NEW TOP-LEVEL WINNER FOR MASTERCRAFTSMAN
The recent blacktype spree being enjoyed by Coolmore Stud's Group 1 star and notable sire Mastercraftsman (by Danehill Dancer) was noted here last week, when his new additions featured potential 2018 classic contender Wind Chimes, and last Sunday evening he notched up an even bigger result.
Dual Grade 3 heroine Off Limits, who won a listed contest at Killarney when trained by David Wachman two years ago, is a member of the powerful Chad Brown team and she beat Hawksmoor by a length to take the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes over a mile at Del Mar.
The five-year-old chesnut was bred by the Carlingford Breeding Syndicate, she is out of Ravish (by Efisio) and her siblings include Swift Cedar (by Excellent Art), who has a double-digit tally of wins.
Her dam is a half-sister to the seven-furlong French listed scorer Looks Sensational (by Majestic Light), who is a half-sister to classic-placed US Grade 1 star Awe Inspiring (by Slew O' Gold).
All of this will make her a fascinating broodmare prospect.
Mastercraftsman's 44 stakes winners include classic stars Kingston Hill (first foals in 2017) and The Grey Gatsby plus addition Group 1 scorers Amazing Maria, Thee Auld Floozie and Valley Girl.
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RARE FEAT FOR MYBOYCHARLIE
Two or even three winners on a card by the same stallion happens quite often but it is comparatively rare that the same stallion will supply four of the winners.
This happened on the polytrack at Deauville on Wednesday, and although the quartet did not include the listed race winner, a seven and a half-furlong maiden plus three of the nine and a half-furlong handicaps went to offspring of Myboycharlie.
An Irish-bred son of late Tally-Ho Stud stallion Danetime (by Danehill), Myboycharlie beat subsequent classic heroine Natagora by two lengths in the Group 1 Prix Morny a month after he trashed subsequent US Grade 1 star Tuscan Evening by seven lengths in the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh.
The Tommy Stack-trained bay was out of the frame in two starts at three, he began his career as a shuttler from the National Stud in Newmarket, he has been a member of the team at Haras du Mezeray, in France, since 2012, and his stakes winners are headed by the Group/Grade 1 stars Jameka and Euro Charline.
He was among the busiest stallions in France in 2017, covering a total of 143 mares.
Myboycharlie's Deauville four-timer began with Rebecca, a three-year-old bred by Debra Hooper and Vicky Ward. She is the first foal of Jules J (by Action This Day), who is a stakes-placed relation of the Grade 1-placed Grade 2 winners Blue Moon (by Lomitas) and Malibu Pier (by Malibu Moon) and from a branch of the family of the Group/Grade 1 scorers Bannaby (by Dyhim Diamond) and Passing Shot (by A.P. Indy).
Just over an hour later, two-year-old Sadarak made a winning debut in the maiden for his owner-breeder the Aga Khan.
The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained colt is out of Sadiyna (by Sinndar), whose dam – Saga d'Ouilly (by Linamix) – is a full-sister to Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe star Sagamix and half-sister to Group 1 scorer Sagacity (by Highest Honor).
Their stakes-placed half-sister Shastye (by Danehill) is the dam of dual Oaks-placed Group 2 winner Secret Gesture (by Galileo), who lost the Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes in the stewards' room.
Might Sadarak be the next top level winner for Myboycharlie? He looks a bright prospect for both French colts' classics in 2018.
Two races later it was the turn of four-year-old Altesse Thais, a half-sister to this year's dual stakes-placed Richard Hannon juvenile Tigre Du Terre (by Le Havre).
Then King Dream completed the four-timer when he beat another gelded four-year-old son of the stallion, Je Suis Charlie, in a handicap. The winner, who was bred by Ecurie Biraben, is out of Queen Dream (by Spadoun), a half-sister to the aforementioned classic star Natagora (by Divine Light).
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SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR SEPOY
Australian juvenile champion and Darley shuttle stallion Sepoy (by Elusive Quality) notched up his seventh stakes winner when Indian Blessing took the Listed Prix Petite Etoile, by two lengths, over nine and a half furlongs on the polytrack at Deauville on Tuesday.
The Ed Walker-trained three-year-old, who finished third to Mori in the Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes earlier in the year, represents the European half of her sire's first crop.
She was bred by Jocelyn Targett, she is out of Alpen Glen (by Halling) and that makes her a half-sister to the stakes-placed pair Glade (by Bertolini) and Montalbano (by Monsieur Bond).
The latter was a Grade 2-placed dual hurdles winner for the Willie Mullins stable last season and fell at the last when looking held in second place in the Killinan Beginners Chase at Thurles on Thursday afternoon.
Anna D'Autriche (by Rainbow Quest), the grandam of Indian Blessing, is a half-sister to the pattern winners Annaba (by In The Wings) and Anna Of Saxony (by Ela-Mana-Mou) and full-sister to Group 2 scorer Pozarica.
This is a family that has been a prolific source of stakes and pattern winners and its Group 1 stars include National Defense (by Invincible Spirit), one of the new additions to the stallion team at the Irish National Stud for 2018.
Sepoy shuttles to Dalham Hall Stud, his European runners include Group 2 German 1000 Guineas winner Unforgettable Filly and Group 1-placed Group 3 scorer Dabyah, while his southern hemisphere blacktype horses feature Group 1 Flight Stakes heroine Alizee.
