THE Sadler’s Wells (by Northern Dancer) sire line has been phenomenally successful, both on the flat and in the National Hunt industry, and of the 27 races run at the recent Cheltenham Festival, 11 went to horses representing that male line.
Six of those were in Grade 1 contests, including the victory of Windsor Park in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle.
He is a son of the dual Derby hero and prolific champion sire Galileo (by Sadler’s Wells), a stallion whose other National Hunt horses include the 2008 Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle winner and prolific graded scorer Celestial Halo.
Galileo’s early stallion sons include the leading classic sires Teofilo and New Approach, and last year’s Group 1-siring freshman Rip Van Winkle, and early hurdlers for the first pair have already yielded some winners.
The single hurdle winner for New Approach, from just a handful of runners, catches the eye partly because he, the Jessica Harrington-trained Rae’s Creek, made a nine and a half length winning debut last summer.
The other notable facet of that horse is that he is out of All’s Forgotten (by Darshaan) and so could be described as being a three-parts brother to her trio of blacktype sons of Galileo.
Gan Amhras had Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman just behind him when finishing third to Sea The Stars in the Group 1 2000 Guineas, Forever Now was a pattern-placed stakes winner last summer before finishing a five-length sixth in the Group 1 St Leger, and the third brother is Shantaram.
LIGHTLY RACED
Shantaram was lightly raced, he was only beaten three-quarters of a length when runner-up to the subsequent classic-placed multiple Grade 1 star Main Sequence in the Group 3 Derby Trial at Lingfield, and then won the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy in good style at Newmarket.
He is a pattern-winning son of a great sire, he is bred on a similar Galileo-Mill Reef line cross as the Group 1 stars Alandi, Imperial Monarch, Sans Frontieres and Treasure Beach, and he is standing for only €1,000.
His dam is a winning half-sister to the listed scorers Remain Silent (by Chester House) and Parole Board (by Dynaformer), the latter having the added attraction of being twice Group 2-placed in Dubai.
Their dam Forget About It (by Be My Guest) won twice, that mare is a half-sister to the Group 3 Railway Stakes winner Camargo (by Brief Truce), and the next dam is the four-times scorer You Make Me Real (by Give Me Strength).
Remain Silent won 10 races but that total was beaten by several of his relations, notably the stakes winning 11-times scorer Icy Dial (by Banderilla), who is the fourth dam of Shantaram, and that mare’s progeny Wonderloaf (by Affirmed) and Le Rastaquouere (by Alwasmi), a prolific blacktype-earning duo who notched up 27 wins between them.
This is a family that produces blacktype winners with every generation and, with Shantaram’s race record and sire, there is every reason to hope that this young stallion can extend the family’s honour at stud.
SHANTARAM (GB)
Race record: Winner of 2 races, over 12-13 furlongs, at 3 years inc Bahrain Trophy, Gr.3, 2nd Derby Trial Stakes, Gr.3, etc.
Stud record: Retired to stud in 2014. First foals arriving now
Stands at: Coolagown Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork
Contact: David Stack (manager) on 025 36642 or 086 2314066
Email: info@coolagown.ie
Website: www.coolagown.ie