I HAD the pleasure of sitting at lunch on Saturday with Sonia Rogers, among others, hosted by the sponsors of the day’s Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks. Hours later, the classic was won by Johanna Walsh (Sea The Stars), who comes from a female line that she has had deep connection with.

In the late 1960s, Sonia and her husband, Captain Tim Rogers, bought the winning filly Flight Table (Round Table) in the USA. She was carrying her first foal, a filly named Ferazza (Hawaii), and became a winner whose daughters bred stakes winners in England, Germany and Venezuela. Ferazza was followed by another filly, Gully (Dike), also a winner and grandam of a stakes winner in Italy.

There followed two progeny by Tyrant (Bold Ruler); a colt who ran twice and the two-year-old winner Autocratic. Flight Table’s next offspring was foaled in America, the eight-time scorer Montanes (Sandford Lad), after which she had five more foals, all of whom were winners. Best of these was Flightish (Dewan), one of the best fillies of her generation at two and three in Canada. All but one of Flight Table’s 10 foals were winners, but the one who left a lasting impression was Autocratic.

A juvenile winner and placed twice in just five starts, Sonia Rogers bred the first four foals from Autocratic before she was sold on. They include the German stakes winner Norman Style (Malacate), and what was to be her best runner, Fair Of The Furze (Ela-Mana-Mou). The latter provided the Rogers family with one of their most memorable days at the races when she won the Group 2 (now Group 1) Tattersalls Rogers Gold Cup. That race next year celebrates a milestone anniversary.

Retired to Airlie Stud, Fair Of The Furze bred a pair of European classic winners, the Group 1 Derby Italiano winner and Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe third White Muzzle (Dancing Brave), and the Group 2 German St Leger winner Fair Question (Rainbow Quest). Fair Of The Furze is the grandam of Group 1 Dubai World Cup and Prix Jean Prat winner Almutawakel (Machiavellian).

Sonia Rogers

Having produced a pair of stakes winners for Sonia Rogers, Autocratic went on to leave behind three more, two in France, and Majestic Role (Theatrical). Trained by Michael Kauntze, Majestic Role caused a shock when, on her debut, she won the Listed Tyros Stakes at the Curragh. She went to France for her next run, in the Group 1 Prix de la Salamandre, and was second-best to Coup De Genie. She only showed a slight glimmer of that talent in eight subsequent starts.

Majestic Role, who sold as a 10-year-old for $1,450,000 in 2001, did redeem herself at stud when she had five winners. Two of her daughters bred Group 1 winners. Gaily Tiara (Caerleon) won in Japan and her best offspring was the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Germance (Silver Hawk). She, in turn, is the dam of another winner of that race, Gezora (Almanzor). The race is a Group 2 now, but Gezora went on last year to win twice at the highest level, capturing the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

The best winner on the racecourse for Majestic Role was Aiglonne (Silver Hawk). In France she showed her best form on soft to heavy ground, winning Group 3 and listed races, both at Toulouse. She proved to be an outstanding broodmare, all of her 13 foals making it to the races, 12 of them becoming winners, and half of these earned blacktype. Four of Aiglonne’s winners won group or graded stakes.

Mekhtaal

Aiglonne’s sons Democrate (Dalakhani) and Mekhtaal (Sea The Stars) were both winners of the Group 2 Prix Hocquart, but the latter went one better when he had Zarak behind him in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan. Mekhtaal now stands at stud in Co Wexford. The only foal out of Aiglonne not to win was Miss Aiglonne (Dawn Approach), a €300,000 yearling purchase. She had talent though, beaten a nose at Maison-Laffitte on her first run, and placed at Chantilly on her only other start.

Miss Aiglonne sold to Sunderland Holding for €260,000, in foal for the first time to Siyouni (Pivotal). Since then she has been a constant companion for the Tsui Family’s Sea The Stars. Her first four foals are all winners, and sold as yearlings for prices ranging from €105,000 to 425,000gns (€500,000). Two of the four have earned blacktype this year, but at different ends of the spectrum.

Andrew Cary

Kildare Legend (Sea The Stars) has won twice this season in Spain and was third in the Listed Gran Premio de Madrid at Zarzuela. Johanna Walsh, a €460,000 yearling purchase by bloodstock agent Andrew Cary for owner Wells Watson, was narrowly beaten in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, but made amends with an emphatic victory in Saturday’s classic at the Curragh.

Last year, Oliver St Lawrence paid 65,000gns for a yearling full-brother to Johanna Walsh. Now gelded, he is named Seagoing and has yet to run. With no yearling on the ground, the first time she missed at stud, Miss Aiglonne this year foaled a full-brother to the Juddmonte Irish Oaks winner.

This win for Johanna Walsh was a breakthrough first Group 1 win for Dawn Approach, a son of New Approach (Galileo), as a broodmare sire. His daughters have previously given us at least five other stakes winners, among them Princess Child (Dariyan) who was a Group 3 winner last year for Johanna Walsh’s trainer Joseph O’Brien.

Another smart runner from a Dawn Approach mare is Dostoievsky (Hello Youmzain).

The three-year-old has won three of his five starts in France, landing a listed race last year and a Group 3 over six furlongs on his most recent outing. Canny breeders might like to earmark any daughter of Dawn Approach when they come up for sale.

Unusual

While digging into this family, I noticed something a little unusual, and a fact that makes Johanna Walsh a more treasured possession for Wells Watson. She is the only filly to date for her dam, Miss Aiglonne, and so she is vital for the continuation of this line. Her dam, Aiglonne, had 11 colts and just two fillies during her stud career. Miss Aiglonne was one, and the other was Aigue Marine (Galileo).

A listed winner in France, she became a dual Grade 3 winner in the USA, and her six winners are led by triple listed winner and Group 2-placed Fenelon (Fastnet Rock).

Go back one more remove, and Majestic Role had three daughters before having seven colts in a row, Just two of her daughters went to stud, and both are Group 1 producers!