GROUP 3 SUCCESS FOR LATE INS SIRE
McCreery provided a reminder of the loss created by the premature death last year of Big Bad Bob (by Bob Back) when successful in a Group 3 handicap over six and a half furlongs at Randwick on Saturday.
This was a second win at that level for the gelding, adding to a 10-furlong Group 3 success at Rosehill in September.
The Chris Waller-trained five-year-old was bred by Lord Rothschild, he won over seven and eight furlongs in England when trained by Roger Charlton, and he is among 10 blacktype scorers for his late Irish National Stud-based sire.
McCreery is out of the French-bred listed race winner Dolma (by Marchand De Sable) and that makes him a half-brother to Thistle Bird (by Selkirk), a Rothschild homebred whose last of eight wins came when easily beating Venus De Milo in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh three years ago.
His grandam, Young Manila (by Manila), is a stakes-placed half-sister to Group 2 Prix de Royallieu winner Fabulous Hostess (by Fabulous Dancer), and the Group 1 stars Solow (by Singspiel), Bethrah (by Marju), Reve D'Oscar (by Highest Honor) and Reve D'Essor (by Agnes Tachyon) are among the many blacktype horses who appear in more remote branches of the family.
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BIG TREBLE FOR COOLMORE SIRES
Coolmore Stud stallions notched-up a major across-the-cards treble in Australia on Saturday, taking a pair of Group 1s at Caulfield and a Group 2 contest at Randwick.
The latter was the seven-furlong theraces.com.au Surround Stakes and it went to the Mandy and Matt Brown-trained La Bella Diosa (by So You Think). This was a second pattern success for the T W Archer Trust-bred three-year-old as she won the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton Park in November.
She represents the first crop of her sire, she is a half-sister to Group 1 Australian Oaks third Thy (by O'Reilly) and also to Solid Billing (by Rock Of Gibraltar), a 12-furlong Group 3 handicap scorer who finished third in 2011's edition of the Group 1 Sydney Cup over two miles.
Their dam, Star Affair (by Star Way), was a Group 2 winner in New Zealand and the plethora of other blacktype horses in the family include her champion and classic-winning half-brother The Jewel (by O'Reilly) and also Group 1 Auckland Cup scorer Irish Chance (by Sir Tristram), a half-brother to her stakes-winning dam, The Grin (by Grosvenor).
Both of the Caulfield Group 1s that went to Coolmore sires were sprints and the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes was on first.
Catchy (by Fastnet Rock) won the six-furlong juvenile contest in a time of 1:09.38, adding to her Group 2 success over a half-furlong less at the same venue a fortnight before.
She was bred by Joy Jenkins and she is the best of three multiple winners out of Cats Whisker (by Fusaichi Pegasus), a Group 1-placed speedy dual Group 2 winner of six races.
About 40 minutes later, Sheidel (by Holy Roman Emperor) won the Resimax Group Oakleigh Plate over five and a half furlongs, a first win at the highest level for the previously Group 1-placed dual Group 3 scorer.
The five-year-old was bred by Des De Largie and she is out of Laventour (by Metal Storm), an unraced half-sister to Group 3 scorer Track Jester (by Tenby), who De Largie also bred.
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DANSILI GETS FIRST EUROPEAN PATTERN WINNER OF 2017
Outstanding Banstead Manor Stud stallion Dansili (by Danehill) supplied the first European pattern winner of 2017 when his son Convey took the Group 3 Betway Winter Derby Stakes over 10 furlongs at Lingfield on Saturday.
The Juddmonte Farms-bred five-year-old, running for the first time since being gelded, was a pattern-placed stakes winner last year.
He is a half-brother to Group 3 scorer Stronghold (by Danehill) and to listed race winner Take The Hint (by Montjeu), and he is out of Insinuate (by Mr Prospector), who is a stakes-winning daughter of classic-placed Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine All At Sea (by Riverman).
Convey is trained by Sir Michael Stoute.
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EXCEED GELDING EXCELS AT LINGFIELD
Royal Birth made the breakthrough in blacktype company when winning the Listed Betway Hever Spring Stakes over five furlongs at Lingfield on Saturday, his seventh win from 24 starts.
The prolific handicapper is trained by Stuart Williams, he was bred by the partnership of Old Mill Stud, S Williams and J Parry, and he was the 129th individual stakes winner for Darley's shuttler and Australian champion sire Exceed And Excel (by Danehill), a member of the team at Kildangan Stud.
Each of his dam's first four foals is a multiple winner – their combined tally stands at 17 wins – and he was her third-born. Princess Georgina (by Royal Applause) is that mare, she won once, and her siblings include two full-brothers of note.
Auditorium won the Listed Ripon Champion 2yo Trophy, was runner-up in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes and finished third in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes.
Mister Cosmi, whose career total is 15 wins, took the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood and a listed contest at Baden-Baden, and he was third in the Group 1 Gran Criterium in Milan.
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ANOTHER OF NOTE FOR SADDLER MAKER
Late Haras de Cercy stallion Saddler Maker (by Sadler's Wells), the horse who gave us standouts such as Bristol De Mai, Alpha Des Obeaux, and Apple's Jade, added another blacktype winner to his tally when Dinaria Des Obeaux was awarded the Grade 3 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle over two miles at Fairyhouse on Saturday.
