ZOFFANY reached another landmark at the weekend when his son Ventura Storm provided him with his first Group 1 winner following his victory in the Gran Premio del Jockey Club at San Siro in Italy. The Richard Hannon-trained colt beat local runner Full Drago, with Andrew Balding’s Elbereth back in third place. It was good to see such a quality winner of this Italian Group 1 race and hopefully it will ensure it retains its status for next year.

Bred in Co Meath by Laurence Kennedy. Ventura Storm three times passed through the sale ring, purchased for €54,000 by Tally-Ho Stud as a foal, €50,000 by Grangebarry as a yearling (both times at Goffs) and 110,000gns as a two-year-old at the Tattersalls Breeze Up Sale by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock. As well as being a Group 1 winner in Italy, he is a Group 3 winner in France, a dual listed winner in England and runner-up in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster.

Zoffany was bred by Denis Brosnan’s Epona Bloodstock, is a son of Dansili and he was the best juvenile of his year in Ireland where he won the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes. Ventura Storm is from his first crop and one of 10 stakes winners to date for his sire. That first crop also includes the German 2000 Guineas winner Knife Edge, Group 2 winners Waterloo Bridge, Foundation and Illuminate, dual Group 1 Oaks runner-up Architecture and the recent Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye second Washington DC. Standing for €7,500 for his first three seasons, Zoffany went up to €12,500 in 2015 and to €45,000 this year thanks to his brilliant start at stud.

Sarawati, the dam of Ventura Storm, was trained by John Oxx and raced four times for Joe Higgins, finishing in the money once. She was sold as a four-year-old, in foal to Lawman, for 36,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale in 2010 and it is at the same venue that her Rip Van Winkle colt foal will be offered through Moyfinn Stud at this year’s December Foal Sale.

The Lawman offspring was the filly Bella Varenna and she was a successful pinhook, selling for €25,000 as a yearling to Church View Stables and then for 78,000gns as a breeze-up at Tattersalls to Marco Botti. She won as a three-year-old.

Ventura Storm is the mare’s second produce and the third is a yearling son of Footstepsinthesand. He passed through the Goffs November Sale as a foal for €75,000 and at this year’s Orby Sale sold from Ken Parkhill’s Castletown Quarry Stud for €200,000, signed for by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock.

When Laurence Kennedy bought Sarawati she was a Haafhd half-sister to the stakes winner Sahool, also runner-up in the Ribblesdale Stakes, and to the dam of the dual Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes winner Maraahel, a son of Alzao and winner of more than £1 million in prizemoney. Now there are three more stakes winners under that remove of the pedigree as two of Sarawati’s half-sisters have bred the Group 2 winning juvenile and new 2016 stallion Gutaifan, and this year’s listed winner Erysimum. Meanwhile Maraahel’s dam is also the grandam of stakes winner Tazahum.