DAHLBURY as a brand was launched in 2022 by Simon and Rhian Davies. Simon is CEO of the global telecommunications firm Spectra Group (UK) Ltd, and Rhian is its COO.
The couple own a number of stallions who stand at Chapel Stud in Worcestershire, are successful owners in Britain and France, and have compiled an outstanding roster of broodmares to support their three sires.
DahlBury has been created with the aim of investing in and supplying quality thoroughbreds, and focusing on middle-distance and staying horses for both flat and National Hunt.
Planteur (Danehill Dancer) is an established stallion, probably best-known until now as the sire of the hugely popular Trueshan, winner of both the Group 1 Goodwood Cup and Group 1 Prix du Cadran. He is joined on the roster at Chapel Stud by Walzertakt (Montjeu) and Bangkok (Australia).
Having purchased the Scottish Grand National winner Win My Wings to join the DahlBury broodmare band, I contacted Simon Davies to ask if he would be happy to share details of the mares he has, with a view to publication.
While most farms are generally reluctant to share such details, I was delighted when Simon responded positively and enthusiastically.
Breeders in Ireland and further afield will be interested to not only find out what this exceptional group of mares are in foal to, but also to know what they will likely visit in 2023. Given that the list of mares includes the recently purchased Win My Wings, Put The Kettle On, Miss Heritage, Quilita (the dam of Quilixios) and Aspidistra (the dam of Adagio), there will be more than a passing interest in what else they have in their possession.
The Grade 1 winner Royale Margaux (Doctor Dino) is part of DahlBury racing and she remains in training for next year, with Tom Symonds, before eventually joining the broodmare band. Another exciting addition to the racing team, and again set to be trained by Symonds, is the point-to-point winner Ah Whisht (Getaway). From the family of Altior (High Chaparral), she was purchased from Ross O’Sullivan at the latest Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale for £145,000.
In light of the successes enjoyed by horses bred in Ireland and France, it is sometimes easy to overlook those of horses bred in Britain. The relative size of the National Hunt broodmare bands, and the smaller selection of stallions available to breeders, has worked against the British-bred.
With the addition also of Golden Horn to the jumping ranks for next season, and Simon Davies’s commitment to stand better stallions, there is a move in the right direction now. The recent death of Kayf Tara reminds us that top-class stallions can succeed in Britain.
Planteur was very consistent at the highest level, winning the Group 1 Prix Ganay, the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt and the Group 2 Prix Noailles. He won or placed in 12 group or listed races, winning over £2.2 million.
He ran second to Lope De Vega in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby and was twice in the frame in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup.
At stud Planteur’s winners include the aforementioned Trueshan, Group 2 winner Road To Arc, the dual Grade 2 chase winner Gran Diose, and Grade 2 hurdle winner Edidindo.
Alastair Donald, the King Power racing manager, said of Bangkok: “He had a heart like a lion, and was a beautiful athlete with a wonderful pedigree, all great qualities for him to be a successful stallion.”
Trainer Andrew Balding added: “His class enabled him to achieve results at a variety of distances and his courage and constitution are second to none. He has the ability, looks and temperament to be a top-class performer at stud.”
A son of Australia (Galileo), Bangkok won or placed in eight group or stakes races with earnings of £690,000. He won the Group 2 York Stakes, beat Technician in the Group 3 Sandown Classic Trial, and finished second to Japan in the Group 2 King Edward VI Stakes at Royal Ascot. He covered his first book of mares this year.
The third DahlBury stallion at Chapel Stud is Walzertakt. He won the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil beating Bathyrhon and Spiritjim, the Group 3 Prix Gladiateur and he was placed in the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay.
A broodmare band of exceptional quality
THE 34 mares in the DahlBury broodmare band are listed alphabetically, with notes on their families and details of their 2023 plans.
