That superstar is, understandably, the immediate answer that most will give if asked to name an undefeated Group 1 winner and classic star of 2013 but she is not the only filly who achieved that feat.
The Stefano Botti-trained Charity Line won the Group 2 Oaks d’Italia by four and a half lengths at San Siro in May, a race that her half-sister Cherry Collect (by Oratorio) won the previous season, and to that she added the Group 1 Premio Lydia Tesio at Capannelle, a race in which her sister had to settle for minor honours in 2012.
Charity Line is a daughter of Manduro (by Monsun) and she was his second winner at the highest level.
His first crop son Mandaean won the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, the Group 1-placed Bonfire won the Group 2 Dante Stakes, and each of Fractional, Kolonel and Trois Lunes has been successful at Group 3 level.
Add in another six who have won listed races, and a string of blacktype-placed horses who include the Group 2 Mehl-Mulhens Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) runner-up Global Bang, and it is clear that Manduro has made a promising start to his stallion career.
A half-brother to Mandela (by Acatenanco), the Group 1-placed stakes-winning dam of the Japanese classic runner-up World Ace (by Deep Impact), Manduro is out of the multiple stakes-placed German winner Mandellicht (by Be My Guest) and he comes from the immediate family of the Group 2 Mehl-Mulhens Rennen scorer Mandelbaum (by Konigsstuhl).
There are various other stakes winners in his family but none comes even close to having the level of talent that he had.
Manduro was the best juvenile in Germany in 2004, winning a maiden and a mile Group 3 contest on his only two outings. He won two from three the following year, including a Group 3 race at Hoppegarten and a listed contest at Munich, before arriving on the international scene in 2006 with a series of excellent performances.
He won only the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt that year but was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois and in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan, and placed third in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, in the Group 1 Prix Ganay, and in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.
It was in 2007, however, that Manduro reached his peak, going undefeated in five races and earning the crown as champion older horse in Europe.
He won the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Ascot, and the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp, plus the Group 2 Prix Foy and the Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes, before taking up stallion duties at Kildangan Stud.
He has spent four years at Kildangan, one at Dalham Hall Stud, and is about to begin his second season at Haras du Logis.
Manduro, whose yearlings fetched up to €70,000 at auction last year, is now an established young sire who has two Group 1 winners to his name and his list of stakes winners should continue to grow in the coming years.
MANDURO (GER)
Race record: Winner of 10 races, over 7-12 furlongs, from 2-5 years inc Prix Jacques le Marois, Gr.1, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Gr.1, Prix d’Ispahan, Gr.1, Prix Foy, Gr.2, Prix d’Harcourt, Gr.2, Earl of Sefton Stakes, Gr.3, Preis der Deutschen Einheit, Gr.3, Winterfavoriten, Gr.3, pferdewetten.de-Criterium, Listed, 2nd Prix Jacques le Marois, Gr.1, Prix d’Ispahan, Gr.1, Prix Dollar, Gr.2, 3rd Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Gr.1, Prix Ganay, Gr.1, Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Gr.1, Prix Messidor, Gr.3, etc
Stud record: Retired to stud in 2008. 12 SW inc Charity Line (Premio Lydia Tesio, Gr.1, Oaks d’Italia, Gr.2), Mandaean (Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Gr.1), Bonfire (Gr.2), Fractional (Gr.3), Kolonel (Gr.3), Trois Lunes (Gr.3), etc
Stands at: Haras du Logis, Louvieres en Auge, 61160 Trun, France. Contact: Julian on +33(0)2 23 36 21 20, Anthony on +33(0)6 16 87 35 84 or Sebastien on +44(0)1638 730070
Website: www.darleystallions.com
Fee: €7,000 Oct 1st, SLF
DARLEY
The Darley organisation has powerful groups of stallions standing in several different countries around the world and its French team is based at Haras du Logis in Normandy, which is currently home to seven stallions.
Derby hero Authorized (by Montjeu) had a breakthrough year in 2013 with three individual Group 1 stars to his name, Ambivalent, Seal Of Approval and the Australian colt Complacent, in addition to the classic-placed Irish filly Rehn’s Nest, and he heads the roster.
Manduro (by Monsun) got his second Group 1 winner last year with the Italian classic heroine Charity Line and Slickly’s (by Linamix) list of stakes winners is headed by the Group 1 star Meandre.
The Group 1-winning miler Creachadoir (by King’s Best) was a successful freshman sire in 2013, Alexandros (by Kingmambo) will have his first runners in 2014, the classic-placed triple Group 1 star Rio De La Plata (by Rahy) has his first foals arriving now and Masterstroke (by Monsun) is just about to start his stallion career.