WHAT a fascinating result to the Group 1 Epsom Derby this year, with the winner, Christmas Day, sired by Camelot (Montjeu) out of a Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) mare, while the runner-up, Maltese Cross is a son of Gilltown’s Sea The Stars and out of Camelot mare, the reverse cross.

What a highlight the result provided for the winner’s breeders Stephen and Becky Hillen under their Framont Limited banner. It is a fine achievement for the couple, though they tried on a number of occasions to sell the colt’s dam, Beauly. Thankfully they didn’t.

Christmas Day’s dam Beauly is nearly as familiar with sales rings as she is with breeding sheds, and she went to Tattersalls on four occasions in four years, and twice went through a ring in Lexington, once with Fasig-Tipton and the last time at Keeneland. She has gone on to always produce a nice sort who have proven to be popular with buyers.

Stephen and Becky Hillen bred the Derby winner Christmas Day \ carolinenorris.ie

Luke Lillingston at Mount Coote Stud, Peter Stanley at New England Stud and Paddy Barrett bred Beauly from the dual Grade 3 winner Pickle (Piccolo). Stuart Williams trained Pickle for her owner and breeder Simon Tindall, and she won four times as a three-year-old from 14 starts, notably being successful three times in eight days during July 2004, at Epsom, Leicester and Newmarket. She then sold at the horses in training sale for 34,000gns and headed to America.

Stateside Pickle was a revelation in the care of trainer Sanford Shulman, and racing for a partnership of Ronald Charles, who signed for her at the sales, and Clear Valley Stables. She won three races at four, twice at Grade 3 level, and was brought back to England where Ted Voute consigned her at the Tattersalls December Sale. Pickle sold for 115,000gns to Kern/Lillingston, and took up residence at New England Stud for her new owners.

Pickle went on to have nine foals, all bar one of which raced, and two became stakes winners. Gusto (Oasis Dream) was the first, and he won six of his 10 starts for Highclere Thoroughbreds and Richard Hannon senior. Five of these victories were on his last five runs, and included four listed wins. He was sold to India where he went on to become very successful as a sire Any possibility of standing in this part of the world was likely scuppered by the fact that he barely stood 15 hands.

Untimely death

Gusto’s untimely death from colic in 2022 came at a time when he was being acknowledged for his achievements at Bishan Stud. That young farm has reason to be grateful to Gusto for putting them on the map, and he was replaced by Prince Of Lir.

Four years after Gusto, along came Beauly. She was listed as selling for 135,000gns as a foal, but the following year she was in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale, again from New England Stud. She was unsold at 110,000gns. Six months later she was back at a Newmarket breeze-up, part of the draft from Jim McCartan’s Gaybrook Lodge Stud. Stephen Hillen paid 115,000gns for her and she joined Charlie Hills, racing for Ronnie Bartlett of National Hunt fame.

After winning on her debut, Beauly went on to finish a half-length second to multiple stakes winner Abingdon in the Listed Ballymacoll Stakes, but after a few more starts she was sent again to the sales in Tattersalls where Stephen Hillen saw potential still, and gave 140,000gns for her. He sent Beauly to Brendan Walsh in the USA where she won twice, one of these in a stakes race at Indiana Grand.

Missed The Cut

After failing to sell Beauly for $500,000 at the end of her four-year-old season, the Hillens sent her to stud, reoffered her, and could not get €450,000. The first foal she was carrying the second time was Missed The Cut (Quality Road), and he justified the decision not to part with Beauly when, as a foal, he sold to Shadwell for $400,000. He would go on to win a listed race in England and a pair of Grade 3 races in the USA.

Beauly was repatriated and sent to No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) for a couple of years, breeding two winners who between them realised 980,000gns as yearlings. Christmas Day is her fourth offspring. He sold for 450,000gns as a yearling to Jamie McCalmont, and is now an Epsom Derby winner. There is a star waiting in the wings, as Beauly has a Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) yearling colt, and should he make it to the sales he would surely by the first of Beauly’s progeny to bring a seven-figure price.

The only filly Beauly has so far produced is Orange Sky (No Nay Never). George Boughey bought her as a yearling and trained her to win twice for the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum who bred this year’s 2000 Guineas winner Bow Echo.

Derby double

Derby winners sire Derby winners, and Camelot is the latest to do so. A five-length winner of the race in 2012, he followed up by completing the Derby double at the Curragh. Having earlier won the Group 1 2000 Guineas, he looked set fair to become a rare Triple Crown winner, but failed by less than a length to haul in Encke in the St Leger.

Camelot’s stud status has grown over the years, and he recently achieved a landmark when getting his 150th stakes performer. Just short of half of these have won group or listed races, while 30% are pattern winners. Camelot has done well with mares from the Green Desert (Danzig) line. His Group and Grade 1 winners include dual Group 1 winner Sir Dragonet (out of an Oasis Dream mare), dual Group 1 winner Russian Camelot (Cape Cross mare), and Belmont Oaks winner Athena (Green Desert mare). Group 1-placed juvenile Mythical is out of a Cape Cross mare.

Christmas Day is the 14th Group or Grade 1 winner for Camelot, and he will surely attempt to do as his sire and add the Irish Derby at the end of the month. A day after Christmas Day won, another son of Camelot recorded his first stakes win, when Ballydoyle stablemate Isaac Newton won the Listed Hill of Tara Stakes at Navan. Bred by the Hyde father and son team of Timmy and Tim, and with Paul Shanahan, he will likely next be seen in group company.

Camelot daughters

Camelot is knocking at the door of getting a first Group 1 winner out of one of his daughters. The Derby runner-up Maltese Cross could be the one to do it. Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar was second in both the Group 1 Prix Morny and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, while Never Ending Story placed second in the Prix de Diane-French Oaks.

The French-bred Maltese Cross sold at Arqana as a foal, bought for €200,000 by Phillip Stauffenberg, one of the bravest pinhookers in the business. He doubled his money the next year when the colt resold for 350,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1, Sam Haggas’ Hurworth Bloodstock signing for him on behalf of George Waud. Maltese Cross has a yearling full-sister.

Finally, the third-place finisher in the Derby, James J Braddock (Zarak), justified connections’ decision to take a leap from winning the Group 3 Derby Trial at Leopardstown, and this 20,000gns foal and 40,000gns yearling purchase has now banked more than €300,000, and has a bright future ahead. Doubtless, part-owner Kevin Blake will be working overtime to plot his career path.