AGENT MIMI (2010 by Medecis (Machiavellian) ex Azucar, by Desert Prince (Green Desert))
This winning mare is a daughter of a sire who was responsible for Grade 1 winners on the flat and over jumps. While her family is best-known for breeding top-class flat horses, Agent Mimi is a half-sister to a dual listed hurdle winner in Azucardel (Della Francisca), while her first foal, one of three winners she has bred to date, is a listed winner.
Agent Mimi’s first foal is Henry Brulard, and he happens to be a son of Planteur (Danehill Dancer). A winner at two, he is now a seven-time winner over jumps in France and has been placed a number of times in listed races. Little wonder then that Peter Molony in Rathmore Stud gave €27,000 for Henry Brulard’s full-brother, a foal, last month at Tattersalls Ireland.
Agent Mimi will return to Planteur in 2023, but not before she has a foal by Walzertakt (Montjeu).
ASPIDISTRA (2010 by Hernando (Niniski) ex Astilbe, by Monsun (Konigsstuhl))
Buying the dam of a Grade 1-winning hurdler, in foal to leading sire Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) whose fee was €15,000, for €66,000 in the autumn at Arqana might just represent the value of the year. That was the figure Richard Venn Bloodstock splashed out for Aspidistra, the dam of Adagio (Wiener Walzer).
Adagio won the Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow and then ran second in both the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Grade 1 Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree. He is a full-brother to Ad Acta (Wiener Walzer), twice a winner over jumps in France, while two younger siblings have been placed in 2022. They represent the first four living produce of Aspidistra, successful herself over a mile in Germany. This is a hugely successful family, especially in Germany, and Aspidistra’s dam Astilbe is an own-sister to the champion and Group 1 winner Arcadio (Monsun), later a successful National Hunt stallion at Arctic Tack Stud.
This is also the immediate family of the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Labaik (Montmartre), the triple Grade 1 winning hurdler Paracchini (Platini) and the Group 1 Prix Ganay and German Derby winner Pastorius (Soldier Hollow).
After foaling in the spring, Aspidistra is due to visit Walzertakt (Monsun), an effort to successfully recreate the cross responsible for Adagio who is by the stallion’s half-brother.
CARALINE (2011 by Martaline (Linamix) ex Vie Ta Vie, by Villez (Lyphard’s Wish))
A daughter of one of the best jumps sires ever in France, Caraline won over jumps at three in that country before transferring to England and adding a victory over hurdles and six wins over fences to her roll of honour. She has been joined on the winners’ rostrum by her half-brother Al Cuarto (Nicaron), successful in a listed chase in Switzerland, but many times a winner and blacktype placed over jumps in France.
Caraline is expecting her fourth foal, and second by Planteur (Danehill Dancer), and a mating with Walzertakt (Montjeu) is on the cards for the spring.
CAUSE CELEBRE (2001 by Peintre Celebre (Nureyev) ex Madame Belga, by Al Nasr (Lyphard))
Bred to be a classic winner on the level, Cause Celebre won twice at three before going to stud. Her third foal, and first winner, turned out to be Cool Macavity (One Cool Cat). While he was a three-time winner on the flat, he was better over hurdles, winning six times and capturing a Grade 2 at Punchestown.
This led to a change of direction, breeding-wise, for Cause Celebre and her fifth winner is Barely Famous (Fame And Glory), successful three times over hurdles last year and this.
In foal again and due to Walzertakt (Montjeu), plans are to breed Cause Celebre again next year, this time to Bangkok (Australia).
COMME MAMAN (2014 by Ballingarry (Sadler’s Wells) ex Merci Pierji, by Kotky Bleu (Pistolet Bleu))
Winner at four over jumps in France, Comme Maman’s first three foals are the two-year-old gelding Comme Papa (Pastorius), the yearling colt My Dad (Nirvana Du Berlais) and a filly foal by Walzertakt (Montjeu). Her winning dam is a half-sister to the dam of Grade 3 winning chaser Ebene Du Breuil (Al Namix), and this is the immediate family of Grade 2 Peter Marsh Chase winner Artic Jack (Cadoudal).
In foal again to Walzertakt, Comme Maman will visit Planteur (Danehill Dancer) in 2023.
