CROWN Pride, on just his fourth career start, won the Group 2 UAE Derby from the Irish-owned Summer Is Tomorrow. Should he go on and step up again in class, he would be something of a rags to riches tale.

From the sixth crop of his sire Reach The Crown (Special Week), he is just the second stakes winner for that Group 2 winner in Japan. Crown Pride is the first foal and winner for his dam, Emmy’s Pride.

That daughter of King Kamehameha (Kingmambo) won nine times in Japan, but the fact that she earned less than $100,000 in the rich Japanese programme indicates that these successes were at lesser tracks. Until now, I cannot say I ever heard of Funabashi or Mombetsu.

Emmy’s Pride is one of six winning offspring from the listed winner Emmy’s Smile (Agnes Tachyon), and she, in turn, is a half-sister to another listed winner, Diraqouee (Fusaichi Concorde).

Surprise

Bathrat Leon caused a surprise when he bounced back to something like his best juvenile and early three-year-old form and comfortably landed the Group 2 Godolphin Mile. This was his fourth win in 14 outings, one of which was gained in the Group 2 New Zealand Trophy last year.

From the second crop of the Group 1 Japanese Derby winner Kizuna, Bathrat Leon is from a family that many will associate with Gerry Callanan here in Ireland. He bred this Group 2 winner’s grandam Zameyla (Cape Cross).

Twice a winner, Zameyla went on to become the dam of the Group Cheveley Park Stakes and Grade 1 Nearctic Stakes winner Serious Attitude (Mtoto), and she in turn is responsible for the smart Japanese runner Stiffelio (Stay Gold). Zameyla is one of eight winners from the two-year-old winner Angelic Sounds (The Noble Player) and that mare’s siblings included the Group 1 Prix de la Foret winner Mount Abu (Foxhound).

Foolish again

Fresh from victory in a Group 3 race in Saudi Arabia, Stay Foolish caused an upset in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup when he lowered the colours of the unbeaten Manobo. This was just a fourth win in 31 starts for the Japanese-bred and trained seven-year-old son of Stay Gold (Sunday Silence), and his recent wins are his first since winning a maiden at two and a Group 3 in Japan the following year.

Nonetheless he has managed to accumulate some $5 million in earnings, and his only Group 1 form came at two when he was placed in Japan’s Hopeful Stakes.

Seven foals, seven runners and winners is the proud boast of Stay Foolish’s dam Kauai Lane (King Kamehameha), and she was a listed winner in Japan where she was successful five times.

Her dam was Silver Lane (Silver Hawk), a Group 3 winner in France who was placed in the Group 1 Kildangan Stud Irish Oaks. All five of Silver Hawk’s winners earned blacktype, four of them successful at that level. Best of these was one of Japan’s leading sprinters, Black Hawk (Nureyev).

Silver Lane had three stakes-winning siblings, notably the multiple Grade 1 winner and record holder Hawkster (Silver Hawk), her full-brother. Another of their full-siblings was Silver Bubble, and she is the grandam of Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and dual Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile Stakes winner Obviously (Choisir).