THE Danehill (by Danzig) sire line is one of the most powerful in the world and in Helmet we have a triple Group 1-winning grandson of the record-breaking stallion.
He won four of his five starts as a juvenile, including the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes over seven furlongs and the Group 1 Champagne Stakes over a mile, both at Randwick, and to those he added two more pattern wins at the age of three, one of which was the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas.
This is the sort of race record that catches the eye of breeders, one that suggests the potential to get juvenile stars and classic three-year-olds, and although born and raced in Australia, Helmet has a pedigree that is very European.
His sire Exceed And Excel was a sprint champion in Australia, and he was champion sire in that country in 2012/13. He is one of the stars of the reverse-shuttle business, and the Kildangan Stud resident is well-established here as being a leading source of fast juveniles, and of Group 1 stars such as Excelebration, Margot Did, and Outstrip.
Helmet is among his early sire sons, a growing number of whom are in Europe, and he was among the most popular new stallions at the 2014 foal sales, achieving a top price of 98,000gns.
His first handful of yearlings sold down under include one for Aus$230,000, and these early results augur well for his future both here and there.
Helmet is out of an unraced mare called Accessories (by Singspiel) and both his siblings that have raced have done well in Group 1 company.
Epaulette (by Commands), who is standing at Dalham Hall Stud, was a dual Group 1 winner at around seven furlongs, and Group 1 placed at six furlongs and at a mile. His first foals arrive this year and like Helmet he is a grandson of Danehill.
Their half-brother Bullbars (by Elusive Quality) won the a Group 3 contest over seven furlongs at Flemington and was runner-up in the Group 1 Australian Guineas, over a mile at that same venue, a couple of weeks later. He retired to Highview Stud in New Zealand in 2012.
The grandam of Helmet did not race either, but she is Anna Matrushka (by Mill Reef), the dam of 11 winners including three pattern scorers, and the mare from whom a variety of high-class performers descend.
Her daughter Annaba (by In The Wings) won the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris and the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu, and her half-brother Pozarica (by Rainbow Quest) won the Group 2 Prix Hubert de Chaudenay.
Anna Of Saxony (by Ela-Mana-Mou) won the Group 3 Park Hill Stakes and she is the dam of Anna Palariva (by Caerleon), the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale scorer whose three stakes winning progeny include the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte winner and Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Anna Salai (by Dubawi).
GERMAN CHAMPION
Anna Of Saxony is also the grandam of the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes winner Ave (by Danehill Dancer) and of last year’s Listed Cheshire Oaks scorer Anipa (by Sea The Stars), and her half-sister Anna Of Kiev (by Salse) is responsible for the German champion and Group 1 Premio Vittorio di Capua heroine Anna Monda (by Monsun).
The third dam of Helmet is the dual German champion Anna Paola (by Prince Ippi) and that Group 2 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) heroine is the ancestor of a variety of pattern scorers including the ill-fated classic-placed colt Annus Mirabilis (by Warning), the ill-fated juvenile Group 3 winner Piping Rock (by Dubawi), and Lady Pimpernel (by Sir Percy) who won a Grade 3 contest at Santa Anita in late December.
In short, Danehill’s grandson Helmet, whom Timeform rated 127, is the best horse in a family that has a long-established record of success at stud, and this triple Group 1 star has the potential to make an impact in both hemispheres.
HELMET (AUS)
Race record: Winner of 6 races, from 2-3 years, over 6-8f inc Caulfield Guineas, Gr.1, Sires’ Produce Stakes, Gr.1, Champagne Stakes, Gr.1, Caulfield Guineas Prelude, Gr.3, 3rd Golden Rose Stakes, Gr.1, Run To The Roses Stakes, Gr.3, etc.
Stud record: Retired to stud in Australia in 2012; to Ireland in 2013. First foals made up to 98,000gns in 2014. First southern hemisphere yearlings have made up to Aus$230,000 already in 2015.
Stands at: Kildangan Stud, Monasterevin, Co Kildare. Contact: Gerry Duffy (General Manager), Eamon Moloney or Anthony O’Donnell on +353 (0)45 527600
Email: hello@darley.co.uk
Website: www.darleyeurope.com
Fee: €10,000 1st Oct SLF