IF we had a broodmare of the year award, one of the favourites at the moment would be Modern Ideals, an unplaced daughter of New Approach (Galileo).

She was trained for Sheikh Mohammed, who bred her, by no less a giant of the training ranks than André Fabre. Modern Ideals must have shown something at home, as she made a single start towards the backend of her three-year-old career, but beat just one home. She remained in training at four, was sent out for a single start that summer, and again she beat just one horse home in a field of 13.

Thankfully Modern Ideals was not culled, and three of her offspring are stakes winners this year. Saying ‘stakes winners’ hardly does them justice.

Yes, the four-year-old Modern News (Shamardal) won a listed race at Windsor, but his year younger half-brother Modern Games (Dubawi) added the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French 2000 Guineas to last season’s success in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Now they are joined by the juvenile Mawj (Exceed And Excel), and she landed her first stakes win in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket, her second success and following on from her fine effort at Royal Ascot where she was second in the Group 3 Albany Stakes. What a turnaround in the family, and this is a female line that has been responsible for many talented winners worldwide.

Gerald Leigh was an outstanding owner and breeder, and he raced Modern Ideals’ dam Epitome (Nashwan). She was placed on two of her three starts but was absolutely entitled to a place at stud where she is now the dam of 11 winners, the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere victory of her son Ultra (Manduro) providing her with her biggest success as a broodmare. Her most recent winner is the two-year-old Modern Dancer (Kingman), successful on his debut for Charlie Appleby.

Modern Ideals may have shown nothing in two starts, but her first five foals have given up four winners and a placed horse. Bloodstock agent Barry Lynch spent 34,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls July Sale for Feminism (Shamardal), a winning half-sister to Mawj, and she resold for a whopping €370,000 to Jill Lamb Bloodstock at Goffs last November.

Meanwhile, Cashel trainer, owner and breeder John Grogan owns the placed half-sister to Mawj, Cartesienne (Pivotal), and she cost him just €25,000 three years ago.

With two fillies, a yearling and a foal, by Kodiac (Danehill) on the ground, Cartesienne was offered for sale from Grogan’s Milestream Stud at the recent Goffs London Sale, in foal to Lope De Vega (Shamardal). She was retained at £680,000, a decision that subsequent events have done nothing to diminish.

Modern Ideals has a yearling filly by Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) and many of this family’s broodmares are visiting the best stallions in Europe, Japan and Australia. No wonder, as this is also the family of the talented full-siblings, Hector Protector and Bosra Sham (Woodman).

Exceedingly good

Perhaps someone will come up with an award for Modern Ideals, especially so if her talented daughter Mawj goes on to even better things.

Her sire Exceed And Excel is as well-known and regarded in Europe as he is in Australia, and if you are looking to breed a talented juvenile he has to be on everyone’s shortlist. He is approaching 1,650 individual winners – an astonishing number.

Wait for this for a fact. Mawj is the 198th stakes winner and the 99th group winner for Exceed And Excel. Now sit back and think about that.

Some 16 of these have won at the highest level, 11 of them in Australia. Three-time Group 1 winner Excelebration and Nunthorpe Stakes winner Margot Did have been outstanding in Europe, three-time Group 1 winner Mr Stunning was a sprint king in Hong Kong, Outstrip won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, while Amber Sky won his Group 1 in the UAE.