BALLYMACOLL-BRED PART OF A LANWADES GROUP 1 DOUBLE
The Lanwades Stud stallion team was represented by two Group 1 winners in the southern hemisphere on Saturday and one of them was bred by Ballymacoll Stud.
Sir John Harwood, a son of Derby hero Sir Percy (by Mark of Esteem) won the McGrath Estate Agents Metropolitan, a 12-furlong handicap at Randwick, in Australia, two hours after Willie Cazals (by Aussie Rules) won the Livamol Classic over a quarter-mile less at Hastings in New Zealand.
Sir John Harwood is the Ballymacoll one and he won four times over middle-distances in England before making the journey south. He is now trained by John Thompson, he won a Group 3 contest over 10 furlongs at Rosehill in March, and he has been placed in a string of pattern events between those two big wins.
The seven-year-old is a gelded son of Athene (by Rousillon), which makes him a half-brother to the pattern-winning sprinter Greek Renaissance (by Machiavellian), to the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont scorer Side Saddle (by Saddlers' Hall) and to the prolific winner and six-figured earner Machinist (by Machiavellian).
The mare is out of Gay Hellene (by Ela-Mana-Mou) who, in addition to being the dam of the Grade 1-winning hurdler and Cesarewitch Handicap star Landing Light (by In The Wings), she is responsible for the listed scorer Nash Terrace (by Nashwan) and is the grandam of juvenile Group 1 winner Naaqoos (by Oasis Dream).
Her half-sister Gay Milly is the grandam of prolific Group 1 standout Pilsudski (by Polish Precedent) and ancestor of the Group 1 stars Youmzain (by Sinndar) and Creachadoir (by King's Best).
She is a full-sister to Gay Fantastic, who is the dam of Canadian Grade 2 scorer Moon Solitaire (by Night Shift) and Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes winner Germano (by Generous) and grandam of New Zealand Group 2 star Keyora (by Bachelor Duke), and her these mares are all out of 1974's Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine and Group 1 Irish Oaks runner-up Gaily.
Aussie Rules (by Danehill) died earlier this year, aged just 13, and in addition to his new Group 1 scorer, his 21 individual stakes winners feature the Group 1 Matron Stakes heroine Fiesolana.
Willie Cazals, a classic-placed dual stakes winner when based in Italy, moved to Hong Kong, was placed in some good races there, and then moved south. He is trained by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott.
The eight-year-old gelding was bred by Giovanni Faldutto, he is out of Secrete Marina (by Mujadil), and that makes him a half-brother to the classic-placed French Group 2-winning miler Joanna (by High Chaparral).
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DUBAWI KEEPS MOVING UP
His star son disappointed when only fifth in the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday, but Dubawi was represented last weekend by Chantilly scorer Wuheida and by the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes winner Move Up.
Like Summerhill Stud's new stallion Willow Magic, in South Africa, the Darley-bred Wuheida is a juvenile Group 1 winner for the outstanding Dalham Hall Stud stallion, the horse who took Newmarket by storm again this week at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
She is out of the Group 1 Fillies' Mile and Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes heroine Hibaayeb (by Singspiel) and she comes from the family of 1985 Fillies' Triple Crown star Oh So Sharp (by Kris).
Move Up was bred by The Lavington Stud and, like Wuheida, he carries the colours of Godolphin, although he is trained by Saeed bin Suroor whereas she's a member of the Charlie Appleby team.
The three-year-old colt beat Arab Spring by a neck in the 12-furlong Ascot contest on Saturday, following on from an odds-on success in the Group 2 International Bosphorus Cup over the same trip at Veliefendi, in Turkey, last month.
He is the fourth foal out of Rosinka (by Soviet Star), he is a half-brother to two winners, and his dam is a Grade 1-placed Grade 3-winning half-sister to Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes scorer King's Drama (by King's Theatre).
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SHALAA REMAINS INVINCIBLE
Dual Group 1 star Shalaa was off the track for 12 months when running in the Group 3 John Guest Bengough Stakes over six furlongs at Ascot on Saturday, but the son of Irish National Stud stallion Invincible Spirit (by Green Desert) extended his winning run to six with a neck defeat of Mehronissa.
Bred by Mogeely Stud and trained by John Gosden, Al Shaqab Racing's three-year-old is a 170,000gns graduate of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
He is the best of several winners out of Ghurra (by War Chant), and that grand-daughter of Danzig (by Northern Dancer) is a Grade 3-placed half-sister to a string of blacktype horses, headed by the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes scorer Hayil (by Dayjur).
I reviewed Shalaa's pedigree in detail in the 3rd October 2015 edition of The Irish Field.
Invincible Spirit also struck on Sunday when his exciting son National Defense won the Group 1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere by four and a half lengths at Chantilly.
That colt is trained by Criquette Head-Maarek, he was bred by the partnership of Ecurie des Monceaux and Meridian International Srl, and he is out of Angel Falls (by Kingmambo), an unraced mare from the family of Group 1 stars such as Ave (by Danehill Dancer), Epaulette (by Commands), Helmet (by Exceed And Excel), and Anna Monda (by Monsun).
Invincible Spirit's gelded son Karar is the horse who chased home Limato in the Group 1 Qatar Prix de la Foret at Chantilly that same afternoon. The James Wigan-bred four-year-old comes from the immediate family of Group 1 St Leger winner Lucarno (by Dynaformer).
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NOTABLE MAKFI DOUBLE
Classic winner and classic sire Makfi (by Dubawi) notched up a pattern race double recently, with the first leg provided by Noor Al Hawa in the Group 3 Grosser Preis der Landeshauptstadt over eight and a half furlongs at Dusseldorf on Sunday.