COURAGEUSE (2005 by Linamix (Mendez) ex Lavandou, by Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer))
A winning dam of two winners, both of whom are winners over hurdles, Courageuse has a number of young stock still to race by some of the best stallions about. She has the added attraction of being a half-sister to Captain Conan (Kingsalsa), winner of the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle. Sent chasing, Captain Chris won four times, once in a Grade 2 and three times at Grade 1 level, all as a novice.
Due in a few weeks to Walzertakt (Montjeu), Courageuse will be covered again by the same sire.
DISSAVRIL (2013 by Balko (Pistolet Bleu) ex Odile, by Smadoun (Kaldoun))
There is an interesting aspect to the family of this young mare whose first three offspring include a filly foal by Planteur (Danehill Dancer). All six stakes horses in the first four removes, including four winners, gained their blacktype under National Hunt rules in Ireland and Britain, including Dissavril herself.
She won the Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race at Market Rasen. Dissavril shares the same third dam as the Grade 2-winning hurdler and chaser Farouk D’Alene (Racinger), and this is also the family of Grade 3 Topham Chase and Grade 3 Hennessy Gold Cup winner Triolo D’Alene (Epalo), and the Grade 3 Racing Post Trophy Chase winner Val D’Alene (Quart Du Vin).
Presently carrying to Bathyrhon (Monsun), she is due to be covered next year by Walzertakt (Montjeu).
GAELIC JOY (2010 by Turgeon (Caro) ex Gaelic Jane, by Hero’s Honor (Northern Dancer))
It won’t be long until the first winner emerges for Gaelic Joy, and she has young stock by some of the best stallions around, including a yearling filly by Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal).
She deserves to be so well covered, being a listed hurdle winner at Auteuil, and closely related to one of the best, and most popular, hurdlers in France in recent times.
A half-sister to the dual listed hurdle winner Gaelic Ocean (Urban Ocean), Gaelic Joy is a sibling also to the chase winner Great Jane (Great Palm). She is the dam of the Irish-bred Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy), and his 14 wins over jumps in France were headlined by his success in the Grade 1 Grand Prix d’Automne Hurdle at Auteuil, not once, twice or three times, but on an incredible four occasions.
Galop Marin was also placed in the race for good measure! He earned a staggering £1.36 million.
Due to foal next year with a son or daughter of Planteur (Danehill Dancer), she is pencilled in for a visit to Walzertakt (Montjeu).
GOLD FOR TINA (2009 by Lando (Acatenango) ex Mascara, by Monsun (Konigsstuhl))
In addition to having Mascara, the dam of Max Dynamite (Great Journey) in the broodmare band, Simon Davies also has that gelding’s stakes-placed half-sister Gold For Tina. The dam of a winner this year, Gold For Tina has five winning siblings in all, and her two-year-old son Gold For Alec (Planteur) is in training.
Gold For Tina is due in February to Walzertakt (Montjeu) and will visit Planteur (Danehill Dancer).
HEMERA DU BERLAIS (2016 by Great Pretender (King’s Theatre) ex Wendy Du Berlais, by Loup Solitaire (Lear Fan))
Carrying her second foal, by Walzertakt (Montjeu), the once-raced Hemera Du Berlais is a half-sister to a Grade 1 winner. Athena Du Berlais (Martaline) won nine times in France and Italy and her biggest success came in the Grand Criterium d’Autunno Hurdle at Merano.
Their dam, Wendy Du Berlais, was runner-up in a listed hurdle race at Auteuil, and she is a half-sister to Mr Mole (Great Pretender), successful in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury and placed in a Grade 1.
This is yet another successful branch of one of the best French families, while Great Pretender is the sire of stars such as Greaneteen, Benie Des Dieux, and Ptit Zig.
Hemera Du Berlais has a filly foal on the ground by Planteur (Danehill Dancer) and will visit that sire again next spring.
