OAKS HEROINE FOR ADLERFLUG
In addition to the Derby-sires Galileo (by Sadler's Wells), Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) and King's Best (by Kingmambo) – each of whom stands or stood in Ireland – the notable males descended from Anatevka (by Espresso) include Adlerflug (by In The Wings).
He is somewhat closely related to Galileo, he stands at his owner/breeder's Gestut Schlenderhan in Germany, and he notched up his third individual Group 1 winner when Lacazar took the Preis der Diana – German Oaks at Dusseldorf on Sunday.
The Peter Schiergen-trained filly won a Group 3 contest at Hamburg a month before. She was bred by Ina Emma Zimmerman, she is the second foal out of Laey Diamond, and she is a full-sister to the pattern-placed colt Liberry Gold.
Her dam is an unraced daughter of the Group 1 Deutsches Derby hero Dai Jin (by Peintre Celebre) and the mare is is a full-sister to Liang Kay.
His string of blacktype wins was headed by the Group 2 Oppenheim-Union-Rennen, his many pattern-race placings included third in the Group 2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) and he missed out on another classic placing when fourth in the Group 1 Deutsches Derby.
Recent Group 1 scorer Iquitos is another of Adlerflug's top offspring and his representatives this season also include Group 2 Diana Trial winner Tusked Wings.
His classic-placed grandam, Alya (by Lombard), was a full-sister to Allegretta, dam of King's Best and of the Arc heroine and phenomenal broodmare Urban Sea (by Miswaki).
That chesnut was, of course, the dam of Galileo, Sea The Stars, and the additional top-level winners Black Sam Bellamy and My Typhoon, among others of note.
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ST LEGER CANDIDATE FOR STARS
Gilltown Stud's Timeform 140-rated ace and leading sire Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) has yet another potential classic contender to his name in Crystal Ocean, three and a half-length winner of the Group 3 Qatar Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt was bred by Southcourt Stud, he is out of Crystal Star (by Mark Of Esteem) and that makes him a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Hillstar (by Danehill Dancer), Group 2 scorer Crystal Capella (by Cape Cross), and listed-race winner Crystal Zvezda (by Dubawi).
His stakes-winning dam is a half-sister to pattern-placed listed scorer Waila (by Notnowcato) and out of Crystal Cavern (by Be My Guest), a winning half-sister to Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Rose Gypsy (by Green Desert).
Eight progeny of Sea The Stars have won at the highest level so far including classic winners Harzand, Sea The Moon, and Taghrooda and recent Goodwood Cup hero Stradivarius, who may also have a go at the Group 1 William Hill St Leger at Doncaster next month.
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BRANDO IS PIVOTAL'S 26TH GROUP 1 WINNER
Cheveley Park Stud's Group 1-winning sprinter Pivotal (by Polar Falcon) still looks very well and is going strong at the age of 24 and the powerful chesnut notched up his 26th individual winner at the highest level when Brando took the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville on Sunday.
This is a race that Pivotal's Regal Parade and Somnus won previously, and the stallion's top winners also include classic stars at a mile, 11 furlongs, and a mile and a half.
The grandson of Nureyev (by Northern Dancer) has also made an impact with his stallion sons and broodmare daughters and he looks guaranteed to remain in pedigrees for a long time to come.
Brando is trained by Kevin Ryan, he was bred by Car Colston Hall Stud, and he is a half-brother to both the US Grade 1 star Ticker Tape (by Royal Applause) and to Sant Elena (by Efisio), the winning dam of juvenile Group 1 ace Reckless Abandon (by Exchange Rate).
His dam, Argent Du Bois (by Silver Hawk), is a half-sister to Group 1 Racing Post Trophy winner Crowded House (by Rainbow Quest) and his grandam, Wiener Wald (by Woodman), comes from the immediate family of Group/Grade 1 stars and influential stallions Royal Academy (by Nijinsky) and Storm Cat (by Storm Bird).
There will, of course, be no stallion career for Brando as, like his sire's two previous winners of that six and a half-furlong sprint, he is a gelding.
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CLASSIC WINNER FOR FAST COMPANY
Several weeks ago I noted here the runaway first Grade 1 success of Robert Bruce, a son of Kildangan Stud stallion Fast Company (by Danehill Dancer).
That same colt, now aged three, added a wide-margin victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Premio Polla de Portillos. That eight and a half-furlong contest is one of Chile's four classics.
Haras Convento Vlejo's homebred is trained by Patricio Baeza, he is out of Grade 1 Las Oaks heroine Lady Pelusa (by Orpen), and comes from the family of Irish Derby heroes and full-brothers Ribero (by Ribot) and Ribocco. He is inbred 4x4 to Danzig (by Northern Dancer).
As in his previous Grade 1 victory, the colt who chased him home was Caramboleado, another son of Fast Company.
The stallion's dozen worldwide stakes winners also feature the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Jet Setting and classic-placed Irish Group 2 scorer Devonshire.
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ANOTHER GALILEO MILER?
The Aidan O'Brien-trained three-year-old Sir John Lavery was well-beaten in the Listed Derby Trial at Lingfield and in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot but dropped back to a mile on soft ground at Cork on Tuesday and took the Listed Platinum Stakes by three lengths.
His only prior win, from five career starts, was a seven-length maiden score on his only other attempt at the distance.
The son of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) was bred by Lorgnette Bloodstock, he is out of nine and a half-furlong Group 3 scorer Race For The Stars (by Fusaichi Pegasus), and that mare is a half-sister to the brilliant miler Hawk Wing (by Woodman).
The odds that a Galileo with this distaff line would stay 12 furlongs would be fairly short, especially as Hawk Wing's class helped him into the runners-up spot at Epsom, and so it's no surprise that the colt's long list of big-race entries mostly consists of contests that are over 12 furlongs to an extended mile and three-quarters.
But he may have the family's speed rather than the true middle-distance talent and it catches the eye that he has now had the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes added to his engagements.
Sir John Lavery may stay 10 furlongs, especially with another winter on his back, but with two wide-margin wins over a mile from two tries at the distance, perhaps that's the key to him, for now.
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TEOFILO FILLY FROM FAMOUS FAMILY
H H the Aga Khan's homebred chesnut Eziyra won the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks Stakes over 12 furlongs on soft ground at Cork on Tuesday, a second pattern success for the filly who took third to Enable in last month's Group 1 Darley Irish Oaks.
The Dermot Weld-trained three-year-old is a daughter of excellent Kildangan Stud stallion Teofilo (by Galileo), whose 67 individual stakes winners include a dozen who have won at the highest level.
She is the third foal of her dam, she is a half-sister to the thrice-raced mile listed scorer Eshera (by Oratorio), and she is out of stakes-placed Eytarna (by Dubai Destination), a half-sister to the Group 1 stars Ebadiyla, Edabiya, Enzeli, and Estimate.
Ebadiyla (by Sadler's Wells) won the Irish Oaks and Prix Royal-Oak, Edabiya (by Rainbow Quest) took the Moyglare Stud Stakes, and both Enzeli (by Kahyasi) and Estimate (by Monsun) won the Gold Cup at Ascot.
They are all out of the Group 2-placed triple listed scorer Ebaziya (by Darshaan) who, like Eytarna and the first three of that Group 1 quartet, was trained by John Oxx.
With these family connections, it would be fascinating to see how she might get on if sent to Doncaster for next month's Group 1 William Hill St Leger, and also how she would do in the middle-distance and stayers' divisions at the age of four.