HARLEM (Champs Elysees) won a Group 3 in Australia last weekend and has put himself firmly in the picture for the AUS$3 million Group 1 Caulfield in three weeks’ time. Victory there would be just reward for the faith placed in the five-year-old when he was purchased for 520,000gns as last year’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale. He was the top-priced horse at the sale.

Bred and raced initially by Juddmonte Farms, Harlem came up for sale with impeccable credentials, having won a listed race at Vichy over a mile and a half and finishing in the frame in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly (third), Prix Kergorlay (fourth) and the Group 3 Prix d’Hedouville (runner-up).

At the time he was the second foal, first runner and only winner for his Nayef (Gulch) dam Casual who won half of her six starts at two and three and was placed twice.

Since last year Harlem has been joined on the winner’s rostrum by Shearling (Rail Link) and by the 2017 three-year-old winner Turnabout (Oasis Dream) who is catalogued as Lot 1098 at the upcoming horses in training sale at Newmarket. Shearling has had a slightly unorthodox racing career, landing three bumpers at three and four before being placed in a listed mile and a half race this year.

Casual is one of five winners from the first six foals out of the unraced Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) mare Costa Rica.

Her son Rich Coast (King’s Best) won the Listed Navigation Stakes over a mile at Cork as a five-year-old for Johnny Murtagh. He then joined Noel Meade and won the Grade 3 Joe Mac Novice Hurdle at Tipperary and was placed in the Grade 2 Hardy Eustace Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

Harlem’s third dam Roupala was by Vaguely Noble (Vienna) and she bred 10 winners, half of which were stakes performers. Four won at that level and three were by Danehill (Danzig). They included the Group 3 winning fillies Danefair and Prove, the latter being responsible for Tested (Selkirk), a multiple stakes winner in Ireland just a few years ago.

Danefair won her Group 3 over a mile and a half in France and she is proving to be even more influential as a broodmare. She bred the dual group winner Trade Fair (Zafonic) and he also placed in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, while her listed winning daughter Village Fete (Singspiel) has already been represented by last year’s Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes winner Kings Fete (King’s Best).

Another daughter of Roupala is Erudite (Generous) and in addition to winning a listed race she was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Royal Oak.

A number of Roupala’s other daughters have become stakes producers, notably the stakes-placed Estala (Be My Guest) who is the dam of Ventura (Chester House) and she crowned her prolific racing career with successes in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes, Woodbine Mile Stakes, Just A Game Stakes and Santa Monica Handicap. She was runner-up in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Fillies and Mares Sprint at Santa Anita.

Cairn Rouge

People of a certain age will remember Harlem’s fourth dam. Cairn Rouge was trained by Michael Cunningham and this daughter of Pitcairn (Petingo) enjoyed an outstanding three-year-old career which saw her win the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas, Champion Stakes at Newmarket and the Group 2 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Champs Elysees (Danehill) moved to join Coolmore’s National Hunt team this year. The three- time Group 1 winning full-brother to Group 1 sires Dansili and Cacique is responsible for the likes of Group 1 Royal Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris, dual group winner and Group 1 Irish Oaks runner-up Jack Naylor and Prix Imprudence winner and French 1000 Guineas and French Oaks third Xcellence.