HYGROVE WELSHLADY (2008 by Langfuhr (Danzig) ex Milwaukee, by Desert King (Danehill))
Picked up for a bargain earlier this year through Richard Venn Bloodstock, Hygrove Welshlady was a natural to join the DahlBury broodmare band. A winner over a mile and a half, she has already bred four winners, two of them sired by Planteur (Danehill Dancer).
After producing a colt in the spring by Ectot (Hurricane Run), it is no surprise to find that Hygrove Welshlady is expecting in the Spring to Planteur.
Hygrove Welshlady is on the list to visit Walzertakt in 2023.
LUCIE DU BERLAIS (2016 by Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) ex Nikita Du Berlais, by Poliglote (Sadler’s Wells))
Twice placed over jumps, Lucie Du Berlais is impeccably-bred, and interestingly is in-bred 2x3 to Cadoudal (Green Dancer). Her two younger siblings are both blacktype winners over jumps in France. The three-year-old Angela Du Berlais (Great Pretender) is a Grade 3 winner, while the four-year-old Matilda Du Berlais (Martaline) won two listed hurdle races.
Their dam, Nikita Du Berlais, won eight times over jumps, four of them blacktype races, and she was twice successful at Grade 2 level. She deserved a Grade 1 and was runner-up in the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil.
Nikita Du Berlais was one of four blacktype winners from Chica Du Berlais (Cadoudal), and the best of these was 11-time winner Bonito Du Berlais (Trempolino), successful in the Grade 1 Prix Cambaceres 3yo Hurdle.
Lucie Du Berlais is in foal to Kapgarde (Garde Royale) and is set to be covered by No Risk Al All (My Risk).
MASCARA (2002 by Monsun (Konigsstuhl) ex Murnau, by Rudimentary (Nureyev))
She may be the second-oldest member of the broodmare band, by Mascara can lay claims to being one of the best. A three-time winner in Germany, she is the dam of five winners to date, and they include the versatile Max Dynamite (Great Journey). Purchased by Harold Kirk for €200,000 as a winning three-year-old, he went on to win at Group 2 level on the flat, placed second and third in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, and he was also runner-up in the Galway Hurdle.
Due early next year to Planteur (Danehill Dancer), it is a toss-up at present whether Mascara will visit Walzertakt (Montjeu) or Bangkok (Australia).
MIRZAM (2014 by Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) ex Luxie, by Acclamation (Royal Applause))
This mile and a half winner is off to the perfect start at stud, being dam of this year’s juvenile winner Havanazam (Havana Gold) with her first foal. She also has a Kameko (Kitten’s Joy) colt foal. Mirzam is one of four winners from Luxie, whose stakes-winning half-sister Shermeen (Desert Style) bred the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner Sudirman (Henrythenavigator).
Mirzam is in foal to Bangkok (Australia) and will be covered again by him next year.
MISS HERITAGE (2014 by Pour Moi (Montjeu) ex Haretha, by Alhaarth (Unfuwain))
Expecting her first foal before Cheltenham 2023 is Miss Heritage, and she was another 2022 purchase, in foal to Nathaniel (Galileo). She cost £78,000 in August at Goffs UK, less than she won on the racecourse.
Miss Heritage was twice victorious in bumpers before winning four hurdle races, her headline success being gained in the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle at Doncaster. Her nine placed efforts included being runner-up in the Grade 3 Imperial Cup at Sandown, one of the most competitive races of the year.
A half-sister to a winner, Miss Heritage can boast of having a classic winner as her grandam, Walesiana (Star Appeal) having been successful in the Group 2 ARAG Preis-German 1000 Guineas. At stud Walesiana bred five winners, the best of which was the Group 1 Nassau Stakes heroine Zahrat Dubai (Unfuwain), and she was also placed in the Oaks at Epsom.
After her first foal is born, Miss Heritage will be covered by Planteur (Danehill Dancer).
