THERE will be few horses all year sent off as short as Sempre Medici was for Saturday’s Grade 3 Limestone Lad Hurdle at Naas, but the 1/8 favourite, who was giving weight to all three of his rivals, landed the spoils by five lengths.
It was his third win from eight starts over obstacles which include last April’s Grade 2 Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Novice Hurdle over two miles at Fairyhouse, and before that he was a stakes-placed winner on the flat in France.
Born in that country, and bred by the partnership of Miriam Bollack-Badel, Noel Forgeard and Haras de Pierrepont, his pedigree has a strong international flavour but is not one that would be considered French as he is a son of Cheveley Park Stud stallion Medicean (by Machiavellian) and a direct descendant of the hugely influential mare Best In Show (by Traffic Judge).
A half-brother to the Group 3 Queen’s Vase third Ed De Gas (by Peintre Celebre), his unraced dam Sambala (by Danehill Dancer) is out of an unraced mare called Amaranthus (by Kingmambo), and that makes him a half-brother to the US stakes winner Brave Maestro (by Stravinsky).
INDLUENTIAL BROODMARE
His third dam is the one-time winner Tafrah (by Sadler’s Wells), and although she is the dam and grandam of some blacktype-placed horses, her strongest claim to fame is that she is a full-sister to the Group 1 Prix du Cadran scorer Chief Contender and half-sister to Aviance (by Northfields), the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes heroine who became one of the most influential broodmares of recent decades.
Her top-class son Denon (by Pleasant Colony) did not achieve the sort of success at stud for which one might have hoped, but his half-sister Chimes Of Freedom (by Private Account), who won both the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Group 1 Coronation Stakes, did excel in her second career with the Grade 1 stars Aldebaran (by Mr Prospector) and Good Journey (by Nureyev) among her blacktype progeny.
Her half-sister Imperfect Circle (by Riverman), who won the Listed Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr as a juvenile, became the dam of the prolific Group 1 mile star and successful sire Spinning World (by Nureyev) and her descendants include Group 1 National Stakes winner Pathfork (by Distorted Humor), top-rated juvenile colt in Ireland in 2010 and one of her grandsons.
Piquetnol (by Private Account) did not win at blacktype level but she was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac and her Group 3 King George Stakes-winning daughter Dietrich (by Storm Cat) is the dam of the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes heroine Beauty Bright (by Danehill).
Then there’s Remote Romance (by Irish River), a dual French winner with no blacktype on the track but who became the dam of the German Group 1 star Saddex (by Sadler’s Wells).
They are among eight winners out of the speedy stakes-placed dual winner Minnie Hauk (by Sir Ivor), a full-sister to the talented trio Malinowski, Gielgud, and Monroe, with the latter being the one who made it big at stud. She won the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, but her son Xaar (by Zafonic) was a dual Group 1 star and Europe’s juvenile champion of 1997, his brothers included Group 1-placed pattern scorer Masterclass (by The Minstrel), and his sisters feature Diese (by Diesis), Didicoy (by Danzig), Silver Star (by Zafonic), Victoriana (by Storm Bird) and Stardom (by Known Fact).
The latter is the dam of the Australian Group 2 scorer Trick Of Light (by Dansili), Silver Star is the grandam of the champion and prolific US Grade 1 star Close Hatches (by First Defence), and Didicoy’s Grade 2-winning daughter Didina (by Nashwan) is the mare from whom Group 1 winner Cityscape (by Selkirk), Group 1-placed Group 2 sprint star Bated Breath (by Dansili) and last year’s Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes scorer Ajaya (by Invincible Spirit) descend.
US SCORER
Victoriana is the grandam of the Australian Group 2 winner Domesday (by Red Ransom), and Diese, who won the Group 3 Prix Corrida, can count the dual US Grade 1 scorer Senure (by Nureyev) among her blacktype progeny and descendants.
This is the famous family whose Group/Grade 1 winners also feature standouts such as El Gran Senor (by Northern Dancer), Rags To Riches (by A.P. Indy), Peeping Fawn (by Danehill), Yagli (by Jade Hunter) and Redoute’s Choice (by Danehill) among many more of considerable note.
The celebrities in the family are remotely related to Sempre Medici, but when one is this accomplished then there is always the chance that even its weaker branches can come up with some talented performers.