Best Of Lips is best in class among the German juveniles

WITH nine winners under his belt, The Gurkha (Galileo) has made a fine start at stud. The Coolmore stallion did not make it to the races at two, but he won three of his six starts the next season, landing the Group 1 French 2000 Guineas before beating Galileo Gold and Ribchester in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes.

The Gurkha was gaining revenge on Galileo Gold who finished in front of him in the St James’s Place Stakes, while he was also runner-up in the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes to Hawkbill.

The Gurkha had a breakthrough success at the weekend when his son Best Of Lips won for the second time and captured the Group 3 Preis des Winterfavoriten in Cologne. This race is the German equivalent of the Dewhurst Stakes. Dropped back to a mile for this contest, he is now among the leaders of his generation and owners Stall Lintec will be harbouring classic hopes for 2021.

Best Of Lips was offered for sale by his breeders Stall Parthenaue at last year’s Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale but retained at 90,000gns. He is now one of the favourites for next year’s German Derby, but he could pick up some Group 1 form before than as he is scheduled to tackle next weekend’s Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

Best Of Lips was providing his dam Beata, a daughter of Silver Frost (Verglas), with the best possible start at stud. He is her first foal and she has a yearling filly by Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) which was catalogued for sale earlier this year in Germany but withdrawn. Twice successful when racing in France, Beata was sold in 2016 at Goffs for €88,000.

She was one of eight winners for her dam Bright Moon (Alysheba), and two of her half-sisters were Group 1 performers. Best of that pair was Bright Sky (Wolfhound) whose six wins were headed by the Group 1 Prix de Diane Hermes-French Oaks and the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera, while Board Meeting (Anabaa) was a dual group winner and came close to Group 1 success on a few occasions. She was second in the Prix de l’Opera, won by her sibling, and at stud Board Meeting’s offspring include Big Blue (Galileo), a stakes winner on the flat in France and over jumps in Australia. He was placed in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.