THERE is precious little new to say about the family of the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner Auguste Rodin that has not been told a thousand times already.

Now winner of five races, four of them at pattern level and three Group 1s, he is bred to be the star that he has become, even if some felt that his most recent success was his least impressive. The conditions on the day and the way that the race panned out were no help to the colt, and I have no doubt that we have yet to see the best of him.

He is one of 59 Group 1 winners sired by Deep Impact (Sunday Silence), an appropriately-named dual champion on the track in Japan and the most successful stallion to have stood there. His tally of Group 1 winners will surely grow again, and his influence on the global breeding world will continue for some time to come through the future exploits of his sons and daughters.

While the majority of Deep Impact’s best winners have gained their honours in Japan, he made an early impact in Europe when a filly from his second crop, Beauty Parlour, won the 2012 Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas. She has since gone on to breed the Grade 1 US winner Blowout (Dansili), successful in the First Lady Stakes two years ago.

Deep Impact’s 2015 crop had a pair of European classic-winning sons in it, Saxon Warrior and Study Of Man. The former made a perfect start at stud when his first crop of juveniles last year contained the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road (who is from the family of the most recent dual Derby winner), while Study Of Man’s first crop are racing this year and he has already notched up his first winner in Deepone.

Classic winners

Since then, Deep Impact has sired three more European classic winners, Auguste Rodin being one of them. Fancy Blue won the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks and the Group 1 Nassau Stakes, while Snowfall was an unforgettable winner of the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom before adding both the Irish and Yorkshire versions of the race. Like Auguste Rodin, Snowfall and Saxon Warrior are out of Galileo mares, while Fancy Blue is out of a mare by Galileo’s sire, Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer).

Study Of Man is out of a mare by Storm Cat, a son of Storm Bird (Northern Dancer), while Beauty Parlour’s dam was a daughter of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat). Storm Cat mares covered by Deep Impact are also responsible for Group and Grade 1 winners Danon Kingly, Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Loves Only You, Group 1 sire Satono Aladdin, Prix d’Ispahan winner A Shin Hikari, Real Steel, last year’s Group 1 juvenile winner-producer Ayusan, Songline’s sire Kizuna, and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Lachesis.

Rhododendron won a Group 1 race in all three seasons she raced, the Fillies’ Mile at two, the Prix de l’Opera at three and the Lockinge Stakes in her final season. She was runner-up in a pair of English classics, the Group 1 1000 Guineas and Group 1 Oaks, and occupied the same position in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Auguste Rodin is her first foal, and this year she produced a colt by Dubawi (Dubai Millennium).

Eclipsed

As admirable as her achievements were, Rhododendron was eclipsed by her full-sister Magical (Galileo). Foaled a year later, Magical’s seven Group 1 wins, among a dozen lifetime victories, puts her among the elite trained at Ballydoyle. Aidan O’Brien has also saddled Highland Reel, Minding, Rock Of Gibraltar and Yeats to win seven times at the highest level on the flat.

Rhododendron and Magical, along with their group-winning own-brother Flying The Flag (Galileo) are the best of the five winning full-siblings from the Trevor Stewart-bred Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal), a three-time Group 1 winner following victories in the Irish 1000 Guineas, Nassau Stakes and Sun Chariot Stakes.

Halfway To Heaven is the best of 10 winners produced by Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes (now Group 1) winner Cassandra Go (Indian Ridge). Thanks to a pair of group-winning daughters, Cassandra Go is the grandam of the US Grade 1 winner and $3 million sales mare Photo Call (Galileo), last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner, Victoria Road, a son of Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact), and Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner Land Force (No Nay Never), sire already of half a dozen winners in his first crop of juveniles this year.

Bargain of a lifetime wins her Group 1

A COUPLE of weeks ago I wrote that ‘Stephen Hillen’s purchase of a yearling filly by Fastnet Rock (Danehill) out of an unraced Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Kingsgate Native (Mujadil) for just 5,000gns earns the accolade of bargain of the week, and deservedly so.’