MONEY TREE (2019 by Profitable (Invincible Spirit) ex Abhajat, by Lope De Vega (Shamardal))
Bangkok (Australia) is bred to sire winners on the flat and here is a mare who could give him an early start with his winners. Successful over five furlongs at two, and from the first crop of a Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes winner, she is from the female family of Group/Grade 1 stars Crystal Ocean (Sea The Stars), Tuscan Evening (Oasis Dream), Hillstar (Danehill Dancer) and Sasuru (Most Welcome), as well as Grade 1 winning hurdler A Wave Of The Sea (Born To Sea).
After producing her first foal, Money Tree will mate again with Bangkok.
MORENA DU BERLAIS (2015 by Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) ex Katioucha, by Mansonnien (Tip Moss))
Here is a mare with all the right connections. A winner over jumps in France, she is by a leading sire and her five winning siblings include the Grade 1 winner Nirvana Du Berlais (Martaline), the Grade 3 winner and Grade 1 runner-up Aubusson (Ballingarry), and the dual Grade 3 winner Triana Du Berlais (Presenting).
Their dam is a listed-placed hurdler whose best-known sibling is Ma Filleule (Turgeon), and this Grade 2-winning hurdler also won the Grade 3 Topham Chase at Aintree and was runner-up in both the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Ascot.
Morena Du Berlais is due her third foal in March to Nathaniel (Galileo), and plans are that she will return to the Newsells Park stallion.
MYSTIC SKY (2011 by Midnight Legend (Night Shift) ex Kentucky Sky, by Cloudings (Sadler’s Wells))
Carrying her second produce by Planteur (Danehill Dancer), Mystic Sky’s filly foal by that sire sold last month at Tattersalls Ireland for €20,000 to Curragh View Stud. Earlier in the year her first produce, a now yearling filly by Yeats (Sadler’s Wells) sold for £10,000. They could yet prove to be bargains, given how smart their dam was.
Mystic Sky won a bumper and five hurdle races, and was rated as high as 130. She did earn blacktype when runner-up in a listed hurdle race.
While she didn’t manage to win at that level, her half-sister Martello Sky (Martaline) has done so on a couple of occasions, at Cheltenham and Sandown. Their dam Kentucky Sky was listed-placed in a bumper, and comes from the family of multiple Group 1 winner Royal Gait who also landed the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle.
After Mystic Sky has her Planteur foal she is likely to be covered next spring by Walzertakt (Montjeu).
OVAMBO PRINCESS (2014 by Kalatos (Big Shuffle) ex Oxalaguna, by Lagunas (Ile De Bourbon))
This winning miler is a German-bred full-sister to Ovambo Queen (Kalatos), a stakes winner in Germany, Italy and Denmark before making her way to stud in Japan. Her biggest success was in the Group 2 Hansa Preis and she was runner-up in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden. Their dam was a winning own-sister to Group 1 winner Oxalagu (Lagunas).
In foal to the Group 1 Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs (Halling), Ovambo Princess will be covered by Walzertakt (Montjeu).
PARIOLINA (2010 by Muhtathir (Elmaamul) ex Under Estimated, by Singspiel (In The Wings))
Already dam of two winners, Pariolina is responsible for Plegastell (Planteur), a listed winner at two in France. She was an obvious buy for Simon Davies, and her second winner is Pariello (Intello) who won over jumps this year at four.
Not surprisingly, Pariolina is in foal to Planteur (Danehill Dancer), and she is due to be covered by Bangkok (Australia).
PLANSINA (2015 by Planteur (Danehill Dancer) ex Sina, by Trans Island (Selkirk))
The broodmare band would not be complete without a daughter of Planteur on the roster.
The one that has the honour is Plansina, winner of the flat on no fewer than 11 occasions, and she was placed 15 times, earning almost £50,000.
Plansina is one of three winners from her dam Sina, herself a stakes-placed half-sister to the dam of this year’s Group 1 Deustsches (German) Derby runner-up, Schwarzer Peter (Neatico).
Expecting her first foal in 2023 by Bangkok (Australia), Plansina may return to him or visit Kameko (Kitten’s Joy).
