WHEN news of the death of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) was announced, it was soon after his son Al Riffa had won the Group 1 Irish St Leger. Since then, we have no end of reminders why his loss will be felt for some time to come.

First up, he sired his first southern hemisphere-bred stakes winner in Australia, West Of Swindon winning the Group 2 Stutt Stakes, The three-year-old colt was winning for the first time, and such a landmark victory for his late sire was well overdue. Wootton Bassett was getting close, not just to a stakes winner, but a Group 1 winner. Last season his best son down under, Wodeton, was narrowly beaten in the Group 1 Golden Slipper, and was runner-up at the top-flight again, two days after West Of Swindon’s success.

Brussels (Wootton Bassett) was less than a length off the winner, Wise Approach, when runner-up in the Group 1 Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes, and then it was time for ParisLongchamp. Wootton Bassett’s memorable weekend started with a Group 2 win for Tennessee Stud, before the Coolmore sire took his tally of Group 1 winners to 18 with Maranoa Charlie and Puerto Rico.

I ended a short tribute to the sire a fortnight ago with the words: “While we pay tribute to Wootton Bassett on his passing, his story is not yet ready to be told in full, and he will feature in these columns for many years to come”. Two weeks later and this is happening already. Siring the first and last Group 1 winners on the exceptional Arc day card on Sunday, Wootton Bassett gave another reminder why his achievements, especially after being purchased by Coolmore, are so laudable.

Puerto Rico won the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere – and he might well be seen again this year. Aidan O’Brien and the team have not spared him, and his run at ParisLongchamp was his seventh start, the first coming in early June. He was beaten on his first five outings, though they included finishing second to True Love in the Group 2 Railway Stakes, and occupying the same position in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood, before finally opening his account in Doncaster’s Group 2 Champagne Stakes.

Hardy type

He seems to get better with each run, and Puerto Rico is a hardy type. He could be an ideal type for the Breeders’ Cup, and has added further lustre to a pedigree that has been so good to the Coolmore and Ballydoyle teams. He is the first foal for April Showers (Galileo) who won a Navan maiden, while her best placed efforts were finishing runner-up to Insinuendo in the Group 2 Kilboy Estate Stakes, and going down by half a length in a listed race at Cork.

A lot was expected of April Showers as she is a full-sister to three stakes winners, all daughters of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), and they are Misty For Me, Ballydoyle and Twirl. The first-named is the standout of the trio, a champion at two and three and the dam of two Group 1 winners.

Misty For Me won four Group 1 races, two each at two and three. They were the Moyglare Stud Stakes, Prix Marcel Boussac, Irish 1000 Guineas and Pretty Polly Stakes. Her daughter Roly Poly (War Front) and son U S Navy Flag (War Front) both have three top-flight victories each to their credit.

Ballydoyle also won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac and was champion of her sex at two in France. She was classic-placed at three and has two stakes winners to her credit. While Twirl was not in their class on the racecourse, being a listed winner, she is the grandam of last year’s Grade 1 Debutante Stakes winner Tenma (Nyquist). April Showers is out of an unraced own-sister to Fasliyev (Storm Cat), the European champion juvenile back in 1999.

Group 1 double

Christopher Head brought up the Group 1 double for Wootton Bassett when Bond Thoroughbred’s Maranoa Charlie collected the Qatar Prix de la Foret. Charlie Bond is investing heavily in the business, and how good it is to see him now with a readymade stallion prospect. The Haras d’Etreham and partners-bred three-year-old was winning for a tilt at the seventh time, but had been knocking at the door of a top-level win when running second in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat and third in the newly upgraded Group 1 City of York Stakes.

This is a speed family on the female side, and each of his first three dams have produced a smart one. Broadhurst Agency paid €220,000 for Maranoa Charlie as a yearling, and at Arqana in August the same purchaser signed for this colt’s yearling half-brother by Baaeed (Sea The Stars) at €300,000. They are out of the winner Koubalibre (Galileo), and she is a half-sister to the champion juvenile Tiggy Wiggy (Kodiac) who won the Group 1 Connolly’s Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes 11 years ago.

An early start on Monday in Newmarket

LOOKING for a yearling filly to buy? If you are open to the daughter of a sire whose first yearlings are proving hugely popular, and with a sibling who has just won his first Group 1, then have a look at Lot 547 in the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2 in two days’ time.

She will be one of the first lots in next weeks’ sale, from Ballylinch Stud, and she was bred by John O’Connor.

What a joy for him that last weekend, in Australia, the filly’s half-brother Royal Supremacy (Make Believe) won the Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick. Ciaron Maher’s four-year-old gelding (five-year-old in Australia) is now on course for a tilt at the Group 1 Melbourne Cup next month.

There is another Irish connection, as Royal Supremacy was ridden by last year’s Melbourne Cup hero Robbie Dolan, and the son of Make Believe (Makfi), according to his trainer, “just gets better with each run. He used to be a little bit aggressive in his races, but with each run he’s starting to relax a little bit”.

This is the third Group 1 winner for Make Believe, and second of the year. The sire started off with Mishriff, a Group 1 winner in three countries, and followed up with this season’s Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Sajir. Now that tally is three and Make Believe has 30 stakes performers.

He is great value and those who used him this year at just €8,000 must be happy to have done so. Prince Faisal’s classic winner, who himself won the Prix de la Foret, started out at €20,000.

Early career

A 65.000gns yearling, Royal Supremacy’s early career was charted by Andrew Balding. He won twice at up to a mile and was placed a few times in pattern races, notably second in the Group 2 Derby Italiano and third to Calandagan at Royal Ascot in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes. Since his move to Australia, he was won three more, from nine furlongs to a mile and a half.

Royal Supremacy now assumes the title of being the best of four winners out of Adelasia (Iffraaj). She cost €300,000 as a yearling and won at two, but when later acquired by Amanda Skiffington she had devalued to 46,000gns. She has now bred two stakes winners, as her daughter Adelaise (Lawman) won a listed race last year and then sold for 300,000gns.

Out of the two-year-old winner Flaming Song (Darshaan), Adelasia is a half-sister to nine winners, led by Group 2 winner Fight Club (Lavirco) and Group 3 winner Flambo (Platini).