FABULOUS by name, and now fabulous by her actions.

The idiom “you can have too much of a good thing” must have been on the minds of the Coolmore partners when it came to the offspring of the unraced Fabulous (Galileo), because they parted with some of that mare’s daughters, in spite of coming from one of the best female families in the stud book.

A half-sister to Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat) and the outstanding broodmare You’resothrilling (Storm Cat), Fabulous was covered as a three-year-old, producing a colt, Brandtmann (Zoffany). He sold cheaply in America as a yearling, was brought to Europe and is listed as having sold twice at two, at breeze-up sales in Newmarket and Arqana. He placed on his only two starts in France as a juvenile.

Fabulous continued her breeding career in the USA, where she twice was mated with American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile). The result was a filly in each case, both of whom made an impact. First was Thinking Of You who raced, not from Ballydoyle, but for Aidan O’Brien’s son Joseph. She won on her debut at two, and over two seasons was well tried, being placed a few times at Group 3 level.

Thinking Of You made the journey back to the USA where she was covered at four by Justify (Scat Daddy), and promptly sold at Fasig-Tipton that November for $1.5 million to the Wertheimer brothers.

Her high value was helped enormously by the success enjoyed that same year by her full-sister Above The Curve (American Pharoah). She was also trained by Joseph O’Brien, winning the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary and running third in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera.

First foal

Thinking Of You produced a colt with her first foal, the now two-year-old Kravitz (Justify), and the Wertheimer brothers must have liked what they saw, as they sent the mare back to the same sire and have a yearling filly, already named Justicia. Above The Curve produced her first foal this spring, a filly by Dubawi (Dubai Millennium).

After two visits to the Horse of the Year, dual champion and US Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Fabulous had her attention turned to another Triple Crown winner on the Ashford Stud roster, the unbeaten Justify. Her first two offspring by that sire were fillies, Deadly Nightshade and Love And Beauty. The first of these raced four times for Joseph O’Brien, and placed three times. She got to within a nose of winning at Galway, but failed to get her head in front.

Retired to the paddocks, Deadly Nightshade was covered by Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj), and perhaps surprisingly was sold last December for 900,000gns to Haras des Monceaux, with a lovely February covering. She produced a colt, and Monceaux covered her again with Coolmore’s current flagbearer this year. Deadly Nightshade is looking now to have been well bought, especially after racing on Tuesday at Goodwood.

Scandinavia

Deadly Nightshade’s three-year-old full-brother is the Group 1 Goodwood Cup winner Scandinavia (Justify). The clearly improving colt got the better of his more fancied stablemate Illinois to win the day’s feature, and this was a big step up from his Group 3 Bahrain Trophy win at Newmarket, albeit he won the latter by almost nine lengths. Scandinavia didn’t join Joseph O’Brien, like his siblings, but rather is in the care of Aidan at Ballydoyle.

Scandinavia’s only other full-sister, the four-year-old Love And Beauty (Justify), never raced and presumably has been covered, while next to face the racecourse test will be Fabulous’ yearling colt by No Nay Never, like Justify a son of Scat Daddy (Johannesburg).

The rest of this family’s achievements are so well known that many would be able to reel them off with no difficulty. Fabulous is a daughter of Mariah’s Storm (Rahy) who was the subject of a film following her comeback from injury. She was successful on 10 occasions, eight of them coming in blacktype races, and the best of these were her victories in the Grade 2 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes and Grade 2 Turfway Park Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Stakes. In spite of her popularity and renown, she was only once placed at Grade 1 level, when third in the Spinster Stakes at Keeneland.

Iron Horse

It is for her achievements at stud that Mariah’s Storm will be long remembered. She produced eight winners, including the ‘Iron Horse’ Giant’s Causeway, a six-time Group 1 winner and leading sire, Group 2 winner You’resothrilling who is the dam of four Group 1 winners, and her remaining six winners were all placed in stakes races.

Not only that, but three of Mariah’s Storm’s daughters are responsible for Group 1 winners; the aforementioned You’resothrilling, Fabulous who now has two, and Pearling (Storm Cat) whose best runner is triple Group 1 winner Decorated Knight (Galileo).

Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify share one thing in common since Tuesday, they are both responsible for nine Group/Grade 1 winners each. The former went to stud three years before Justify, and this may partly explain why American Pharoah stood for a low of $45,000 this year, while Justify’s fee was a new high at $250,000.

It is little wonder that Coolmore has such belief in Justify. Scandinavia and four-time Group 1 winner City Of Troy are out of mares by Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), dual Group 1 winner Opera Singer is out of a Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) mare, and this year’s Group 1 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court is from a High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) dam.