Mill Princess, fourth dam of local stallion The United States, is a mare who continues to make her presence felt around the world.
On Saturday Mill Princess’ descendants made a big impression at the Curragh. Blue-blooded two-year-old Officer got off the mark when victorious in the Coolmore Stud The Antarctic Irish EBF Maiden, while on the same card his relative Henri Matisse made it three wins from three starts when he won Saturday’s Gr2 Coolmore Stud Wootton Bassett Irish EBF Futurity Stakes.
Moutonshoek sire The United States – poised for a good season
(Pic – Hamish Niven Photography)
Officer, who was winning on debut, is a son of Dubawi and Mill Princess’ dual Gr1 winning great great granddaughter Hydrangea (a full-sister to The United States), while the Wootton Bassett sired Henri Matisse, winner of the Gr2 GAIN Railway Stakes last time out, is out of Mill Princess’ top class granddaughter Immortal Verse.
Very closely related to Hydrangea and The United States’ dam Beauty Is Truth (Pivotal), the Pivotal sired Immortal Verse won four times including both the Gr1 Coronation Stakes and Gr1 Prix Du Haras De Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques le Marois in 2011.
Immortal Verse has, if anything, proved an even better broodmare than she was a racehorse, with the daughter of Pivotal having now produced three group winners (by three different stallions), with Henri Matisse preceded by Tenebrism (Gr1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes, Gr1 Haras d’Etreham Prix Jean Prat) and Statuette (Gr2 Airlie Stud Stakes).
Hydrangea, winner of both the Gr1 Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes and Gr1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes in 2017, is also the dam of promising three-year-old filly Wingspan (Dubawi), a winner of two of three starts including the Listed Darley Irish EBF Hurry Harriet Stakes. Hydrangea was one of three Gr1 winners produced by her Gr2 Prix du Gros-Chene winning dam Beauty Is Truth, with latter also responsible for both The United States (Ranvet Stakes) and dual classic winner Hermosa.
Her ancestress, Mill Princess, however, long be remembered as the dam of the brilliant Last Tycoon (Try My Best), Australia’s Champion Sire of 1993-1994.
By far the best horse sired by Try My Best, Last Tycoon scored a 36-1 surprise when victorious in the 1986 Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile.
He enjoyed considerable success in both hemispheres, with his Southern Hemisphere runners headed by Australian Horse Of The Year Mahogany (another son, O’Reilly, was Champion Sire in New Zealand on four occasions), and his Northern Hemisphere stars including Gr1 winners Bigstone, Ezzoud, Lost World, Marju, and Taipan.
Last Tycoon also made his mark in South Africa, where his flagbearers included champions Tracy’s Element and Tytola, as well as Gr1 Turffontein Sprint winner Super Sheila.
He was also broodmare sire of champion Sun Classique, winner of the Gr1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas, Gr1 Fancourt Majorca Stakes and Gr1 Woolavington 2200 in South Africa, and the Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic in Dubai. Sun Classique was unbeaten in three starts in Dubai where she also won the Listed Cape Verdi Stakes and Listed Balanchine Stakes.
One of 100 Group/Grade One winners for his legendary sire Galileo, The United States had a very smart crop of two-year-olds last season and he looks poised for a good season in 2024-2025. His newly turned three-year-olds, 18 of whom have raced at the time of writing, include Gr1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Premiers Champion Stakes runner up The Specialist, Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship second Rodeo Drive, Listed Dahlia Plate hero Kingdundee, and Listed Irridescence Stakes runner up Dixieland Band.
The United States ended the 2023-2024 season tenth on South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs premiership.
