FLAME OF TARA DESCENDANT ENTERS CLASSIC PICTURE
Pat O'Kelly's famous Kilcarn Stud has produced many notable winners over the years and her celebrated mare Flame Of Tara was directly responsible for three who played a prominent role in the classics.
A half-sister to two broodmares of note, the daughter of Artaius (by Round Table) was also a leading performer on the track as she won the Group 2 Coronation Stakes, Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes, Group 3 Athasi Stakes and Listed Mooresbridge Stakes, was runner-up in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Newmarket and third in the Group 2 Ballymoss Stakes.
Her brilliant daughter Salsabil (by Sadler's Wells) won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two and swept the Group 1 series of 1000 Guineas, Oaks, Prix Vermeille and Irish Derby at three, the latter one for the history books as the it was the first time that a filly had won that Curragh classic in 90 years.
Salsabil died just six years later, from cancer, but was the dam of the group/graded winners Bint Salsabil (by Nashwan), Sahm (by Mr Prospector) and Alabaq (by Riverman) from just five foals.
Her half-sister Danse Royale (by Caerleon) took the Group 3 Prix de Psyche and Listed Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial Stakes and was placed in both the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas and Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes.
Their half-brother Marju (by Last Tycoon) kicked off his classic season with victory in the Group 3 Craven Stakes at Newmarket, he chased home Generous in the Group 1 Derby at Epsom and then dropped back to the mile to take the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot just a few weeks later.
Marju, of course, went on to become a sire of note for Derrinstown Stud, his top-level winners featuring standouts such as Soviet Song, My Emma, Satono Crown, Viva Pataca, and classic heroines Sil Sila and Bethrah, plus the Hong Kong star and multi-millionaire Indigenous.
He has also made his mark as a broodmare sire.
Marju died at his long-time home just over a year ago – October 2016 – at the age of 28. His remarkable dam was also in retirement when she died, aged 25, at Kilcarn Stud.
Flame Of Tara's stakes-placed half-sister Welsh Love (by Ela-Mana-Mou) was the dam of classic-placed Group 1 scorer and blacktype sire Second Empire (by Fairy King; IR£640,000 yearling), of stakes winners Ajhiba (by Barathea; IR£950,000), Hemingway (by Spectrum; 500,000 Irish guineas) and Ihtiram (by Royal Academy; sire of Miss Andretti), and Group 3 scorer Balestrini (by Danehill; 2,100,000 Irish guineas).
Her siblings also included the placed Fruition (by Rheingold), the mare who – for Swettenham Stud – produced Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf hero Northern Spur (by Sadler's Wells) and stakes-winner Oenothera (by Night Shift).
For Burton Agnes Stud, Fruition produced the high-class stayers Great Marquess (by Touching Wood) and Kneller (by Lomond), and her descendants of note also include Group 1 Irish Derby runner-up Glyndebourne (by Sadler's Wells) and Group 1 1000 Guineas second Sundrop (by Sunday Silence).
But back to Flame Of Tara.
In addition to her aforementioned classic trio, her offspring included the juvenile pattern scorer Flame Of Athens (by Royal Academy) and a one-time winner named Rose Of Tara (by Generous).
That chesnut raced in O'Kelly's colours but eventually crossed the Atlantic and it is her grandson who could be heading to Churchill Downs and/or Pimlico in May.
Her star daughter Essential Edge (by Storm Cat) was a Grade 2 winner over nine furlongs at Woodbine and her progeny also include Vulcan Rose (by Fusaichi Pegasus), a winner just once from seven starts but dam of Saturday evening's Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes scorer Flameaway (by Scat Daddy).
The Mark Casse-trained chesnut beat odds-on favourite Catholic Boy by half a length at Tampa Bay Downs, a second blacktype success following a narrow Grade 3 scorer over the same trip – eight and a half furlongs – at Keeneland in October.
The colt was bred in Canada by Phoenix Rising Farms.
Has he shown the form to suggest he could be a leading Kentucky Derby or Preakness contender? Not yet – he has a long way to go, but he could get there.
Has he the pedigree to be a classic contender? Absolutely.
And, in addition to all of the above, his sixth dam is Lightning (by Hyperion), the mare who gave us Epsom's 1959 Derby hero Parthia (by Persian Gulf).
His late sire is known here primarily as a source of speed and precocity, with standouts such as Acapulco, Lady Aurelia, Caravaggio and No Nay Never among his top performers. The latter pair are now stallions at Coolmore Stud.
His South American-bred stock, however, include a string of top classic horses, while his North American produce are typically best in the seven to 10-furlong range.
In addition to a string of Grade 1 stars, those include talented miler El Kabeir, who is just starting his first season at Yeomanstown Stud.
It remains to be seen just how good Flameaway will be when he reaches his peak, but with his pedigree and family history it is going to be fascinating to see how he turns out.
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BENIE ANOTHER FOR WELLS' LINE
Ballylinch Stud's late King's Theatre (by Sadler's Wells) began his career as a flat sire before going on to make such an impact with his National Hunt stock.
Those early offspring included Great Pretender, a Group 2-placed stakes winner who finished fourth to Sulamani in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby) before going on to become a blacktype winner over hurdles and then a notably successful sire.
He stands at Haras de la Hetraie, his best include Ptit Zig, Great Field and Mr Mole, and also a rising star in Benie Des Dieux.
