PURCHASED by The Irish Field’s correspondent Sean Clancy in association with Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for £28,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot November Sale in 2017, the seven-year-old Dalakhani (Darshaan) gelding Gibralfaro has well rewarded that investment and last weekend added the Grade 2 David L (Zeke) Ferguson Memorial Hurdle at Great Meadow to a victory in the spring in the Queen’s Cup Chase at Charlotte. His placed efforts include being runner-up in the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Hurdle at Saratoga.

A four-time winner in France, Gibralfaro moved to Alan King at Barbury Castle and won twice over hurdles before being sold to race in the USA. He can now lay claim to being the best runner over jumps for his sire who was the champion European three-year-old in 2003 following his victories that year in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby, Prix Lupin and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Dalakhani is sire of 10 Group 1 winners on the flat.

Gibralfaro joins Grade 3 US winner Istan (Gone West) as the best of the nine winners from Ronda, a daughter of Bluebird (Storm Bird) who won the Group 2 Falmouth Stakes in England, the Group 3 Prix Sandringham in France and was runner-up in the Group 2 German 1000 Guineas and the Grade 3 Just A Game Stakes at Belmont Park. Her grandam Memory Lane (Never Bend) was a Group 3 winner in England but her achievements were overshadowed by her full-brother Mill Reef.

Acknowledged as one of the great racehorses of modern times, Mill Reef was bred and owned by Paul Mellon and trained by Ian Balding, He won 12 of his 14 career starts, including the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York and the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and he was crowned the champion two-year-old of 1970.

At three he won the Group 3 Greenham Stakes before suffering just his second defeat in the Group 1 2000 Guineas. He revenged his sole juvenile defeat at the hands of My Swallow, but could not match the well-timed run of Brigadier Gerard. Mill Reef went next to Epsom and secured his own place in turf history by winning the Group 1 Derby. The Group 1 Eclipse Stakes saw him beat the older generation, slamming Caro by four lengths.

Mill Reef added victories in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and was crowned European champion. His sporting owner bucked the trend of retiring champions to stud at the end of their three-year-old careers and Mill Reef added two more Group 1s, including the Prix Ganay by 10 lengths. However, disaster struck when the colt fractured a foreleg on the gallops. He retired to stud in Newmarket at the National Stud.