IT was a big weekend of racing in Australia and two Irish-breds were victorious in Group 2 races at Eagle Farm.

The former Aga Khan-owned and bred Bashiyr (Invincible Spirit), now running as Irish Sequel, is proving to be value for money as he won for the fifth, and most important, time, landing the Brisbane Cup. He has also won at listed level and he was purchased by trainer Chris Waller for just €50,000 at the 2020 Goffs Horses In Training Sale. As a three-year-old he won at Gowran and Galway for Dermot Weld.

Irish Sequel\Bashiyr is the first stakes winner for his dam Baliyana (Dalakhani) who won the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial on her first outing as a three-year-old but only raced once after that. Her daughter Balansiya (Shamardal) was also placed in the same classic trial.

Numerian was a well-known performer in Ireland for his breeder Annemarie O’Brien, winning the Listed Devoy Stakes at Naas and being placed many times at group level. Transferred to Annabel Neasham he has won at group and listed level, earned well over €500,000, and his latest success came in the Group 2 The Q22.

Delicate Charm

The son of Holy Roman Emperor (Danehill) is one of three winners from the unraced Delicate Charm (High Chaparral), and she was produced from a mare Annemarie bought for just €10,000 as a 12-year-old, Kanikoy (Alzao). The latter’s half-sister Kithanga (Darshaan) was a Group 3 winner, classic-placed in the Group 1 Irish St Leger, and is the dam of Milan (Sadler’s Wells).

Both of these Group 2 winners, therefore, are from families successfully cultivated by the Aga Khan Studs for many generations.