FIRST GROUP 1 WINNER FOR SO YOU THINK
A week after the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas went to a son of a first-crop stallion, the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas went to a daughter of another first-crop sire, this time to Coolmore Stud's international star So You Think (by High Chaparral).
La Diosa justified favouritism to take the mile classic by one and a half lengths at Riccarton Park. She is trained by Mandy and Matt Brown, she was bred by the T W Archer Trust, and she is a half-sister to the 12-furlong Group 3 scorer Solid Billing (by Rock of Gibraltar).
That gelding was Group 1-placed over two miles, their half-sister Thy (by O'Reilly) was third in the Group 1 Australian Oaks, and their dam is the New Zealand Group 2 scorer Star Affair (by Star Way).
The Grin (by Grosvenor), grandam of La Diosa, was a stakes winner at seven and eight furlongs, a New Zealand broodmare of the year, and dam of both the classic star and champion The Jewel (by O'Reilly) and that filly's Group 1-placed, pattern-winning full-brother The One.
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FIRST GRADE 1 WINNER FOR YEATS
Coolmore team member and four-time Group 1 Gold Cup hero Yeats (by Sadler's Wells) notched up his first Grade 1 winner as a stallion when Capivari won the Prix Renaud du Vivier (Grand Course de Haies des 4 Ans) over two miles, three and a half furlongs at Auteuil on Sunday.
The gelding, a listed winner at the same venue in September, was bred by Marquesa De Moratalla. The grey, who was led out unsold at €320,000 at the Arqana Deauville Autumn Mixed Sale on Monday, is out of one-time flat winner Plique A Jour (by Hernando).
He has several winning siblings, his dam is a half-brother to the Group 3 scorer Farouge (by Croco Rouge), and his fourth dam is the Grade 1-placed US Grade 3 winner Ancient Fables (by Pronto).
Those who also descend from that mare include the Group 1 St Leger star Lucarno (by Dynaformer) and his Group 2-winning brothers Thought Worthy and Flying Officer.
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RISING STAR FOR NOTNOWCATO
Knockhouse Stud stallion Notnowcato (by Inchinor) has a rising star in Australia this season.
Redkirk Warrior, who is a 22,000gns Tattersalls October Yearling Sale (Book 2) graduate, began his career with William Haggas, and was known as Redkirk when running away with a 10-furlong Yarmouth maiden and then beating the smart Agent Murphy in a handicap over the same trip at Ascot.
Those were his only runs before he went to Hong Kong, where he was beaten by a nose in a listed (local Group 1) event over nine furlongs at Sha Tin. He is now in Australia and he justified favourisitm with a half-length win in the Group 3 Yarramalong Racing Club Stakes over seven and a half furlongs at Sandown on Saturday.
Bred by Lennie Peacock of Manor House Stud, the five-year-old is the best of a string of winners out of Flag (by Selkirk), who is a half-sister to the seven-furlong listed scorer Armenian Dancer (by Shavian).
His grandam is the unraced Flower Arrangement (by Lomond) and she was a half-sister to the Listed Solario Stakes winner and Grade 1 Kentucky Derby runner-up Bold Arrangement (by Persian Bold).
Flower Arrangement's siblings also include mares from whom the pattern winners Please Sing (by Royal Applause), Great Page (by Roderic O'Connor), Noble Tradition (by Zedative), and Galitzin (by Hotfoot) descend.
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NEW APPROACH FILLY STRIKES AGAIN
Godolphin's Group 1-placed filly Beautiful Romance won the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York in May and to that she added Saturday's Group 2 Quayclean Zipping Classic over 12 furlongs at Sandown, in Australia, just 11 days after finishing an honourable seventh in the recent Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
The four-year-old daughter of Dalham Hall Stud stallion New Approach (by Galileo) is trained by Saeed bin Suroor, she was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd, and she is out of the Group 3 Princess Royal Stakes winner Mazuna (by Cape Cross).
Her two-year-old half-brother Executive Force (by Sepoy), who made a winning debut over six furlongs at Newbury in September, chased home Ambassadorial in the Listed Star Appeal Stakes over seven at Dundalk last month.
