IN the recent Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York, with Gleneagles out due to the eased going, the undefeated Derby hero Golden Horn was 4/9 to extend his sequence, and, with their prices, The Grey Gatsby and rising star Time Test, in either order, were likely to follow him home.

Although the big three finished pretty much in line with expectations, with Golden Horn clear of The Grey Gatsby and Time Test, the young classic hero was a neck behind Arabian Queen.

She was 50/1, and deservedly so, and for all that she has improved for a recent step up to 10 furlongs, it catches the eye that Jeff Smith’s homebred daughter of Darley super sire Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) has yet to win any two consecutive races in her career.

Indeed, aside from this one, the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes, and last summer’s Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, the only time she has finished better than fifth in blacktype company is her 25/1 third behind Legatissimo in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes four weeks ago.

She will go up quite a bit from her pre-York figure of 109, and although she would not be the first filly to make and sustain a sudden leap forward, the possibility remains that this amazing performance was an unrepeatable, once-in-a-lifetime effort.

It is to be hoped that the David Elsworth-trained three-year-old can win again at the highest level, and she is unlikely to encounter anything of the calibre of Golden Horn or The Grey Gatsby if she returns to fillies’ and mares’ events.

In short, a lower level of form than what she appeared to show at York would still enable her to excel on the track.

Of course, if what we saw on the Knavesmire is the sudden coming of age of a brilliant middle-distance star, then pretty much any Group 1 event could be within her compass, and that would be exciting.

Probably eventually she will return to her owner’s Littleton Stud for what promises to be a significant broodmare career.

She is by one of the great sires of the modern era and she is the first foal out of the dual Group 2 Lancashire Oaks heroine Barshiba (by Barathea) who, like her dam Dashiba and maternal grandsire Dashing Blade (by Elegant Air), was also bred by Smith.

The latter was a Group 1-winning juvenile who went on to further top level success over middle-distances before becoming a leading sire in Germany.

Dashiba was not one of his stars, although she had plenty of ability, earning her blacktype when placed in the Listed Upavon Stakes at Salisbury and in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Ascot.

In addition to Barshiba, she is also responsible for the juvenile stakes winner Doctor Dash (by Dr Fong) and for the five-year-old Dashing Star (by Teofilo) who was runner-up in a 14 furlong listed handicap at York last month.

As for Barshiba, her second foal is a two-year-old filly named Australian Queen (by Fastnet Rock) and she foaled a full-sister to her Group 1 star six and a half months ago.The third dam of Arabian Queen is the one-time scorer Alsiba (by Northfields), a mare whose other offspring include Bond Diamond (by Prince Sabo), who won nine times from seven to 10 furlongs, and also Dalriath (by Fraam).

That filly won over a mile at Southwell, scored twice over hurdles, and recorded one win and 14 placings from 44 starts over fences, picking up blacktype when a 43-length third behind My Way De Solzen in a Grade 2 novice chase at Cheltenham.

The next dam is a once placed mare called Etoile Grise (by Sea Hawk II) and she has two other non-winning daughters who deserve a mention.

Lady Redford (by Bold Lad IRE) was last of eight in a Roscommon bumper on her only start, and she has just one winner from 12 foals, but he is the Group 3 Greenlands Stakes scorer Tiger Royal (by Royal Academy), and her descendants also include the stakes-winning juveniles Sacred Aspect (by Haatef) and Sir Xaar (by Xaar).

The other daughter is Saraday, a multiple times placed full-sister to Alsiba and dam of the dual Group 1 Irish St Leger hero Oscar Schindler (by Royal Academy).

Champion older horse in Ireland in 1996, he also won the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes and the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes, and the races in which he was placed featured the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Helissio won by five lengths that year, but runner-up Pilsudski was only a short-neck in front of Oscar Schindler, with Swain fourth, Luna Wells fifth, and that summer’s Derby winner Shaamit seventh.

As a daughter of Barshiba, and with a third dam who is a full-sister to the mare who gave us Oscar Schindler, there is no surprise that Arabian Queen has a considerable amount of talent, and given the exploits of those relatives there is reason to hope that she may improve with age and even with distance, which could see her become a leading Arc candidate in 2016.