The Rabbah Bloodstock-bred three-year-old is trained by Andreas Wohler, he is a classic-placed dual pattern scorer, and he is out of the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes heroine Majestic Roi (by Street Cry).
That makes him a half-brother to the stakes-winner Majestic Jasmine (by New Approach) and to a yearling Dansili (by Danehill) colt for whom John and Jake Warren paid 200,000gns in Newmarket on Tuesday.
On Wednesday afternoon, Aleyrion Bloodstock Ltd's homebred colt Mate Story won the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon.
The David Smaga-trained bay is a €90,000 Arqana graduate out of Tierra Luna (by Giant's Causeway), and his grandam is Luna Wells (by Sadler's Wells), the Group 1 winning half-sister to Group 1 star and leading sire Linamix (by Mendez).
Makfi began his career at Tweenhills Farm and Stud in Gloucestershire, moved to Haras de Bonneval in 2015, shuttled to New Zealand, and will be at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association from 2017.
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IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Galileo's incredible feat of siring each of the first three home in the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly on Sunday – Found, Highland Reel and Order Of St George, all trained by Aidan O'Brien - was not his only big result of the weekend.
His top-class daughter Alice Springs, also trained by O'Brien, notched up her third win at the highest level when taking the Group 1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes over a mile at Newmarket on Saturday.
Bred by the partnership of Lynch Bages & Longfield Stud, the chesnut is out of the blacktype-placed Aleagueofherown (by Danehill Dancer), which makes her a full-sister to the Group 3-placed Kingston Jamaica and also to Criteria, the former John Gosden-trained filly who was placed in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and Group 2 Park Hill Stakes and who was short-headed in the Listed Oaks Trial at Lingfield in 2014.
Her grandam, Golden Coral, is a full-sister to the mile Group 1 star Golden Opinion (by Slew O' Gold), and her third dam is the Group 2 Nassau Stakes and Group 3 Musidora Stakes winner Optimistic Lass (by Mr Prospector).
A yearling full-sister to Alice Springs made 2,100,000gns on Thursday afternoon, during day three of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale at Newmarket.
Galileo's lead in the combined Irish and UK sires' championship title race is more than £5.5 million, with his half-brother Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) and Dalham Hall Stud's Dubawi his closest pursuers.
In the overall European sires title race, however, he has pulled more than £9 million clear of his closest pursuer, Dubawi, following that astonishing Arc result.
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GROUP 1 RATHBARRY STUD DOUBLE
Rathbarry Stud stallions notched up a Group 1 double at Chantilly on Sunday and the first leg was produced by the Elite Racing Club's homebred Marsha, winner of the Qatar Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp over five furlongs.
The Sir Mark Prescott-trained three-year-old is a daughter of Acclamation (by Royal Applause) and she is out of the five-furlong listed scorer Maralinka (by Marju). That mare is, in turn, out of Baralinka (by Barathea), which means that Marsha's dam could be described as being a three-parts sister to the multiple Group 1 star Soviet Song (by Marju).
About 40 minutes later, Limato was an impressive winner of the Group 1 Qatar Prix de la Foret over seven furlongs.
Bred by Seamus Phelan and trained by Henry Candy, the gelded four-year-old is a son of Tagula (by Taufan) and his winning dam Come April (by Singspiel) comes from the immediate family of the Group 1 stars Compton Admiral (by Suave Dancer), Summoner (by Inchinor) and The Fugue (by Dansili).
I reviewed Limato's pedigree in detail in the 19th September 2015 edition of The Irish Field.
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FRESHMAN UPDATE
The biggest news on the freshman sires front recently was the first top-level winner for Lane's End Farm's The Factor (by War Front), whose Bob Baffert-trained daughter Noted And Quoted won the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes over eight and a half furlongs at Santa Anita on Saturday night.
The Gilbert Campbell-bred grey is out of Silver Cub (by City Zip), a stakes-winning half-sister to the Grade 2-placed blacktype-winning seven-furlong filly Aspenglow (by Lion Hearted).
This result augurs well for the prospects War Front (by Danzig) stallions such as War Command (Coolmore Stud), Declaration Of War (Ashford Stud) and Air Force Blue (new to Ashford Stud in 2017), among others.
Closer to home, the John Gosden-trained Dabyah (by Sepoy), a dual winner who romped home by nine lengths at Newbury last month, finished a one-length third in the Group 1 Total Prix Marcel Boussac – Criterium des Pouliches at Chantilly on Sunday.
The bay was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd, she is grand-daughter of the Group 1-placed pattern winner Cloud Castle (by In The Wings) and so from the immediate family of the Group 1 stars Warrsan (by Caerleon) and Luso (by Salse).
Sepoy (by Elusive Quality) was also represented this week by Unforgetable Filly, the runaway Lingfield winner who finished third in the Group 3 visionsport.com Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket on Friday, shortly after listed scorer Clem Fandango (by Elzaam) was runner-up in the Group 3 Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes at the same venue.
Overbury Stud's pattern-race sire Delegator (by Dansili) scooped another big prize when his son Accidental Agent landed the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes over six furlong at Newmarket on Saturday.
The colt is owned, bred and trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, he has won two of his four starts, and he is the first foal out of Roodle (by Xaar), a half-sister to the US Grade 2 scorer Prize Exhibit (by Showcasing).
Mazyoun (by Mayson) gave his Cheveley Park Stud sire another blacktype earner when dead-heating for third in the Listed Totepool Two-Year-Old Trophy Stakes at Redcar on Saturday.
Coolmore Stud's Excelebration (by Exceed And Excel) added to his tally when Getgo won over at Brighton on Tuesday, the day that In First Place (by Bated Breath) got off the mark in a nursery at Catterick, and that Dragon Dream (by Dragon Pulse) made it two wins from five starts with nursery success at Kempton. All of those wins came over seven furlongs.