Her grandam, Keswa (by Kings Lake), is a stakes-placed half-sister to the dam of Group 1 star and classic sire Mastercraftsman (by Danehill Dancer) and so this is also the family of Group 1 scorer Pressing (by Soviet Star) and of runaway Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Sakhee (by Bahri).
New Approach's tally of 29 individual stakes winners includes the classic stars Dawn Approach and Talent and the 2016 Group 1 scorers Elliptique and Potemkin.
The Darley stallion team also struck last weekend with a listed-race double at Lingfield.
Lord Of The Land (by Shamardal) was a winning favourite in the six-furlong Betway Golden Rose Stakes and then Team Talk (by Teofilo) took the 10-furlong Betway Churchill Stakes.
Lord Of The Land was bred by Ammerland Verwaltung Gmbh, he is trained by David O'Meara, and the five-year-old entire is a full-brother to classic star and Ballylinch Stud's Group 1 sire Lope De Vega.
He is also a half-brother to the 10-furlong Group 3 scorer Bal De La Rose (by Cadeaux Genereux) and to Group 3-placed Light The Stars (by Sea The Stars), and his dam is the Group 1-placed pattern scorer Lady Vettori (by Vettori).
Team Talk is a Darley-bred three-year-old trained by Saeed bin Suroor and the thrice-raced gelding is out of Native Blue (by Seeking The Gold), an unraced daughter of Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Rosefinch (by Blushing Groom).
His third dam is the fillies' Triple Crown heroine Oh So Sharp (by Kris), whose offspring also included Shaima (by Shareef Dancer), the Grade 2-winning dam of Group 1 St Leger winner and successful National Hunt sire Shantou (by Alleged).
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ANOTHER FOR LOPE DE VEGA
Several hours before his full-brother Lord Of The Land won the Listed Betway Golden Rose Stakes over six furlongs at Lingfield, Ballylinch Stud stallion Lope De Vega added to his own record with Australian pattern success for one of his sons.
Vega Magic, who is owned and bred by H W Daly, is a Sea Casey-trained four-year-old and he a winning favourite in the Group 3 Heineken-Colonel Reeves Stakes over five and a half furlongs at Ascot.
The chesnut is out of Admirable (by Magic Albert) and his third dam, Starlight Express (by Century), is a full-sister to the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Century Miss, the grandam of Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint scorer Natural Blitz (by Maroof).
Lope De Vega's 21 individual stakes winners include this year's Group 1 stars Belardo (new Kildangan Stud sire for 2017) and Jemayel, classic-placed pattern scorer Blue De Vega and Group 1-placed dual Group 2 star Very Special.
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VOIX DU NORD DOUBLE AT CHELTENHAM
Group 1 star Voix Du Nord (by Valanour) was only 12 when he died. The oldest progeny of Haras de Cercy's late grandson of Lomond (by Northern Dancer) are nine years old and, with a growing number of major National Hunt winners emerging from his offspring, his loss appears to be considerable.
His first crop features the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Taquin De Seuil who, like the younger pair Vroum Vroum Mag and Vibrato Valtat, is a winner at the highest level. The nine-year-old provided the second leg of a big-race double for the stallion at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The gelding took his career record to 10 wins from 29 starts when winning the Grade 3 BetVictor Gold Cup Handicap Chase over two miles, four and a half furlongs.
This was a sixth win from 15 starts over fences for 2014's Grade 1 JLT Novices' Chase star, and his prior record includes a nine-length victory in the Grade 1 Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury four years ago.
Taquin De Seuil was bred, in France, by Marc Boudot, and he is the first foal out of the six-times winning dual-purpose mare Sweet Laly (by Marchand De Sable).
His half-sister Antilope Du Seuil (by Alberto Giacometti) won once on the flat and France and, in 2015, notched up a treble over hurdles at Perth, winning from two-and-a-half to three miles for the Gordon Elliott stable.
Their four-year-old half-sister, Cibellaly Du Seuil (by Martaline), won over hurdles as a three-year-old and was runner-up in a handicap hurdle at Auteuil earlier this month, and their grandam, Sweety (by Le Nain Jaune), won three times.
