Champion Fairy King Prawn & Crystal Charm (the dam of The Assayer) hold off a strong field in the international sprint in Hong Kong, Sha Tin
Ruler Of The World. The Epsom Derby winner of 2013 might not quite have lived up to his name, but his sire Galileo certainly deserved that title in the stallion world. Timeform reports that Galileo topped the combined table for Britain and Ireland for the fifth time in the last six years, finishing streets ahead of his closest rivals Dubawi, Oasis Dream, Teofilo and Dansili. He sired the winners of of twenty-five Pattern races in Europe in 2013, with Altano, Intello, Magician and Romantica his other Gr1 winners.
The victories of Ruler Of The World, Intello and Magician took the number of major European classics won by the offspring of Galileo to sixteen from his first eight crops of 3yo’s to reach the racecourse (his offspring had won 162 European Pattern races to the end of 2013, consolidating third place for him in the list of those aces behind his own sire Sadler’s Wells and Danehill). Galileo’s sons at stud in Europe include Gr1 producers New Approach and Teofilo, and world champion racehorse Frankel. Other sons have found their way to Australasia and the USA. Remarkable then that South Africa doesn’t have a Galileo in its local sire-band.
That will change later in 2014, with the arrival of The Assayer, whose sire and dam both have the notation (IRE) behind their names. The Assayer’s dam is Crystal Charm, a daughter of Danehill. It is the sire x broodmare sire cross also found in Frankel and other Gr1 winners Teofilo, Cima de Triomphe, Romantica, Intello, Golden Lilac, Maybe, Roderic O’Connor.
Crystal Charm, racing in the colours of her Hong Kong owners, made two appearances as a 2yo in the UK, both Listed races, over 5f and 6f. She placed in both and earned a rating high enough to qualify her to race in Hong Kong. She turned heads there at the end of her 3yo season, with a second to champion sprinter Fairy King Prawn over 5f at Sha-Tin in the Hong Kong Sprint, beaten a length. She was again a length behind the winner in that same race a year later (Robbie Fradd in the saddle), and subsequently found her way to Ireland for stud duties. Timeform rated her 113.
Crystal Charm was covered in Ireland by Cadeaux Genereux, and offered at the December Sale, where she made 150.000 guineas. She was sent to Australia, where from three matings just one foal resulted (by Elusive Quality). It was off to the sales again, this time in foal to Galileo. Robin Bruss secured her on a bid of A$190.000 and she was sent to South Africa where her Galileo colt was born. Named The Assayer, he went through the ring at Nationals, where the hammer fell at R1 million.
The Assayer proved to be a talented 2yo, running third in the Gr1 Golden Horseshoe and fourth in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes (he had Kavanagh ahead of him on both occasions). Things went wrong with him subsequently, and he raced only three more times, as a 3yo.
The Assayer’s female line stands up to scrutiny. His dam Crystal Charm is out of US-bred mare Chamonis (by Affirmed), who won over 6f and 7f in UK, and placed twice in Listed races (TFR 101). Crystal Charm’s full sister China Girl won twice over 5f at 2. She found her way to Australia, where she had Gr2 and Gr3 placed stakes winning sprinter Jadescent. A half sister, the unraced Cheyenne Rose became the dam of Gr3 winning sprinter Citichy, also in Australia. Two other siblings, both by Galileo’s sire Sadler’s Wells, are stakes winners (of 17 races) Theatreworld, a stayer, and French stakes placed filly Cabaret, a miler.
One generation further back, an unraced half sister to Chamonis is dam of US 4x G1 winner Timely Writer (incl Florida Derby) and G1 Santa Anita Oaks winner Timely Assertion.
There is a wealth of sire material descending from Crystal Charm’s fourth dam Sunday Evening, including Medaglia d’Oro, Bluebird, Silent Screen.
The Assayer stands his first season in 2014 at Yellow Star Stud in KwaZulu Natal.
