that four time Ascot Gold Cup hero Yeats would be on the board with his first crop of 2yos. However, this is precisely what has happened.
To date, Yeats (who is bred on the same Sadler’s Wells/Top Ville as leading sire Montjeu) has had eight winners/placed horses from his first 16 runners. They include the stakes placed colt Dress Drive, and the smart looking Montaly.
Despite his superb race record (Yeats won seven Group One races in total), magnificent physique and great pedigree, Yeats was quickly shunted to the ranks of the National Hunt sires, where sons of Sadler’s Wells have done so well. He is currently standing for EU 6,000 – considerable cheaper than many less accomplished stallions are standing for!
Earlier in the year, the first ever filly by this legendary stayer sold in South Africa fetched R450 000 at the 2013 Emperors Palace National 2yo Sale. It will be interesting to follow how Yeats’ stud career unfolds – hopefully he can follow in the footsteps of his legendary relative Montjeu, and prove his doubters wrong, once again.
– Sarah Whitelaw