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DOCTOR'S BAGUE WINS AGAIN
Gavin Cromwell's dual Grade 1 star Jer's Girl was favourite to win the Listed OLBG Mares' Hurdle over the extended three miles at Kempton on Monday but the JP McManus-owned daughter of the late Jeremy (by Danehill Dancer) was beaten by half a length.
The race went to La Bague Au Roi, a Warren Greatrex-trained six-year-old who was unplaced on her only Grade 1 attempt but whose latest victory was her ninth from 12 starts.
Now a triple listed scorer over hurdles, to add to a five-length listed bumper success two years ago, she is a daughter of Haras du Mesnil's triple Group 1 star Doctor Dino (by Muthathir) and so is by the successful dual-purpose stallion whose offspring include Grade 2 Elite Hurdle winner Sceau Royal and the lightly-raced Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) runner-up Physiocrate.
La Bague Au Roi was bred in France by Comtesse Bertrand De Tarragon, she is out of Alliance Royale (by Turgeon) and so is a half-sister to the blacktype-placed hurdlers Franche Alliance (by Poliglote) and Reine Angevine (by Poliglote).
She is also a half-sister to the prolific Kaysersberg (by Khalkevi), who has won two bumpers, four times over hurdles, one chase and one point-to-point.
Allee Sarthoise (by Pampabird), the grandam of La Bague Au Roi, is the dam of several winners, mostly notably the Grade 3-winning French chaser Plaisir Du Roy (by Legend Of France).
That mare's own siblings, on the other hand, feature Clan Royal (by Chef De Clan), the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Becher Chase and Topham Chase hero who chased home Amberleigh House in the 2004 edition of the Grade 3 Grand National at Aintree, and finished third to Numbersixvalverde in the same race two years later.
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BENEFICIAL REMEMBERED
Top National Hunt stallion Beneficial (by Top Ville) was the star member of the team at Knockhouse Stud for many years and he was aged 23 when he died four years ago.
His loss was advertised at Navan on Sunday when he not only supplied the winner of both Grade B events but, in the more prestigious of the pair, the third horse home was the winner's full-sister.
Mala Beach, a Grade 2 winner over hurdles at Gowran Park and Fairyhouse, took the featured Ladbrokes Troytown Handicap Chase by two and three-quarter lengths from Dont Tell No One (by Westerner), with Bonny Kate another eight lengths back in third.
The winner is trained by Gordon Elliott, the third by Noel Meade, and they were bred by Robert Guiry out of his Old Vic (by Sadler's Wells) mare Pepperardstown.
Nine-year-old Mala Beach had been placed at Galway six weeks before but for his seven-year-old sister this was a first outing since being pulled-up in the Grade A Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in April.
Their dam's siblings include the hurdle, triple chase and prolific point-to-point scorer Aztec Warrior (by Taipan) who was runner-up in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at Sandown almost 11 years ago.
Half an hour after the Troytown, Red Devil Lads sprang a 28/1 surprise in the Grade B Proudstown Handicap Hurdle, landing the spoils by two and a half lengths on only his second run for trainer Emmet Mullins.
The eight-year-old was bred by Brendan Noone, he is out of Welsh Sitara (by Welsh Term) and so is a half-brother to dual three-mile hurdle winner Im A Witness (by Witness Box).
His grandam, Pranburi (by Mount Hagen), was unplaced on the flat as a two-year-old but was a half-sister to the prolific Prayukta (by Prince Regent), a blacktype-winner over fences who also won the Imperial Cup over hurdles.
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ROBIN ADDS TO HIS TALLY
Glenview Stud's French import Robin Des Champs (by Garde Royale) – the sire of Grade 1 standouts Quevega, Sir Des Champs and Vautour – added to his tally when Crackerdancer won the Listed Coolmore NH Sires Irish EBF Mares Flat Race at Navan on Sunday.
The eldest horse in the field, the lightly raced, Ray Hackett-trained seven-year-old made all to beat Cordovan Brown (by Flemensfirth) by three-parts of a length, with Redhotfillypeppers – another by Robin Des Champs – third.
Crackerdancer was bred by Emma Harrington, she is a €39,000 graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, she has won the last three of her five career starts, and achieved that feat by a total of just over 30 lengths.
Her dam, Katie's Cracker (by Rambo Dancer), won a seller, a claimer, and two handicaps over middle-distances on the flat in England, but being a half-sister to the prolific and talented dual-purpose gelding One For The Pot (by Nicholas Bill) gave her a chance of producing at least one talented son or daughter at stud.
In fact, she is the dam of three blacktype horses from her first six foals.
The eldest was the ill-fated Saludos (by Bob Back) whom Jessica Harrington trained to win the Grade 2 Flyingbolt Novice Chase. He was third in the Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Chase at Punchestown and was also a Grade 1-placed blacktype scorer over hurdles.
The other blacktype sibling is Espresso Lady (by Shantou), a nine-length Navan bumper winner who was third in a listed mares' hurdle at Fairyhouse. Her first foal is the Noel Williams-trained four-year-old Sensulano (by Milan) who was a one-length third in a Warwick bumper on November 10th.