WHEN Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing and bloodstock agent Alex Elliott were looking at yearlings in Keeneland two years ago, the agent said to his client, ‘if there’s one horse I need you to buy, it’s this guy’, referring to a son of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj).

The colt was sold through Gainesway, and Amo Racing were listed as the purchasers for $200,000. Sent to be trained by David Loughnane, it was clear from the colt’s physique that he would need time. He won on his October juvenile debut in great style, and 10 days later was straight into Group 1 company, and finished less than 10 lengths behind Auguste Rodin in the Vertem Futurity,

After moving to join Roger Varian, and missing his intended run in the Dante Stakes, connections went into the Group 1 Derby at Epsom with no preparatory run, and for a short time it looked like the 66/1 shot was going to win the coveted classic, only to be caught by Auguste Rodin. His owner’s and trainer’s belief in King Of Steel was fully justified, and at Royal Ascot he proved the point, winning the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes.

He and his own-sister Macadamia (Wootton Bassett) are the two winners to date from Eldacar (Verglas), a dual winner herself in France. She has three winning siblings, the best of which is her full-sister Miss Crissy (Verglas) who was twice runner-up at Group 2 level. Their dam Seracina (Nashwan) was a winning half-sister to Group 3 winner Sersia (Exit To Nowhere), and the latter mare bred the Australian Group 1 winner Contributor (High Chaparral).

Caravaggio

The Group 3 Naas Juvenile Sprint Stakes winner Porta Fortuna credited her sire Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) with his first Royal Ascot group winner when she remained unbeaten in the Group 3 Albany Stakes.

She also gave trainer Donnacha O’Brien his first winner at the meeting, was bred by his parents, and is a daughter of the former Coolmore stallion, now in Japan, who was trained by his father Aidan to win the Group 2 Coventry Stakes there at two, and return at three to land the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup. Porta Fortuna is a daughter of the four-time winner Too Precious (Holy Roman Emperor).

Annemarie O’Brien purchased the third dam of Porta Fortuna, Kantikoy (Alzao), 20 years ago at Goffs for €10,000. She was an unraced half-sister to the classic-placed Kithanga (Darshaan), and she had a short time before that bred the Group 1 St Leger winner and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up, Milan (Sadler’s Wells). Kantikoy’s unraced daughter Delicate Charm (High Chaparral) bred four winners, two of them full-brothers to Too Precious.

Recently, Numerian (Holy Roman Emperor) was runner-up in the Group 1 Doomben Cup, a position he also occupied in the Group 1 Australian Cup. In Ireland he won the Listed Devoy Stakes at Naas, and in Australia he was victorious in a Group 2.