THE racing colours of Ali Saeed may not be seen that regularly in the winners’ enclosure, but when they are they tend to be carried by a good horse.

In 1992 they were carried to success in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham by the Simon Sherwood-trained Duke Of Monmouth, and later that year the owner’s Ivanka won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile for Clive Brittain. Three years later and Saeed bin Suroor sent Red Bishop out to land the Grade 1 San Juan Capistrano Handicap.

The next win at the highest level was achieved much more recently when the Roger Varian-trained Ambivalent (Authorized) won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh, the best of her five career wins. She won and was runner-up in the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York, while her other pieces of Group 1 form were to run third in both the Coronation Cup at Epsom and the Dubai Sheema Classic in Meydan.

At the age of six Ambivalent was sent to the December Sale in Newmarket where she failed to sell at 1,600,000gns, carrying to Dubawi (Dubai Millennium). In the ownership of Rabbah Bloodstock, she then produced a colt who sold to Godolphin as a yearling for just 300,000gns. He is the Group 2 Prix Hocquart winner Al Hilalee.

Ambivalent’s second foal, the four-year-old Malakoot (Dubawi), is unraced, and offspring number three is Teona. Sold in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 280,000gns to Hugo Merry, she runs in the colours of Ali Saeed and, like her dam, is trained by Roger Varian. A listed winner at Windsor, and Group 3 placed in the Musidora Stakes at York, she stunned Snowfall when beating that filly to land the Group 1 Prix Vermeille at the weekend. This was just her sixth start.

Sea The Stars

A week after celebrating Baaeed becoming the 15th Group/Grade 1 winner for his sire, Teona gave Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) his 16th winner at racing’s highest level. She is the Gilltown Stud stallion’s sixth filly or mare to win at this grade. It was some week for Sea The Stars and his other winners included the remarkable Stradivarius capturing the Group 2 Doncaster Cup.

Teona’s breeders sent Ambivalent back to Sea The Stars last year and she had a full-brother born this spring. Also waiting to be unleashed are a two-year-old half-brother to the Group 1 winner, Infraadi (Invincible Spirit), and a yearling filly by Dubawi.

Teona is the third Group 1 winner in the immediate family produced in the last 12 years, not counting Ambivalent’s half-brother Made In Japan (Barathea) who won the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham. Their half-sister Diary (Green Desert) won three races in Greece, but she was repatriated and bred the champion sprinter Total Gallery (Namid), winner in 2009 of the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.