The Gordon Elliott-trained bay is yet another talented AQPS (autre que pur sang) runner and she was bred by Marie Devilder and Laure Rebuffe.
She was Grade 1-placed behind Mega Fortune at Leopardstown last month, she is a full-sister to a horse who has been middle-distance placed on the flat and placed over fences, and she is out of six-time scorer Indiana Jaune (by Le Nain Jaune).
Her dam was an effective cross-country chaser who stayed three miles, the mare's siblings include several multiple scorers, and they are out of Vienoise De Cene (by Djarvis), who won twice over obstacles in France.
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BLUEYES ANOTHER FOR DANEHILL LINE
Master Blueyes won over 12 furlongs at York and Chester last May but the four-year-old, a member of the Alan King stable, is now rising through the ranks of juvenile hurdlers.
He got off the mark at the fourth attempt, winning by 18 lengths over two miles at Ludlow early last month, and then followed-up on Saturday with an 11-length score in the Grade 2 BetBright Genius Adonis Juvenile Hurdle over the same trip at Kempton.
He was bred by T Boylan, he is a son of multiple Group 1 star and classic sire Mastercraftsman (by Danehill Dancer), and he is out of Miss Blueyes (by Dushyantor), which makes him a half-brother to last summer's two-mile, seven-furlong Worcester hurdles winner Bermeo (by Definite Article).
The mare has a two-year-old first-crop son of the Group 1-winning miler Most Improved (by Lawman) and a yearling son of Footstepsinthesand (by Giant's Causeway), she won twice on the flat as a three-year-old, and the best of her siblings is Talina's Law (by Law Society), who was a dual blacktype scorer as a juvenile hurdler.
That talented performer is the dam of the Grade B Paddy Power Handicap Chase winner and Grade A Galway Plate third Majestic Concorde (by Definite Article) and of the Listed Savel Beg Stakes-winning filly Queen Astrid (by Revoque), and she is out of Talina (by General Assembly), a winning half-sister to Group 1 2000 Guineas winner Zino (by Welsh Pageant).
Coolmore Stud's Mastercraftsman is no stranger to getting talented winners under National Hunt rules, as you tend to expect from most leading flat sires, but he is better known as being the sire of classic stars Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby, dual mile Group 1 heroine Amazing Maria, and New Zealand Group 1 winners Thee Auld Floozie and Valley Girl among a current tally of 35 individual stakes winners.
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NICKNAME GELDING STRIKES AGAIN
Frodon, a son of the late top-class chaser Nickname (by Lost World), notched-up his third graded race victory when recording an odds-on success in the Grade 2 BetBright Best For Festival Betting Pendil Novices' Chase over two miles, four and a half furlongs at Kempton on Saturday.
The Paul Nicholls-trained five-year-old was bred by Philippe Gasdoue, he is the first foal out of Miss Country (by Country Reel), and she is a winning half-sister to Grade 1 star Medermit (by Medaaly).
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NEW GRADED WINNER FOR OSCAR
Grange Stud veteran and leading National Hunt sire Oscar (by Sadler's Wells) added to his blacktype tally when River Wylde won the Grade 2 Sky Bet Dovecote Novices' Hurdle over two miles at Kempton on Saturday.
This extends the Nicky Henderson-trained gelding's unbeaten hurdling record to three, adding to a single bumper success from three starts. He was runner-up in his only point-to-point.
The six-year-old was bred by Lillian Mahon and he is out of Clarin River (by Mandalus), a half-sister to the dams of Grade 1-placed Grade 2-winning hurdler Get Me Out Of Here (by Accordion), of Grade B chase scorer Living Next Door (by Beneficial), and of Rock On The Moor (by Flemensfirth), last year's Grade 1 OLBG Mares' Hurdle runner-up at Cheltenham and third behind Limini in a listed contest at Punchestown last month..
His grandam, Las-Cancellas (by Monksfield), won on the flat and over hurdles, she is a half-sister to Grade 1 star Harbour Pilot (by Be My Native) and also to the dams of Grade 3 Grand National and Grade A Kerry National hero Monty's Pass (by Montelimar) and Grade 2-winning chaser Eduard (by Morozov).
The third dam is Synarria (by Guillaume Tell), who won twice on the flat before going on to add five over jumps, including a pair of blacktype handicap hurdles.
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FIRST GRADED WIN FOR ISLAND SON
Pilgrims Bay sprang a 25/1 surprise in the Grade 3 BetBright Handicap Chase over three miles at Kempton on Saturday, a second win from five starts over fences for the Neil Mulholland-trained gelding and his first blacktype success.
The seven-year-old was bred by Michael Kirwan, he is a son of runaway Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Turtle Island (by Fairy King), he is a full-brother to point-to-point winning mare Watneys Way, and he is the second foal out of Lady Ariadna (by Supreme Leader).
His dam was unraced but she is a half-sister to Turtle Dubh (by Turtle Island), a three-parts brother to Pilgrims Bay and winner of a two-mile listed novices' hurdle at Punchestown just over 10 years ago.