ALMOST a century after the death of her famous namesake, the equine Minnie Hauk staked a claim to stardom with her victory in the Group 1 Oaks, one of the three major wins over the two days of the Epsom meeting for Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle.

Amalia Mignon Hauck, commonly known as Minnie Hauk, was born in 1851 in New York City, the only child of a German emigrant and his American wife. She was a precocious talent, making her public debut at the age of 14.

She sang for the first time in Europe at Covent Garden, London in 1868, and debuted in Paris the following year. Hauk interpreted the role of Carmen, a previously unsuccessful opera by Georges Bizet, in a new way, and brought it to long-lasting fame.

Hauk’s voice became a mezzo-soprano of great strength and depth, and her enormous repertory included about 100 roles. She sang Carmen in four languages. Much of Hauk’s fortune was lost during World War I. By 1920 she was thought to be impoverished and nearly blind. She died at her home near Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1929.

If the original Hauk’s story didn’t have a happy ending, let’s hope that the Oaks winner of the same name has a brighter future. Everything about it so far has been a success, and her story combines some of the most famous names in racing and breeding. Minnie Hauk is from a renowned family developed by Juddmonte’s Khalid Abdulla, is by their outstanding sire Frankel (Galileo), was bred by Ben Sangster, and now races for Coolmore and partners.

Ben Sangster has enjoyed much success as an owner and breeder, and I know he has enjoyed his visits to Ireland in recent years to accept a couple of Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association awards for the multiple Group 1 winner Luxembourg. He could already be dreaming of another ITBA trophy if Minnie Hauk continues her rate of improvement. She has only raced four times to date, winning at two before lining up her classic attempt with a win in the Listed Cheshire Oaks.

With her breeding, and connections, the world is her oyster. Ollie Sangster spent $525,000 of his father’s money at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale for Juddmonte’s Dansili (Danehill) mare Multilingual. It was to prove a fortuitous purchase, though the odds were stacked in the young mare’s favour.

Then a seven-year-old, her first foal was an unraced two-year-old colt named Tilsit (First Defence), and he was followed by two more colts. Multilingual was sold in foal to Frankel’s Group 1-winning full-brother Noble Mission (Galileo).

Topsy-turvy

This has been a topsy-turvy ride for Ben Sangster since he bought Multilingual. The mare’s first foal, Tilsit was desperately unlucky not to win a Group 1, denied a head in the Prix d’Ispahan. He made amends when he added the Group 2 Summer Mile at Ascot to an earlier Group 3 win at Goodwood. Her second foal never ran, while the third, Polyglot (Kitten’s Joy), finally won as a five-year-old last year in the USA.

The foal Multilingual was carrying when Sangster bought her was a filly, Decipher, and eight visits to the racecourse failed to even produce a placed run. Hopefully she will make amends at stud. Next up was a filly, Multiple Choice (No Nay Never), and she sold as a yearling for 780,000gns, in one fell swoop paying for the original investment in the dam. That filly has taken her time to start paying back the investment. In the ownership of Gestüt Schlenderhan, and in February having turned four, she won at Lignieres in France. Presumably she was then sent straight to the breeding shed.

Minnie Hauk was next, and what a star she was when offered for sale at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2023. She was consigned by the Hyde family’s Camas Park Stud, and sold for a sale-topping €1.85 million to Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier, who outbid Kieran Lalor of Al Shira’aa Farms. “We have a long history with the Sangster family, and in recent years we’ve been very lucky buying off Ben, including with Luxembourg,” said Magnier at the time. “I’m delighted for Ben and all the guys who brought her to the sale. She really has everything, so let’s hope she turns out to be a good one.” Well, that wish has come to pass.

Voice Coach

Horses can bring you back to reality in an instant, and Ben Sangster must have been scratching his head when Multilingual’s No Nay Never yearling filly was led out unsold last year at €170,000. Mind you, at the time of the sale, Tilsit was still the only winner for the filly’s dam. Now named Voice Coach, the two-year-old suddenly has four winning siblings, including a Group 1 classic heroine. This year Multilingual had a filly by Justify (Scat Daddy).

I don’t know how I got this far in the story of Minnie Hauk without mentioning that Multilingual is a full-sister to the Group 3 Royal Ascot winner Remote (Dansili), and half-sister to none other than Kingman (Invincible Spirit). You will immediately realise therefore that she is a daughter of the French classic winner Zenda (Zamindar), winner of the 2002 Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas.

Zenda was born a year before her half-brother Oasis Dream (Green Desert), and his win in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes earned him the accolade of champion European two-year-old in the same year that Zenda won her classic. At three, Oasis Dream was the champion sprinter of his generation in Europe thanks to wins in both the Group 1 July Cup and the Nunthorpe Stakes. He has been a hugely influential sire at stud.

Million times

What can I add to what has been said a million times about Frankel? The best son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) was unbeaten in 14 starts, and at stud has been just as successful as he was when winning 10 Group 1 races. The Dewhurst win was the highlight of his first season, he added the 2000 Guineas at three, and at four won the Sussex Stakes for a second time, won at Royal Ascot for a second time, and drew a full house to Ascot to see him end his career on a high in the Champion Stakes.

The fastest stallion to rack up 100 group or graded winners, that tally stands now at 104, and Minnie Hauk became his 37th winner at racing’s most elite level. What a record, and one that will only grow and grow. Here is a stallion who has done it all, and there is more to come. To that tally of 104 graded stakes winners, add another 55 blacktype winners, and with placed horses in these races he has gone past 250 blacktype performers on the flat.

The Group 1 Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty (Kingman) gave Frankel his first Group 1 winner as a broodmare sire, and more recently the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes winner Lead Artist (Dubawi) is out of Frankel’s daughter Obligate.