Now it is time to upgrade that mention to bargain of a lifetime, following the five-year-old mare’s victory at the weekend in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. The result is still subject to an appeal by the owners of the runner-up, but for now Via Sistina is on the roll of honour for the race. This was her third pattern victory, adding to wins in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket and a Group 3 success in France.

Via Sistina races in the colours of Hillen’s wife, Rebecca, and she is another feather in the cap of the burgeoning talent that is trainer George Boughey.

That sale was in December 2019 at Tattersalls, and to date the mare has won more than £300,000. She is a probable for the sales this autumn, even though the bloodstock agent warns that his wife is growing more and more fond of Via Sistina.

Bred by Colin and Melba Bryce family at their Laundry Cottage Stud Farm, Via Sistina has only raced 10 times, winning five and being placed on a couple of occasions. Initially in the care of Joseph Tuite until his retirement, she has made four starts since moving late last year to Boughey, and all of her group wins have been achieved since, while her other start saw her beaten a neck by Creative Flair in the Group 3 Pride Stakes.

Impressive list

Fastnet Rock on a Galileo mare has now given us an impressive roll of honour of Group and Grade 1 winners; Via Sistina, Intricately (Moyglare Stud Stakes), Rivet (Racing Post Trophy), Qualify (Oaks), Zhukova (Man O’War Stakes), Magicool (Queensland Derby), Pizza Bianca (the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf), Personal (Victoria Oaks), Age Of Fire (Levin Turf Classic) and Unforgotten (Australian Oaks).

They are 10 of Fastnet Rock’s 43 top level winners. In Europe, that list includes Fascinating Rock, Diamondsandrubies, who also won the Pretty Polly Stakes and is out of a mare by Galileo’s sire Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer), One Master and Merchant Navy.

Fastnet Rock has done so much better down under with his runners, though his European crops do number 10 winners at the highest level, and more to come. He last stood in Coolmore for the 2021 season.

While Via Sistina is the only winner to date for her unraced dam Nigh, there are a number of young siblings in the wings, and surely more to come from them. However, at the same December Sale where they sold Via Sistina, Colin and Melba Bryce sold the yearling’s dam for 36,000gns, in foal to Bated Breath ((Dansili).

Thrilled

After Via Sistina won at the weekend, Colin Bryce said: “We’re thrilled because it’s a small operation [10 mares], and to have bred two Group 1 winners, after Wootton Bassett, we’re pretty proud of that, I have to say. And it’s great for Stephen and Rebecca to own a Group 1 filly, it must be wonderful, so all congratulations to them.

“Unfortunately, the mare produced what was described on inspection day as a camel! [Via Sistina] was not a sales horse, which is a rather interesting thing actually because it just shows you they come from anywhere, and at the end of the day maybe the thing to do is to look to the pedigree. Stephen Hillen clearly did his calculations and took an educated risk, and that’s great.

“You want people who are out there taking risks to succeed, so congratulations to him, it’s great.

“We were very impressed watching her. I would confidently say she looks like she can go on from here.”

McCutcheon-bred

Nigh’s half-brother, the Peter McCutcheon-bred Kingsgate Native, won both the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes, and retired to stud where he proved to be infertile. Their US stakes-placed sibling Vanishing Grey (Verglas) is dam of the listed winner and Group 1-placed First Contact (Dark Angel).

Skip back to Spanish Habit (Habitat), the fourth dam of Via Sistina, and she bred the Group 1 1000 Guineas winner Las Meninas (Glenstal), successful in that classic 29 years ago. Spanish Habit is also the third dam of Signora Cabello (Camacho), and five years ago she won both the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin. Runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Morny, Signora Cabello was sold at the end of her juvenile season for 900,000gns to Phoenix Thoroughbreds.

This column predicts the future

“JUKEBOX Jury’s potential classic connection” was the headline to a column I penned last October after the two-year-old colt Fantastic Moon won the Group 3 Preis des Winterfavoriten. I suggested that there were broad smiles aplenty in Burgage Stud, where he stands, after that.

The son of Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells), winner of the Group 1 The Irish Field St Leger and Group 1 Preis von Europa winner, went to stud in 2013, so the members of his oldest crop are now nine. We all know that he is the sire of Group 1 Prix du Cadran heroine Princess Zoe, Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle winner Farclas, the dual Grade 1 hurdle winner at Merano in Italy, Stuke, and Il Etait Temps, a Grade 1 hurdle winner this year.

