NINETEEN years ago, the Edmund Loder-bred Germance, a daughter of Silver Hawk (Roberto), was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks, having landed the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary. She had been purchased by Horse France at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $200,000. She came from a prominent female line, and much would have been expected of her at stud. Until now, her record at stud could best be described as disappointing.

She did not lack for quality when it came to the stallions she visited, but from her first six winners, only one managed to earn any blacktype. That was Garance (Teofilo), a dual winner who placed in three stakes races in France, but even the great Jean-Claude Rouget and some of France’s top riders could not get her nose in front where it would have made a big difference.

Then, along comes Gezora, the three-year-old Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) daughter of Germance, and that mare’s 12th and last foal. She raced for her breeder, Haras d’Etreham, at two, and concluded her four-run campaign with victory in the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs, trained by Nicolas Le Roch. Her form caught the attention of many, and when she made her seasonal debut in April, she carried the colours of Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, and racing from Francis-Henri Graffard’s yard.

Placed on that occasion, Gezora stepped up a class to win the four-runner Group 2 (sadly demoted last year) Prix Saint-Alary, emulating her dam, and now she has progressed further to win a Group 1 classic. In spite of many believing that old mares do not produce quality runners in later life, here is another case that flies in the face of that old wives tale.

Japanese winner

Germance and her stakes-winning half-brother Gaily Game (Montjeu) are the best of five winners out of the Japanese winner Gaily Tiara (Caerleon). The family has had something of a renaissance in recent times, thanks largely to Gaily Tiara’s Group 3-winning half-sister Argonne (Silver Hawk), bred on similar lines to Germance. Aiglonne is the dam of four group/graded winners, the best of them being the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan winner Mekhtaal (Sea The Stars).

Aiglonne is a daughter of the Michael Kauntze-trained Majestic Role (Theatrical), winner of the Listed Tyros Stakes at the Curragh, and runner-up in the Group 1 Prix de Salamandre. She was one of five stakes winners from Autocratic (Tyrant), and that list is headlined by the Group 2 Tattersalls Rogers Gold Cup winner Fair Of The Furze (Ela-Mana-Mou).

Fair Of The Furze bred the Group 1 Derby Italiano winner White Muzzle (Dancing Brave), and is grandam of Group 1 Prix Jean Prat and Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner Almutawakel (Machiavellian). Almanzor is from the first crop of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj), and is the horse that brought his sire to the attention of Coolmore.

Winner of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby, and the Irish and British Champion Stakes, Almanzor has done better down under, as Gezora is his first European Group 1 winner. That said, his son Molveno won this year’s Group 2 Derby Italiano.

When is a sale graduate not a sale graduate

I DON’T wish to fall out with the personnel at the New Zealand Bloodstock sales company, but I have a problem with their publicity after the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm, Australia at the weekend. I think you will agree with me that they took a large dollop of licence with the word graduate in the post-race press release.

They wrote: “Rising star War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel) brought up the 20th Group 1 win of the season for a Karaka graduate – and the 14th in Australia – with a powerhouse performance in Saturday’s A$3m Group 1 The Star Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm.” So far, so good.

They continued: “War Machine was bred by members of Ardsley Stud’s Wallace family, and he was offered in Ardsley drafts at Karaka 2022 and the Ready To Run Sale, but failed to meet his $100,000 reserves.” So, he was not sold. Can he then be called a graduate? .

I have been writing regularly recently about emotional sales and emotional victories, and here is another. Now trained by Ben, Will and JD Hayes, War Machine’s win honoured the memory of the late Mike Moroney, who trained him for the first 10 starts of his career, and also recalled bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who sourced the gelding’s dam Caserta (Hussonet) on behalf of his family. The Group 1 success came less than a week after Michael’s untimely loss.

Ben Hayes said: “The Wallace family bred this horse and is in the ownership group. They’ve had a really tough time lately, and hopefully his win today will make them feel better. Also, Mike Moroney; we’re fortunate to be able to be entrusted with this horse.”

This was the gelding’s sixth win in 13 starts, and he has placed four times. Previously winner of the Listed Bendigo Guineas, War Machine has had his best two results on his most recent starts, in the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben, and now in a Group 1.

This is a third Group 1 winning son for Harry Angel (Dark Angel), all coming in Australia where his progeny performances have outpointed those achieved by his crops conceived at Dalham Hall Stud. Harry Angel’s 20 stakes winners include six who won Group 1 or Group 2 races, and all were down under.

However, all bar one of his half dozen Group 3 winners were Irish or GB-breds, including A Lilac Rolla who was runner-up in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas. All his eight listed winners are European-bred. Harry Angel returns to Darley’s Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley for the upcoming season at a fee of A$66,000 (€37,000). His fee this year at Dalham Hall was just £10,000.

War Machine stands head and shoulders ahead of his siblings. Their dam won over five furlongs, and all of her five runners have won. Caserta’s perfect record is marginally better than that achieved by her own dam, Duchesse De Berri (Diesis). That mare was sold for IR13,000gns at the Goffs February Sale in 1997 after she made one start for Sheikh Mohammed, trained by John Gosden. She placed on that occasion.

Sent to Australia, Duchesse De Berri had nine foals, all of whom made it to the races, and five were winners. The best was Fire In The Night (Danewin), and among his six victories was one at Group 3 level. Taking the family history up a notch was Caserta’s three-time winning half-sister Absolute Lure (Lure), and the dual Group 2 winner and Group 1 Australian Derby runner-up Hooked (Casino Prince) was her best winner.

Skip back two removes of the family to War Machine’s fourth dam Quilloquick (Graustark), and she was to on to become a major antecedent of world-class runners. Her Group 1-placed daughter Leap Lively (Nijinsky) won the then Group 3 Fillies’ Mile at Ascot, and bred the classic winner Forest Flower (Green Forest). The later mare appears in the back pedigree of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi).

It would be impossible to go into detail in such a small space and talk about all the top-class descendants of Quilloquick. Suffice to say that the list includes triple Grade 1 winner High Yield (Storm Cat), Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf winner Catch A Glimpse (City Zip), and many more.