THE three-year-old fillies Empress Josephine (Galileo) and Incarville (Wootton Bassett) have something significant in common.

Both won a Group 1 in the past week, and in so doing they were both registering their first stakes victory. Empress Josephine edged out her stablemate Joan Of Arc by a short-head in the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, while Incarville was a head in front on the line following the Coolmore-sponsored Prix Saint-Alary.

The Coolmore-bred Empress Josephine went one better in the Irish classic than her full-sister Minding (Galileo) who was denied by a head by Jet Setting. This was one of four defeats she suffered in a 13-race career that yielded a pair of Group 1 races at two, a classic win in the 1000 Guineas at three and a career total of seven Group 1 wins. She was champion filly or mare in Europe in each of her three seasons racing.

Minding and Empress Josephine, along with the Group 3 winner Kissed By Angels (Galileo) are three of the four winners to date for their dam Lillie Langtry. That daughter of Danehill Dancer (Danehill) was bred by Kevin Lynch from the unraced Hoity Toity (Darshaan), a 12,000gns purchase as a two-year-old. Sold as a foal for 70,000gns, Lillie Langtry resold for 230,000gns and, having had a good juvenile season, went on at three to land both the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.

New owner

Hoity Toity passed into the ownership of Bjorn Nielsen after she foaled a colt, Count Of Limonade (Duke Of Marmalade), in 2010 and he was a listed winner at the Curragh and later won in Australia. Hoity Toity’s third stakes winner, Danilovna (Dansili) was successful in the USA.

Empress Josephine’s win was another landmark in the career of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells). She became his 90th Group 1, and the win was the 190th success at that level for a son or daughter of the Coolmore legend. A total of 39 of his Group 1 winners have been fillies.

Incarville’s French Group 1 victory provided another member of the Coolmore stallion roster with a more modest, though no less significant landmark, win.

Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) sired his 10th group winner when the Naji Nahas-bred filly was victorious at ParisLongchamp. She races in the colours of Gerard Augustin-Normand.

Four of Wootton Bassett’s group winners have been successful at the highest level. Another of his daughters, Audarya, won the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Turf last year.

His son Almanzor, a member of his first crop, won the French Derby and was also a Group 1 winner in Ireland and England. He is off the mark with his first crop racing this year. Also at stud is the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Wooded.

Incarville is among a quartet of successful offspring from the winning Azamour (Night Shift) mare Ilhabela. She, in turn, is one of seven winners from the listed heroine Vadsa Honor (Highest Honor), and the best of these was the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French 2000 Guineas and Prix Jacques Le Marois winner Vahormix (Linamix).

One of Vadsa Honor’s non-winning progeny was Vadorga (Grand Lodge), but she has made her mark at stud and is the dam of the Group 1 Irish St Leger winner Voleuse De Coeurs (Teofilo).

UNABLE to get €4,000 in the sale ring for their Power (Oasis Dream) colt foal, breeders Keith O’Brien and Tony O’Dwyer concluded a private sale with Katie McGivern, one that resulted in a profit when she resold the colt in Part 2 of the 2018 Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale to bloodstock agent Peter Nolan.

Now the four-year-old, named Helvic Dream, is a Group 1 winner, getting the better of his nemesis Broome to land the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup on Sunday. This was a breakthrough success at that level on the flat for trainer Noel Meade, more accustomed to such wins under National Hunt rules.

Biggest win

Power stood for five seasons at Coolmore and he gained the biggest win of his career on the corresponding weekend in 2012 when he landed the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas. The previous year he won the Group 1 Goffs National Stakes at the same venue, having annexed the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Helvic Dream is his first Group 1 winner, though his son Peace Envoy and daughter La Force were Group/Grade 1 placed.

Now based in Queensland, Australia at Oaklands Stud, Power has sired 10 group winners in all and a number of other stakes winners.

Rachevie

Helvic Dream is the first foal of the unraced Rachevie, named after daughters of the co-breeders, and that daughter of Danehill Dancer (Danehill) was bred by Paul Shanahan. O’Brien and O’Dwyer are managers of Shanahan’s Ashtown House Stud. The mare’s second foal, a more respectable €30,000 foal, is the three-year-old Flirting Bridge (Camelot), and this juvenile winner in 2020 was runner-up to Joan Of Arc in the recent Group 3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial Stakes.

Helvic Dream was born in the same year as Rachevie’s half-brother Chicco’s Power, another son of Power, and he is a five-time winner in Italy, though not at stakes level. Their dam Challow Hills (Woodman) is out of the winning Cascassi (Nijinsky), a stakes-producing half-sister to the dual Oaks winner Diminuendo (Diesis).

This year Helvic Dream’s breeders welcomed a Calyx (Kingman) half-sister, and, in a major upgrade, their prize mare Rachevie is in foal to No Nay Never (Scat Daddy).

Another Lanwades star

ZAAKI was mightily impressive when he won the Group 1 Doomben Cup on Saturday, another classy winner down under for Kirsten Rausing and her Lanwades Stud.

The six-year-old gelded son of Leroidesanimaux (Candy Stripes) beat a top-notch field of current racing stars.

The victory was another reminder of what a loss his sire was, and his son is now a favourite for the Cox Plate. The 40,000gns yearling was previously trained by Sir Michael Stoute for owner Ahmad Alotaibi.

Four wins over seven furlongs and a mile included a pair of Group 3 races, and last year Zaaki was sold for 150,000gns in a private sale to Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock.

Sent to join young trainer Annabel Neasham, he had shown his abundant talent last time out when he posted a clear-cut victory in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes. He has now added almost £440,000 to the £220,000 he won in England. Zaaki is the second highest earning progeny of Leroidesanimaux after Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom.

Zaaki is the best of six winners out of the dual French victor Kesara (Sadler’s Wells) who was bought by Miss Rausing for 42,000gns 12 years ago. She co-bred and raced her and was buying out the Niarchos family. The filly’s third dam was the three-time Group 1 winner Riverqueen (Luthier).

Obviously thrilled

Kirsten Rausing said: “We are obviously thrilled, delighted, and grateful to Annabel Neasham who has done so well with the horse. She is doing incredibly well this early in her training career.

“He [Zaaki] really was an outstanding yearling. I remember him very well. He was beautifully well-balanced; one couldn’t really fault him conformationally. I bought Kasara’s dam Kaldounya [Kaldoun]. She bred a very good filly called Persona Grata (Sir Percy) who won six races, including two listed races in France, for Ed Walker.

“Kasara has done very well for us breeding six winners. She has a now yearling filly by Bobby’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) and is in foal to Study Of Man (Deep Impact). I also keep three of her daughters as broodmares, so the family is well represented at Lanwades.

“Leroidesanimaux was a marvellous horse and one that I was very sad to lose. He had already produced a Kentucky Derby winner in Animal Kingdom. He, himself, was a Blushing Groom [Red God] sire line that works well with daughters of Sadler’s Wells [Northern Dancer], so it was really, as they say, a no-brainer.”