POMONE DU BERLAIS (2014 by Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) ex Psychee Du Berlais, by Saint Preuil (Dom Pasquini))
Another daughter of the leading sire Saint Des Saints among the broodmare band, Pomone Du Berlais was a winner over jumps in France at three and runner-up in a listed four-year-old hurdle races at Cagnes-Sur-Mer. She is one of a pair of winners from a Grade 3-winning hurdler who was twice placed in Grade 1 chases at Auteuil.
Psychee Du Berlais is one of three blacktype winners out of Rosacotte (Rose Laurel), the others being Grade 2 winner Michel Le Bon (Villez), and Marcus Du Berlais (Saint Preuil). The latter, an own-brother to Psychee Du Berlais), was a well-known performer for Arthur Moore and his group of owners. A four-time winner over hurdles, he won the Leopardstown Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting and was twice placed in the Irish Grand National.
Pomone Du Berlais is due her third foal in the spring, this one by Walzertakt (Montjeu) and she will return to the sire afterwards.
PUT THE KETTLE ON (2014 by Stowaway (Slip Anchor) ex Name For Fame, by Quest For Fame (Rainbow Quest))
At the Goffs UK Aintree Sale this year, the dual Grade 1 winner Put The Kettle On sold for £380,000 to the bid of Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley. The only mare to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, having previously annexed the Arkle Chase at the same venue, she was purchased on behalf of Simon Davies to visit Planteur (Danehill Dancer) at Chapel Stud. Happily, she went in foal immediately and is due in March.
A daughter of Stowaway, at one time the busiest stallion in Ireland, Put The Kettle won four graded chases at Cheltenham. Her tally of victories stands at nine, with five placings, and she was some value as she won over £420,000 - a great return on the €22,000 she cost Keith Phelan as a three-year-old in the Goffs Land Rover Sale.
Put The Kettle On is a half-sister to two winners, including Carningli (Old Vic). He won two bumpers and a pair of hurdle races for Rebecca Curtis and showed the family’s love for Cheltenham when runner-up in a listed bumper there. Their dam Name For Fame was bred and raced successfully by Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms. Sold as a four-year-old for 8,500gns, she then won over hurdles at the age of six and earned blacktype when third in a Grade 3 novice hurdle at Tipperary.
After she foals in the spring, the plan is for Put The Kettle On to visit Golden Horn (Cape Cross).
QUILITA (2010 by Lomitas (Niniski) ex Quirigua, by Intikhab (Red Ransom))
Goffs staged an online sale in August which saw Quilita, the dam of dual Grade 1 and Cheltenham Festival winner Quilixios (Maxios), sell for €205,000 to Simon Davies of DahlBury.
The 12-year-old daughter of Lomitas, who was in foal to the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Waldgeist (Galileo) and was group-placed in Germany herself, attracted bids from multiple buyers. Simon Davies made the winning bid and said: “Quilita appealed to us as a quality mare with a proven ability to breed Grade 1 performers, and as such she fits what we are trying to achieve here at DahlBury. We are continually investing in our broodmare band to support our stallions and have been delighted with the calibre of mares that have visited Bangkok, Planteur and Walzertakt this spring.”
Quilixios won the 2021 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, having previously landed the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown. He is one of four winners, the first four foals, out of Quilita, and that number should soon be added to by some younger siblings.
Quilita will be among an exciting group of mares to be covered by Walzertakt (Montjeu) in the spring.
RHIAN DE SIVOLA (2016 by Kayf Tara (Sadler’s Wells) ex R De Rien Sivola, by Robin Des Champs (Garde Royale))
A half-sister to bumper, hurdle and chase winner Little Miss Poet (Yeats) who was runner-up in a listed chase at Cheltenham, Rhian De Sivola’s dam was also runner-up at Cheltenham in the Grade 2 Prestbury Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.
Rhian De Sivola will be covered for the first time in 2023 by Bangkok (Australia).
RUNNING D’OR (2016 by Archange D’Or (Danehill) ex Running Running, by Zero Problemo (Priolo))
Purchased for €100,000 as a four-year-old, Running D’Or that same year won a listed hurdle race at Cagnes-Sur Mer.