Now he has a daughter from his first crop who has produced a champion German two-year-old who has gone on to follow in the footsteps of his sire, Sea The Moon (Sea The Stars), and win the 154th Group 1 Deutsches (German) Derby. On his way to this impressive classic victory, he won a Group 3 Derby Trial.

Fantastic Moon is the second foal and first winner of the two-year-old winner Frangipani. Bred, raised and ultimately sold by Philipp and Marion Stauffenberg at their stud farm, Schlossgut Itlingen, Fantastic Moon is the third Group 1 winner, after Caulfield Cup winner Durston and Coronation Stakes heroine Alpine Star, sired by Lanwades Stud’s Sea The Moon, and one of 15 group winners and 29 stakes winners among the runners from his first five crops.

The record-breaking Group 1 classic winner, and favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe until injury ruled him out, stood this year for just £25,000. He represents real value for money.

Rewarded

Fantastic Moon has well-rewarded his owners, Liberty Racing 2021, who spent €49,000 to acquire the colt at the BBAG September Yearling Sale. His earnings to date stand at more than €500,000. The colt’s two-year-old half-sister is Fang Mich (Starspangledbanner), while their dam Frangipani has a yearling filly by the Derby winner Masar (New Approach). She is named Fire And Ice.

This is a successful female line that has spread its wings internationally. Frangipani is one of eight winners from Firedance (Lomitas) who gained her sole victory in France. The best of that mare’s other winners is the leading Norwegian runner Fearless Hunter (Alhaarth), a Group 3 winner in that country. Firedance, in turn, was one of 10 winners from Fraulein Tobin (J O Tobin).

It was a magical weekend for Sea The Moon as he was also responsible for two other group winners in Hamburg, Assistent, another yearling purchase by Liberty Racing, and Muskova. They, like the German Derby winner, were both graduates of the BBAG September Yearling Sales.

It’s Assistent

The four-year-old Assistent is now a dual Group 2 winner, and all four of his wins to date have been in stakes races. He cost Liberty Racing €58,000 and is raced by them in partnership with Eckhard Sauren. Bred and sold by Gestüt Röttgen, Assistent is one of a pair of winners out of Anna Kalla (Kallisto), and the other is Anna Jolie (Jukebox Jury).

Anna Kalla did not race, but her full-sister Anna Katharina (Kallisto) did, and she was a Group 3 winner, and is now the dam of a stakes winner. The mares are out of Anna Desta (Desert Style), and she too was unraced, but made up for that deficit at stud when she also bred the Group 3 winner Adrian (Reliable Man) and the listed winner Attica (Tai Chi).

This is a female line that has been springing to life in the past few years, and the 2022 Group 2 Derby Italiano winner Ardakan (Reliable Man) appears in the third remove. He was placed in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin.

Muskova

On the same card as the German Derby, the three-year-old filly Muskova (Sea The Moon) broke through at pattern level, adding the Group 3 Brummerhofer Stuten-Meile to an earlier listed win. All three of her wins have been over a mile, and she has been successful or finished second on all of her five starts to date. She is looking value for her €80,000 yearling purchase price.

Muskova is the standout winner among the three successful offspring of the unraced Morning Mist (Peintre Celebre). That mare has four winning siblings, and one shone more brightly than all the others.

Brametot (Rajsaman) was sold for €26,000 as a foal at Arqana to Sylvain Vidal and went on to complete the classic double of winning both the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French and 2000 Guineas and Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby,

Sadly, Brametot’s stud career has not fired, despite the fact that his winning dam, Morning Light (Law Society) is a half-sister to the triple Group 1 winner and champion sire Monsun (Konigsstuhl). This is also the immediate family of 1,800,000gns sale mare Wekeela (Hurricane Run), Group 1 Prix du Cadran winner Molly Malone (Lomitas), and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Aunt Pearl (Lope De Vega), and she sold for $3 million in 2021 and was sent to Japan.