I HOPE Denis Hickey in Garryrichard Stud has a few words of French in his vocabulary. He may need some next year ahead of the breeding season.

Garryrichard has a record of standing successful sires that is second to none and it is currently home to Sageburg, an intriguing dual-purpose stallion who keeps on coming up with a good horse.

His last French-conceived crop are two-year-olds and the best of them is Spain Burg, winner last Friday of the Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket.

This was the fourth win in five starts for the March-born filly and caps her previous form, which included a listed win in the Criterium du Bequet at Le Teste. She also was successful over five and six furlongs at Bordeaux and Toulouse. She is a filly that is improving and is due to be auctioned tonight at the Arqana Arc Sale in Chantilly.

Her dam Spain Blues, by Anabaa Blue, won three races in France and was placed no less than 14 times.

She raced for four seasons and was obviously sound. Spain Burg is just her second produce and the first, a three-year-old son of Turtle Bowl named Spain Bowl, is a winner in France this year.

Spain Blues raced for Pedro Perez Fernandez de la Puente and was reported as having been sold, carrying Spain Burg, for just €11,000 at the Arqana December Sale in 2013. However, the same gentleman is registered as the breeder of the Group 2 winner last week, so we can assume she was bought back.

Just as well!!

Spain Blues was sold as a yearling for €12,000 and ended her racing career with earnings of more than €100,000. Her dam Strike Alight was an American-bred daughter of Gulch and a winner in her native country. She only had six living foals of racing age and all bar one of them won. Her only blacktype runner was Cyber World, a son of Robin Des Pins, and he was trained by Julie Cecil in England, Pascal Bary in France and Hans-Inge Larsen in Sweden. In the latter country he was runner-up in the Swedish Open Mile.

This is a female line long established with the Niarchos Family and their Flaxman Holdings bred Strike Alight. She was a full-sister to the listed winner and E.P.Taylor Stakes runner-up Flame Valley (trained by Sir Michael Stoute) and a half-sister to the Grade 2 All Along Stakes winner Beyrouth. Their dam was the speedy Lightning Fire.

CORNERSTONE

A daughter of Kris and a listed winner in France, Lightning Fire was an own-sister to the very successful stallion Common Grounds. He won the Group 1 Prix de la Salamandre at two and was a cornerstone of the success enjoyed by Yeomanstown Stud. His half-sister Angel In My Heart came close to a Grade 1 success on many occasions and her runner-up efforts included the Matriarch Stakes, Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes and the Santa Ana Handicap. She later bred the Derby winner Kris Kin.

Sageburg is one of seven Group or Grade 1 winners sired by Johannesburg, also responsible for the much lamented Scat Daddy who got such stars as No Nay Never, Nickname, and this year’s duo of Lady Aurelia and Caravaggio. Scat Daddy’s death in December was a serious loss to the breeding world.

It should not be forgotten that Sageburg is previously the sire of another pair of group winners, the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham winner and Group 1 placed Peace Burg (out of a Sadler’s Wells mare) and the Group 3 winner Si Sage, out of a daughter of Poliglote, himself a son of Sadler’s Wells. With plenty of mares around from the Sadler’s Wells sire line, Sageburg is an obvious cross to consider.

Over jumps Sageburg has also made an exceptionally promising start and his son Ch’tibello won the Grade 2 Scottish Champion Hurdle this year for Dan Skelton. He is also the sire of a pair of black type jump winners in France, Ange D’Amour and Fou Et Sage. The last named is also out of a mare by Poliglote.

Unraced at two, Sageburg developed into a top-class performer over the next two years, the highlights including victory in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan over nine furlongs and placings in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at a mile and Prix Ganay over 10 and a half furlongs. His dam is a Group 2 winning full-sister to the Arc winner Sagamix and a half-sister to the Group 1 winning two-year-old Sagacity.