This made her the second blacktype winner for her dam, joining King Of Run (Born King). His six wins include a listed hurdle at Auteuil. Their dam has six winning siblings, two of them well-known in Ireland.
Missy Tata (Astarabad) won seven times over jumps, all but one over hurdles, and they included a Grade 3 at Naas and a listed hurdle at Limerick. Her half-brother King Alex (Born King) has been placed at Grade 2 level over hurdles and fences.
With a colt foal on the ground by Planteur (Danehill Dancer), Running D’Or is due to Walzertakt (Montjeu) and is scheduled to visit Bangkok (Australia).
SARA DREAM (2018 by Oasis Dream (Green Desert) ex Kenousha, by Kendargent (Kendor))
A two-year-old winner over a mile in France, and with her first foal on the ground, Sara Dream is the first foal and winner out of her dam, a listed winner and group-placed. This is the family of Group 1 winner and influential sire Green Desert (Danzig).
After foaling in the spring to Bangkok (Australia), Sara Dream will be covered again by him.
SCARLET SONNET (2010 by Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) ex Sahara Sonnet, by Stravinsky (Nureyev))
From a female line more used to breeding champions on the flat, the two-year-old winner Scarlet Sonnet has a couple of siblings who won over jumps. Now she is the dam of her first winner, Annexation (Wootton Bassett), a five-time winner who was second in the Grade 3 For Auction Novice Hurdle for the Henry de Bromhead stable.
Scarlet Sonnet’s first three foals have run and the others have been placed. After producing a couple of offspring by Planteur (Danehill Dancer), Scarlet Sonnet was put in foal to Kameko (Kitten’s Joy) this year. Her 2023 mate has yet to be chosen.
SIXTY’S BELLE (2014 by Gold Well (Sadler’s Wells) ex Over Sixty, by Overbury (Caerleon))
Here is a winning hurdler who was runner-up in a Grade 2 mares’ novice hurdle at Newbury. She is a daughter of Gold Well who has done very well with his daughters, and they include Augusta Gold, Emma’s Joy, Legacy Gold, My Old Gold, Pink Sheets, Sayce Gold, Well Set Up, and Win My Wings.
Sixty’s Belle is a half-sister to the Grade 2-placed Cheddleton (Shirocco), and they are among three winning progeny from bumper, hurdle and three-time chase winner Over Sixty who was runner-up in a Grade 2 novices’ hurdle at Cheltenham. Over Sixty’s Grade 2-winning half-sister Diamant Noir (Sir Harry Lewis) is the grandam of Ronald Pump (Schiaparelli). This Grade 2 winner has been second five times in Grade 1 races over hurdles and fences.
Dublin Express (Tycoon II) won nine times and was placed in the Sweeps Hurdle at Leopardstown back in the seventies. She is the third dam of Sixty’s Belle, but her son Dublin Flyer (Rymer) is well-remembered in the Powell family, his 12 wins over fences including the Mackeson Gold Cup at Cheltenham and the Topham Chase at Aintree.
Sixty’s Belle is due to drop her third foal in April, by Planteur (Danehill Dancer), and she may return to him. A final decision is yet to be made.
SOCIETY QUEEN (2016 by Society Rock (Rock Of Gibraltar), ex Passion Fruit, by Pursuit Of Love (Groom Dancer))
This three-time winner over five and six furlongs is one of three winning offspring from the stakes-placed Passion Fruit. That mare’s half-brother Boldly Goes (Bold Arrangement) was a listed winner at two, and this is the immediate family of the European champion filly and French classic winner Egyptband (Dixieland Band). Here is another mare who could give Bangkok (Australia) an early winner on the flat.
In foal to the son of Australia (Galileo), she is due to return to Bangkok in 2023.
SO ENJOY (2015 by So You Think (High Chaparral) ex Winter Song, by Pivotal (Polar Falcon))
Thirty-two of the 34 mares on the DahlBury broodmare roster were covered in 2022, and all bar one of them went in foal. What an accomplishment and great credit to the stud and veterinary personnel who helped to make this happen.
