BLOODSTOCK agent John McCormack must have been very pleased with the result of the recent Group 2 Kyoto Kinen, and more than pleased too with his own judgement.

The race was won by the four-year-old Marju colt Satono Crown and this was his third group success in a career that to date has also seen him run third in the Japanese Derby. He is set for high honours this year and is a name to watch out for in the months ahead.

He is the fifth foal and first colt produced by the Rossini mare Jioconda and she raced successfully for Lady O’Reilly, winning the Listed Silken Glider Stakes and being group-placed. She has been even more successful at stud and two of her winners now have performed at Group 1 level. Both are by Marju and the other is the Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lightening Pearl.

She was Ger Lyons’ first winner at the highest level on the flat and she also was a Group 3 winner in Ireland as a juvenile. She failed to train on but she has a two-year-old colt and a yearling filly, both by Frankel, and their progress will be followed with great interest.

In addition to producing Satono Crown and Lightening Pearl, Jioconda also bred the group-placed Marju filly Jolie Jioconde and her first two foals and runners have been knocking at the door of victory.

The two other fillies out of Jioconda raced with no success, the daughter of Amadeus Wolf having a Big Bad Bob yearling colt as her first foal. The other produce was the Elusive City mare Interim, now a six-year-old and she was sold as a yearling to Barronstown Stud for €100,000. She raced a number of times when trained by David Wachman but didn’t trouble the judge. She next appeared as a broodmare at the sales in Keeneland in January 2015 when John McCormack purchased her for $70,000.

With the recent updates this now looks to be something of a steal. At the time of the sale Satono Crown had won his only start, but now three group wins and a classic-placed effort puts a whole different complexion on the pedigree.

At the time of her sale Interim was in foal to a Southern Hemisphere covering by Super Saver. The Kentucky Derby winning son of Maria’s Mon started out at stud at a fee of $20,000 but this has grown to $65,000 for 2016 following the excellent start he has made. In 2015 his son Runhappy was crowned champion sprinter after winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Jioconda had revitalised a branch of a family that has been very successful both on the racecourse and in the sales ring. Her grandam Lust was a half-sister to the St Leger and Ascot Gold Cup winner Classic Cliché and the Group 1 Prix Vermeille and Yorkshire Oaks winner My Emma. The latter is also a daughter of Marju and she once sold for 1,300,000gns, while her daughter Moments Of Joy, by Darshaan, bettered that and sold for 1,650,000gns.

Moments Of Joy won the Gladness Stakes and her stakes-performing offspring include the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes winner Mizzou, a son of Galileo.