WANT to have a winner of the Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup? You will significantly increase your chances if you have a son of Teofilo (Galileo).
The Irish-foaled, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum homebred Without A Fight was an emphatic winner of this year’s renewal, and it came just two weeks after the six-year-old gelding captured the Group 1 Caulfield Cup. In so doing, he became the twelfth horse in history to go on from winning at Caulfield to having success at Flemington.
The Darley-owned Teofilo, standing at Kildangan Stud, has enjoyed a great deal of success down under with his offspring. A true international stallion, he was siring his third winner of the Melbourne Cup this week, as Twilight Payment (2020 for Joseph O’Brien) and Cross Counter (2018 for Godolphin) have also landed the most famous race in Australia.
Other Group 1 winners for the 2006 European champion juvenile in Australia and New Zealand have been Happy Clapper (three Group 1 wins), Humidor (three Group 1 wins), Palentino (one of two horses to win both the Australian Guineas and Makybe Diva Stakes, the other being Zabeel), Kermadec (two Group 1 wins and multiple Group 1 sire), and Sonntag (Queensland Derby).
Originally in the care of Simon and Ed Crisford, Without A Fight won seven times, his most important success coming at York when he landed the Group 3 Silver Cup Stakes, and he was only beaten a head by Hukum last year in the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold Stakes at Meydan. His final start in the Crisford care came in last year’s Melbourne Cup, when he was down the field behind Gold Trip.
Flourished
Left in Australia to continue his career, he has flourished there, and this was his fourth win in five starts for the training duo of Anthony and Sam Freeman, his only defeat coming when he was beaten just over two lengths into sixth in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes. Mark Zahra, the winning rider, has partnered Without A Fight on all his starts since last year’s Melbourne Cup, in which he was on board the winner.
With 11 wins in 23 starts, and eight other top four finishes, Without A Fight has amassed winnings of just shy of £4.9 million, and he becomes the second highest earner by Teofilo, though some way off the more than €9 million won by Irishcorrespondent. Without A Fight is out of a daughter of Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), and joins Mostahdaf (Juddmonte International, Prince of Wales’s Stakes), Militarize (Champagne Stakes, ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Golden Rose Stakes), Homeless Songs (Irish 1000 Guineas), Adayar (Derby, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), Nazeef (Sun Chariot Stakes, Falmouth Stakes), Dream Castle (Jebel Hatta) and Blair House (Jebel Hatta) as a Group 1 winner from a daughter of that sire.
Without A Fight is one of four winners out of Khor Sheed, and she was a member of Dubawi’s second crop. She sold as a foal to Joe Foley for 22,000gns, resold to Luca Cumani as a yearling for 42,000gns, and then as an 11-year-old she was picked up by Harry Dutfield for 26,000gns. He sold her in February of this year at Tattersalls for 28,000gns, where she was purchased by Michael Donohoe for 28,000gns on behalf of Yulong Investments, and was covered by Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega) at the Irish National Stud.
Khor Sheed
Cumani trained Khor Sheed for Without A Fight’s owner-breeder, and she won a couple of listed races in England, but the trainer found a perfect opportunity for a pattern race success, and sent her to Italy to capture the Group 3 Premio Sergio Cumani in Milan. Khor Sheed’s yearling of 2023 is already named, Padam (Showcasing), and she was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock for £82,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale.
While Without A Fight is the only blacktype horse out of Khor Sheed to date, the mare is also grandam of the US Grade 2 winner Avenue De France (Cityscape). Her eight wins in France and the USA are topped by success in the John C Mabee Stakes at Del Mar. Khor Sheed is a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan winner Prince Kirk (Selkirk).
Teofilo will again stand for €30,000 in 2004, his fourth year at that figure. He is a consistent sire of quality runners, with 112 stakes winners (63 at group level), approaching 200 stakes performers, and 24 winners of Group 1 races.
Teofilo on Dubawi mares has also been responsible for last month’s US Grade 2 winner Eternal Hope, multiple Group 3 winner Tantheem, the smart triple stakes winner Naval Power, stakes winner and multiple Group 2-placed Mildenberger, Cheshire Oaks winner and Group 2-placed Dubai Fountain, and listed winner Key Victory.