The first leg of Voix Du Nord's big double was provided by Defi Du Seuil, the Philip Hobbs-trained AQPS (autre que pur sang) gelding who justified favouritism in the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial Juvenile Hurdle (registered as the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle) over the extended two miles.
The Catherine Boudot-bred three-year-old won over 12 furlongs on the flat in France, made a winning debut for the Hobbs stable at Ffos Llas last month, and is now two-for-two over hurdles.
He is the second foal out of the dual flat scorer Quarvine Du Seuil (by Lavirco), his dam is a half-sister to a few winners, and his grandam, Fleur Du Tennis (by Video Rock), is a full-sister to the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novice Chase scorer Jimmy Tennis.
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PROMISING SON OF MARTALINE
The high-class performer and Haras de la Reboursiere et de Montaigu stallion Martaline (by Linamix) is well-established as being a leading dual-purpose sire and the regally-related grey added to his blacktype on Saturday when Viconte Du Noyer sprang a 20/1 surprise in the Grade 3 BetVictor Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
Ann and Alan Potts' grey was making his debut for the Colin Tizzard stable, having previously been a dual Killarney winner for the Henry de Bromhead team, and he won the extended three-mile, three-furlong contest by a length.
The seven-year-old was bred, in France, by Josaine Dubief, he is out of Zouk Wood (by Woodman) and that makes him a half-brother to chase and four-time hurdles scorer Bambi Du Noyer (by Sageburg).
His grandam, Zakousky (by Arazi), won once on the flat as a two-year-old and that half-sister to the multiple stakes-placed filly Zarma (by Machiavellian) is out of the Group 1-placed Zartota (by Assert).
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GRADE 3 SUCCESS FOR ASTARABAD FILLY
Dual Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Alleged (by Hoist The Flag) was a hugely influential stallion and his legacy in the National Hunt sector has been particularly strong.
Group 1 winner Astarabad is among his leading sire sons and the Haras du Gueslan sire, who spent many years at Haras de ls Croix Sonnet, was represented at Naas on Saturday by the rising star Missy Tata.
Bred by Sophie Bouchet Lardot and trained by Gordon Elliott, the four-year-old took her record to five wins from 10 starts over obstacles when beating Slowmotion by four lengths in the Grade 3 Text Your Bet To Paddy Power On 51465 Fishery Lane Hurdle over two miles.
This was her fourth consecutive success since being a four-length fourth (no blacktype) in the Grade 3 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
She is the best of several multiple winners out of Queen Running (by Cadoudal), a mare who was placed once over hurdles and whose siblings include the multiple graded-placed Astarador (by Astarabad).
Her grandam, Touques (by Tip Moss), won once on the flat and twice over obstacles in France and is a half-sister to Lady Boston (by Mansonnien), the Auteuil listed scorer whose offspring include the triple Grade 1 chase star Bostons Angel (by Winged Love), Cheltenham's RSA Chase scorer of 2011.
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LISTED WIN FOR MOYGLARE STUD HOMEBRED
Joailliere gave her paddocks value a tremendous boost when narrowly winning the Listed German Owners And Breeders Sprint Trophy over seven furlongs at Dortmund on Sunday.
It is a second win and first blacktype success for the triple pattern-placed four-year-old, a Moyglare Stud homebred trained by Dermot Weld.
The daughter of Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) is out of Majestic Silver (by Linamix) and that makes her a half-sister to Group 2 Beresford Stakes runner-up True Solitaire (by Oasis Dream) and also to the dual pattern and dual listed-race star Carla Bianca (by Dansili).
Majestic Silver is an unraced half-sister to the Group 1-placed triple Group 3 scorer Profound Beauty (by Danehill) and she is out of Diamond Trim (by Highest Honor), the stakes-winning half-sister to Irresistible Jewel (by Danehill).
That Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes heroine is, of course, the dam of Group 1 Irish St Leger winner Royal Diamond (by King's Best), of classic-placed Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes star Princess Highway (by Street Cry) and of the classic-placed pattern scorer Mad About You (by Indian Ridge).
This is a family I have reviewed in detail in several past editions of The Irish Field.