THE rise and rise of Showcasing (Oasis Dream) as a sire shows no sign of abating; indeed it is even gathering pace. Last Sunday his son Advertise broke Aidan O’Brien’s stranglehold on the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes when he won the first juvenile Group 1 of the season in Ireland. Martyn Meade trains this Phoenix Thoroughbred-owned colt who was bred by Cheveley Park Stud and sold by them as a yearling at Goffs UK to Dermot Farrington for £60,000.
A maiden winner on his debut, Advertise was runner-up to Calyx in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes before regaining the winning thread in the Group 2 Arqana July Stakes at Newmarket. Sunday was only his fourth start.
Given the leading role that Pivotal (Polar Falcon) is playing as a broodmare sire, it is amazing to think that visitors to the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale passed up on the opportunity to buy his winning daughter Furbelow who was retained by Cheveley Park Stud for a mere 9,000gns. She is now the dam of a Group 1 winner with just her third foal. Her two previous offspring include the Roger Varian-trained dual winner Flavius Titus (Lethal Force).
Following in the hoof prints of Advertise are a yearling filly by Dream Ahead (Diktat) and a colt foal by Lethal Force (Dark Angel). Furbelow is a full-sister to Red Diadem (Pivotal) and she was a stakes winner at Del Mar when sent to race stateside. She is the dam of winners in the USA and France and last December was snapped up for a bargain €5,000 at the Arqana December Sale in foal to Slickly (Linamix).
Red Diadem was the best of seven winners produced from Red Tiara (Mr Prospector). Another of those winners was Adorn (Kyllachy). She was successful at two and the best of her offspring have shown excellent form at the same age; Saayerr (Acclamation) won the Group 2 Richmond Stakes, while Ornate (Bahamian Bounty) was runner-up in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes.
Red Tiara cost a pretty penny as a yearling – well actually she realised $950,000 back in the day when the main yearling sale at Keeneland was held in July. As a racemare she was undistinguished, in spite of the best efforts of Sir Michael Stoute, and she managed a single placing. Her sale price was influenced by the fact that she was by a leading US stallion and now influential world sire and was out of the very smart racemare Heart Of Joy (Lypheor).
It was a no-brainer to send Red Tiara to Michael Stoute as he trained Heart Of Joy to win the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes and finish runner-up in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, to Salsabil, before occupying the same position in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh. She was then sent to race in the USA and won many times at stakes level, notably the Grade 2 Palomar Handicap at Del Mar. Her best produce at stud was the top Japanese sprinter Meiner Love (Seeking The Gold – by Mr Prospector).
Advertise joins Quiet Reflection as the second Group 1 winner for Showcasing, winner himself at two of the Group 2 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes. The oldest crop of the Whitsbury Manor Stud stalwart are now six-year-olds and, given that his fee has gone from £4,500 to a current £35,000, it is reasonable to expect the best is to come.