The dubious honour of being the only mare not in foal falls to So Enjoy. She never won a race, but she did manage to be placed 14 times, nine of them over hurdles. Those efforts included a Grade 3 juvenile hurdle placing at Cheltenham. So Enjoy comes from the family of flat Group 1 stars such as One Master (Fastnet Rock). So Enjoy will return in 2023 to be covered by Walzertakt (Montjeu).
TABLE MOUNTAIN (2017 by Phoenix Reach (Alhaarth) ex Cape Victoria, by Mount Nelson (Rock Of Gibraltar))
A winner over two miles, this 57,000gns purchase is one of three winners from her dam, herself a three-time winner. Table Mountain comes from a female line that has produced Group 1 winners on the flat, such as Hong Kong champion Irishcorrespondent (Teofilo), and talented hurdlers like Cheltenham Festival winner Desert Quest (Rainbow Quest) who was placed in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
In foal to Kameko (Kitten’s Joy), Table Mountain will visit Bangkok in the spring.
WILD FLOWER (2012 by Approve (Oasis Dream) ex Midsummernitedream, by Thatching (Thatch))
She may have waited until the age of five to win, but over the next few years Wild Flower racked up eight victories from five to seven furlongs.
She is one of three winners out of a winning half-sister to Group 2 winner Swallow Flight (Bluebird) who was placed in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes.
Carrying her first foal by Bangkok (Australia), Wild Flower is slotted for a covering by Planteur (Danehill Dancer).
WIN MY WINGS (2013 by Gold Well (Sadler’s Wells) ex Telstar, by Montelimar (Alleged))
The most recent addition to the broodmare band of 34 heading into the 2023 covering season for DahlBury, Win My Wings is an outstanding broodmare prospect.
Speaking after her acquisition, Simon Davies said: “We are delighted to have acquired Win My Wings to join our exciting, growing broodmare band, and she will visit Planteur in 2023. As the highest-rated female chaser in Britain and Ireland, and an exceptional athlete, she is everything we look for in the bloodstock we invest in.
“We aim to focus on quality, particularly the tough, sound and consistent strengths of the thoroughbred. We are very happy to secure her from Sue Howell, and Christian [Williams] did such a magnificent job with her. With so many fantastic achievements, Win My Wings has obviously become very dear to Sue, and we are privileged that she has accepted our offer to take her forward in her next chapter. She will also be able to visit her regularly as we are only a few miles down the road.”
The nine-year-old Win My Wings won seven races over hurdles and fences, in addition to a point-to-point, amassing almost £180,000 in prize money, and reached an official rating over fences of 154. She bolted up in the Grade 3 Coral Scottish Grand National Handicap Chase, winning by seven lengths. It was her third chase victory on the trot, which included the Eider Chase, having also won a two and a quarter mile hurdle race in France.
Christian Williams said: “Win My Wings will always have a special place in my heart. She’s been an amazing friend to everyone and a real flagbearer for our young burgeoning stable. She provided me with one of my career highlights when she ran away with the Scottish National. She’s been a joy to train, a very straightforward mare with a lovely attitude. She loved her work and her jumping.
“I look forward to following Win My Wings in the next chapter of life. I think she will let down into a wonderful broodmare, and if she instils her will to win, her ability and brilliant temperament into her progeny then they will surely be highly sought after.”
A half-sister to the Grade 2-placed Fairly Legal (Beneficial) and two other racecourse winners, Win My Wings is out of a half-sister to On The Other Hand (Proverb), successful at Leopardstown in both the Arkle Chase and the Harold Clarke Leopardstown Chase. An unraced half-sister to the dam of Win My Wings, Noe Easy Way (Mandalus) bred the Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed Made In Taipan (Taipan). This is also the family of the Grade 3 Welsh Grand National winner Righthand Man (Proverb) and the Irish Grand National runner-up Eggnog (Hot Brandy).