CLASSIC-placed multiple Group 1 star Azamour (by Night Shift) was only 13 when he died and his loss has been advertised on several occasions this year.
The former Gilltown Stud stallion has the Group 1 Irish Oaks heroine Covert Love, the French-based Group 1 star and multimillionaire Dolniya, and the classic-placed Irish Rookie representing him in 2015, in addition to the Group 3 and listed scorers Zannda and Letters Of Note.
His two-year-olds include the Hugo Palmer-trained Hawksmoor and, at Goodwood last Saturday, she caught the front-running favourite Fireglow on the line to take the Group 3 888sport Prestige Stakes over seven furlongs.
She was bred by Tenuta Genzianella, she is an €80,000 graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, and was her second win from three starts.
Hawksmoor was entered in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, in the Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes, and in the Group 1 Dubai Fillies’ Mile, and so is clearly held in high regard.
She is the third foal out of the unplaced Bridal Dance (by Danehill Dancer) and the most recent of four placings for her half-sister Qatar Princess (by Marju) was in a five-furlong handicap at Wolverhampton in March.
Their yearling half-sister is Lot 70 in the upcoming Goffs Orby Sale, consigned by Powerstown Stud, and is a first-crop daughter of Irish National Stud sire Dragon Pulse (by Kyllachy) who was popular at the recent Doncaster sales.
Bridal Dance is out of Feather Bride (by Groom Dancer), who won over 10 furlongs in France, and the best of her five winning siblings is Millennium Dragon (by Mark Of Esteem).
He began his career in England, where he won a seven-furlong listed contest at Newmarket, but showed his best form in the USA where he won the Grade 3 Appleton Handicap and was runner-up in a string of blacktype events, including the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap and the Grade 2 Kelso Breeders’ Cup Handicap, both at Belmont Park, and also in the Grade 2 Argent Dixie Stakes over eight and a half furlongs at Pimlico.
Their half-sister Bless The Bride (by Darshaan) won a 10-furlong handicap at Bath, died at the age of 10, but was the dam of Meeriss (by Dubai Destination), a five time scorer and six-figure earner whose blacktype placings included victory in a mile listed contest at Goodwood as a juvenile.
The third dam is the Group 3 Prix de Sandringham runner-up Bubbling Danseuse (by Arctic Tern). Six of her 11 foals won, and although none was a stakes winner, two others, in addition to Feather Bride, made up for that at stud.
Bubbling Heights (by Darshaan) is the dam of the Grade 2 and triple Grade 3 scorer J’Ray (by Distant View), who also notched up five listed wins before going on to become the dam of the dual stakes winning miler General Jack (by Giant’s Causeway).
No Frills (by Darshaan) is the other one, and although she was only placed, her progeny include the dual Grade 2-placed dual stakes winner Singalong (by Singspiel).
The fourth dam of Hawksmoor is the pattern-placed stakes winner Premiere Danseuse (by Green Dancer) who, the Goffs Orby Sale catalogue tells us, is the dam of seven winners from 13 foals. The most high-profile of all the relations does not appear on the page.
It is true that his kinship to the fillies is somewhat remote, but their third dam is a half-sister to Haute Autorite (by Elocutionist), the dual French winner who gave us the four-time Grade 1 star Kotashaan (by Darshaan).
He won the Group 3 Prix La Force in France, but went on to take the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Eddie Read Handicap, San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap, and Oaks Tree Invitational, in addition to a pair of Grade 2 events, and the races in which this multimillionaire was placed included the Group 1 Japan Cup.
Kotashaan was both Horse of the Year and Champion Turf Male in the USA in 1993, but although he stood in Japan and in Ireland, enjoyed only limited success at stud.
Hawksmoor is bred to achieve anything, she looks as though a mile will be no problem for her this season, and she may stay at least 10 furlongs next year.