MOST pedigrees and families have a story of two to reveal, and some get better the further you dig. Take the case of Mikki Rocket, recent winner of the Group 2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai in Japan. The four-year-old son of King Kamehameha is out of the British stakes winner Moneycantbuymelove, a daughter of Pivotal who did well for trainer Michael Bell less than a decade ago. More of that later.

King Kamehameha is himself an interesting tale. The champion of his generation at three in Japan, the son of Kingmambo is out of the Last Tycoon mare Manfath. Bred by Shadwell and raced by Hamdan Al Maktoum, Manfath was sold as a three-year-old with the record of one placed effort in seven starts. She realised 4,200gns and was bought by Martyn McEnery for his son John.

Hoping to turn a quick pound (the currency at the time), John consigned her from the family-owned Rossenarra Stud a year later but took her back home when IR£6,800 was deemed not to be enough. What a wise move that proved to be. For John she went on to produce the Petardia colt The Deputy who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and John eventually sold Manfath to Japan where she bred King Kamehameha.

Winner of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) from Heart’s Cry, and the Group 1 NHK Mile Cup, King Kamehameha has become one of the best sires in Japan from his base at Shadai Farm. For the last five years, 2012 to 2016 inclusive, he has been runner-up to Deep Impact in the sires’ championship, having headed that particular list in 2010 and 2011. Yet his fee for 2017 is set at a third of that commanded by Deep Impact. He is the sire of well over 50 stakes winners and eight of these have been champions.

Mikki Rocket’s recent Group 2 success came on his 12th career start. Placed on his only outing at two, he won three times at three and was runner-up four times, his best effort coming in the Group 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai (Japanese St Leger Trial) to the subsequent Group 1 Arima Kinen winner Satono Diamond. He also ran creditably to finish fifth in the Japanese St Leger itself.

Now his record of four wins and five runner-up placings has boosted his winnings to more than 142 million yen (in excess of €1.15 million) and this has repaid his yearling price of 92 million yen. The third foal of his dam, Mikki Rocket is preceded by a winning half-brother My Flivver (by Smart Strike) who was imported to Japan in utero, and a placed half-sister Dragon Love (by Zenno Rob Roy). A three-year-old Stay Gold filly named Piece D’Or, a two-year-old daughter by Daiwa Major and a yearling filly by Lord Kanaloa (Japanese Horse of the Year and a son of King Kamehameha) follow.

Moneycantbuymelove won twice at three and both times in listed races. Having opened her account in the Height Of Fashion Stakes at Newbury, she went to Royal Ascot and landed the Sandringham Stakes. She later placed third behind Midday in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes.

The best of five winners from the Caerleon mare Sabreon, Moneycantbuymelove failed to sell when offered as a yearling. A number of her siblings did sell well, including the Rock Of Gibraltar gelding Pillar Of Hercules (a 78,000gns foal, 165,000gns yearling and a 400,000gns breeze-up sale), Moneycantbuymelove’s own-brother Rattle On who realised 300,000gns as a yearling and is yet to win, and Toshima, a now two-year-old son of Sea The Stars who cost SackvilleDonald 300,000gns last year.

Sabreon has just turned 20 years of age and last year she foaled a colt by Australia. She is one of nine winners from the unraced Miswaki mare Sabria and the best of her offspring were the colts Landseer and Ikhtyar. The latter, a son of Unfuwain, was a stakes winner and ran third in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

His record did not come close to that of Landseer, a son of Danehill. Winner of the Coventry Stakes at two, he won the French 2000 Guineas the next year and added the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile before tragically suffering a fatal injury at the Breeders’ Cup.