She was bred in France by Gerard Doyen, she was a blacktype-placed dual hurdles winner in that country, and she joined the Willie Mullins team in December 2016.
So far she has run three times for her new connections, those outings all over fences, two of them listed events, and a combined winning margin of just over 40 lengths.
Time will tell just how good this unbeaten chaser is – she was rated 142 before her victory in Saturday's Listed BBA Ireland Limited Opera Hat Mares Chase over two miles at Naas.
Benie Des Dieux is the first foal out of Cana (by Robin Des Champs), a half-sister to several successful French jumpers include Cadounika (by Nikos), who is the dam of multiple Grade 3 hurdles scorer Caesar's Palace (by Voix Du Nord) and also of Cororiko (by Robin Des Champs).
He was a listed winner over hurdles at Auteuil and he is a member of the stallion team at Haras de Cercy who, though a National Hunt sire whose first crop have just turned three, is already off the mark with a dual flat winner.
Cardounika is also responsible for the blacktype-placed hurdler Chanducoq (by Voix Du Nord) and she is out of Cardoudalle (by Cadoudal), a listed-placed mare who won over hurdles and over fences in France.
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NOVICE CALVADOS A RISING STAR FOR SAINT
Haras d'Etreham stallion Saint Des Saints (by Cadoudal) has sired many notable performers, with standouts such as Djakadam, Quito De La Roque, Quel Esprit, Storm Of Sanity, Saint Palois, Irish Saint, and Kobrouk among his roll of honour.
Saturday's impressive Grade 2 Betway Kingmaker Novices' Chase winner Saint Calvados is one of his latest rising stars and what makes that Harry Whittington-trained performer a bit more exciting is that he has only just turned five.
He was bred by Jeremy Buez, he is unbeaten in three starts over the larger obstacles – adding to a record of three from four over the French hurdles – and he is the best of several winners out of Lamorrese (by Pistolet Bleu).
She had an unremarkable career on the track, but this half-sister to prolific scorer Crack d'Emble (by Poliglote) is out of Maren Kassel (by Noir et Or) who was a triple blacktype winner over hurdles in France.
French Free Star (by Camarthen), the third dam of Saint Calvados, was also talented and she too was a blacktype winner at Auteuil, but what catches the eye is the identity of two her sons.
Bonnet Rouge (by Pistolet Bleu) won the Group 3 Prix d'Hedouville at Longchamp, went on to sire some winners at stud, and he could be described as being a three-parts brother to Lamorrese.
Maresca Sorrento (by Cadoudal), on the other hand, won two of his three starts over hurdles in France but is best known as being the sire of 2014's Grade 3 Grand National hero Pineau De Re.
Saint Calvados is already rated 160, with just three chase runs behind him. He could be anything.
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WOOLSTONE ANOTHER SMART ONE FOR AUTHORIZED
Derby hero Authorized (by Montjeu), whose star son Hartnell added the Group 1 Ladbrokes C F Orr Stakes to his tally last weekend, has, like most good flat stallions, also got some notable performers over obstacles.
The late multiple Grade 1 ace Nichols Canyon heads that roll of honour, a tally to which Woolstone One added her name on Saturday.
The Emma Lavelle-trained six-year-old took the Listed olbg.com Mares' Hurdle over two miles, five furlongs at Warwick, her third win from five starts over flights and adding to a record of two from three in bumpers.
Bred by D R Tucker, she made just 12,000gns when sold in Newmarket as a foal and her siblings include Hasay (by Lomitas), the stakes-placed dam of talented German filly Hargeisa (by Speightstown).
Gestut Fahrhof's homebred won the Group 3 Premio Primi Passi over six furlongs at San Siro at two and was then placed in both the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and Group 3 Prix d'Arenberg – a strikingly more speedy and precocious record than that of her slightly older relation.
Saralea (by Sillery), the dam of Woolstone One, won a one-mile listed contest at Deauville and was Group 3-placed over a furlong farther at Longchamp, and she is one of four blacktype scorers out of Solidarite (by Far North).
Those siblings include Hong Kong Gold Cup scorer Deauville (ex-Sacristain) (by Groom Dancer), while her non-blacktype siblings feature Loisaida (by Sicyos), the seven-time winning dam of talented miler Kaldou Star (by Kaldoun).
Woolstone One did not run on the flat and so it is likely that she will be sent to National Hunt stallions whenever the time comes to retire her to the paddocks, and with her talent and family connections she could certainly do well in that role too.
Before then, of course, there should be more good prizes to be won with her on the track.
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ANOTHER TALENTED DAUGHTER FOR CHAMPS ELYSEES
Former Banstead Manor Stud stallion Champs Elysees (by Danehill) is starting his second season at Castle Hyde Stud and the full-brother to leading international sire Dansili added to his blacktype tally when Elysea's World took the Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes over nine furlongs on turf at Gulfsteam Park on Saturday.
The Irish-born five-year-old was bred by Haras d'Haspel, she is trained by Chad Brown and she was several times placed at Grade 2 and Grade 3 level before this value-enhancing victory.
She is out of Ideal World (by Singspiel), who is an unraced daughter of Grade 2-placed Live Your Dreams (by Mt. Livermore).
That mare is, in turn, out of Night Of Dreams (by Fappiano), a winning half-sister to champion and multiple Grade 1 star Housebuster (by Mt Livermore), who could be described as being a three-parts brother to the grandam of Elysea's World.