Quaduna wins the Premio Verziere last year
There was plenty of South African interest in the finish of the Gr3 Premio Verziere at San Siro in Italy on Sunday. Drakenstein stallion Duke Of Marmalade sired the exacta, while the winner was bred by the German stud operation Gestut Farhof, owned by Dr Andreas Jacobs of Maine Chance Farms.
The German raider Quaduna certainly has a special liking for San Siro and she outstayed So Many Shots to win by 2 lengths over the 2000m trip on testing ground.
The third-placed Lady Dutch was all of six lengths behind the second horse.
Last season Quaduna travelled for the G3 Premio Verziere with just a maiden win to her credit and went on to score an end-to-end success.
The Gestut Fahrhof homebred started this season winning a listed race at Hoppegarten and was not disgraced when fourth, less than four lengths behind the winner Esoterique (Ire), in the Gr3 Dahlia Stakes.
On Sunday the heavy ground turned into a magic carpet for Quaduna, who once again set the pace and outstayed the Gr3 winner So Many Shots, who ran a solid race in her comeback and is programmed to now head to the Gr1 Lydia Tesio.
Quelle Amore, the dam of Quaduna, joined Katsumi Yoshida’s broodmare band after being purchased for 300 000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale in 2010.
Her first Japanese foal, the 3-year-old filly Quelle Chance (Jpn) (Dubawi {Ire}) has won once.
Quelle Amore has a yearling colt by King Kamehameha(Jpn) (Kingmambo).
A day earlier, Duke Of Marmalade’s talented stayer Big Memory ensured his place in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup when he prevailed over a high-class field to win the Group 2 Sportingbet Herbert Power Handicap over 2400m at Caulfield.
In landing this prestigious race (won previously by G1 winners Linton, Alcopop and Master O’Reilly), Big Memory bested a field which include the high class performers Protectionist (current Melbourne Cup favourite), Sangster (Victoria Derby), and Masked Marvel (St Leger).
Big Memory has now won or placed ten times and has earned over AUS $300 000 in prize money.
He is one of 18 runners set to do battle in Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup, a $3 million race and a major prep for next month’s Melbourne Cup.
Duke Of Marmalade(Ire) who stands at Drakenstein Stud Farm for his first South African season, sired the winning exacta to maintain his fast growing reputation of producing international stakes performers.
In a deal brokered by Blandford Bloodstock earlier this year, Duke Of Marmalade was purchased from Coolmore.
He is a half brother to Investec Epsom Derby hero Ruler Of The World and hails from a top class family of sires that includes champion sire AP Indy, Summer Squall, Al Mufti and Lemon Drop Kid, who have all sprung from the foundation mare Lassie Dear, herself a profound influence on South African breeding.
A top class son of great champion sire Danehill, a five time Group 1 winner, was last year’s leading European Second Crop sire of stakes winners outperforming the likes of New Approach, Henrythenavigator and Raven’s Pass.
