ROSE Of Kildare’s victory was not the only fairy-tale story of the past weekend. What about the Group 1 success for Aspetar, landing the Preis von Europa at Cologne to add to previous successes in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood? The four-year-old is the first Group 1 winner for his sub-fertile sire Al Kazeem (Dubawi).

Aspetar is from the first crop of Al Kazeem, one that numbered just 22 foals. Almost half of them have won a race of some sort, and the small group also includes the twice listed runner-up Golden Spell. Aspetar is owned and was bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani and the gelding has a sire’s pedigree, a role that is now denied him.

He is the first foal of the winning Dansili (Danehill) mare Bella Qatara, and her three-year-old is the dual 2019 winner Qarasu (Le Havre) who is listed-placed and looks odds-on to land a stakes race in the future. The 2019 juvenile Jamila (Footstepsinthesand) is Bella Qatara’s third offspring.

Bella Qatara is one of four winners from the brilliant champion Alexandrova (Sadler’s Wells) - and the only one of them not to be a stakes winner. Her siblings are Group 2 Prix Kergorlay winner Alex My Boy (Dalakhani), Group 2 Dahlia Stakes winner and Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup second Somehow (Fastnet Rock), and this year’s Group 3 Athasi Stakes winner Happen (War Front).

Alexandrova cost 420,000gns as a yearling but what good value that now represents. Three of her four career successes were at Group 1 level, comprising the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks. At two she was runner-up in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile. She is one of a pair of Group 1 winners from Shouk (Shirley Heights), the other being Magical Romance (Barathea) and that Cheveley Park Stakes winner sold for 4,200,000gns in 2006 and is the grandam of this year’s Group 1 Prix de Diane winner Channel (Nathaniel).

Al Kazeem returned to racing after his first season at stud and added a second Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup to his CV, bringing to four his wins at the highest level. Injury forced a second retirement and the Oakgrove Stud stallion has 23 juveniles on the ground, as well as 26 yearlings, a number of which will be offered at the upcoming sales in Tattersalls.