CAMELOT is a legendary castle and court associated with King Arthur. It is also the name of a real-life multiple classic winner, a Group 1 sire, and now that Coolmore resident is not only responsible for the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Bluestocking, but he also sired the third and fifth-place finishers in the race.

Bluestocking has featured before in these columns and, while preparing to write this piece, I took to wondering if we were somehow blessed when last year, at three, she failed to win in six outings. Victorious on her only juvenile start, Bluestocking was a hot favourite on her sophomore bow, a listed fillies’ race at Newbury, but failed by a head to beat the subsequent three-time Group/Grade 1 winner Warm Heart.

Later in the season, this time at odds-on, she was beaten a neck by Al Qareem, a solid Group 3 runner but not in Bluestocking’s class, in a listed race at Chester. Perhaps victory either day would have tempted Juddmonte to retire her to the paddock, having finally won a blacktype contest. In addition, Bluestocking came so close to winning at higher levels that season, beaten a neck by Poptronic in the Group 1 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes, and half a length by Savethelastdance in the Juddmonte-sponsored Group 1 Irish Oaks.

Plan or no plan, Bluestocking remained with Ralph Beckett for a third season in 2024, and how she has rewarded everyone’s belief in her. She started the year with a Group 2 York win, beat Emily Upjohn in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh, and was runner-up to Goliath in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Winning ways

The only occasions on which Bluestocking did not finish in the first three were at York, fourth in both the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks at three and in this year’s Juddmonte International.

She got back to her winning ways with victory over Aventure and Emily Upjohn over the Arc course and distance when taking the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, was supplemented for Sunday’s feature, and the rest is history. What an addition she will be to the Juddmonte broodmare band.

Bluestocking is the best of four winning offspring among the first six foals for her dam Emulous (Dansili). That mare won seven times, winning and being placed in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. Those seven wins came from 14 starts, while in the care of Dermot Weld, and she raced until she was five. Emulous amassed winnings of some £330,000, less than a tenth of the £3.6 million now won by her daughter.

Surely there will be more success for Emulous, just 17, and her younger offspring include the two-year-old gelding Dissident (Frankel), who made his debut last month, a yearling filly by Kingman (Invincible Spirit), and a filly foal by Frankel (Galileo).

Another piece of blacktype was added to the immediate family in August. The Paddy Twomey-trained Firebird (Lope De Vega) was beaten a head in the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes at Naas, and she is one of four winners out of War And Peace (Frankel), an unraced half-sister to Bluestocking.

Emulous is the best produce from the French stakes-placed winner Aspiring Diva (Distant View), and that mare was among five stakes performers produced by the 14-time US winner Queen Of Song (His Majesty).

The last-named mare’s biggest win was gained in the Grade 2 Shuvee Handicap, two years before it was upgraded to Grade 1 status. Queen Of Song was purchased for $700,000 by Juddmonte in 1989, carrying a stakes-placed, three-time winner, and what a family dynasty she has established.

Aspiring Diva had three stakes winners, all sired by Juddmonte’s outstanding sire Dansili (Danehill). Emulous’ younger sibling First Sitting (Dansili) was a Group 3 winner at Deauville and twice successful in listed races in Britain. However, their older sister Daring Diva (Dansili) has made quite an impact at stud. That French stakes-winner is the dam of the Gowran Park and Naas listed winner Caponata (Selkirk), who was runner-up in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes.

As talented as she was, Caponata did not match the achievements of her sibling Brooch (Empire Maker), winner of four of her eight starts for Khalid Abdullah, when trained by Dermot Weld. She progressed from a debut win at Gowran Park to a listed success in Killarney, a Group 3 win back in Gowran, and then Group 2 success in the Lanwades Stud Ridgewood Pearl Stakes at the Curragh.

Brooch has since gone on to even greater heights at stud, being responsible for Juddmonte’s Mandaloun (Into Mischief), who has just completed his second season at stud in Kentucky. He earned over $2 million on the racetrack. In 12 generations, only one female in his direct line did not produce a blacktype performer.

Kentucky Derby

Undefeated in two starts as a juvenile, at three Mandaloun opened his stakes account when winning the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. He contested the 10-furlong Grade 1 Kentucky Derby as a longshot, and came within half a length of landing the prize, going down to Medina Spirit. However, the ‘winner’ was subsequently disqualified for failing a post-race drugs tets.

Mandaloun faced Grade 1 company again in the nine-furlong Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, and finished head-to-head with Hot Rod Charlie, who was stood down due to causing interference, the race going to the Juddmonte runner. A first winner of the Kentucky Derby for the Juddmonte organisation, Mandaloun stood for $25,000 last year and $20,000 this season.

Getting a runner of the quality of Bluestocking is not the first time that Camelot has worked with this female line. The unraced Awe Struck (Rail Link) is a half-sister to Emulous, and her best offspring is Alounak (Camelot), a Group 3 German winner, who was second at Woodbine in the Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International.

Sire success

Group 1 winner of the Racing Post Trophy at two, and triple classic hero in the Group 1 2000 Guineas, Group 1 Derby and Group 1 Irish Derby, Camelot (Montjeu) got off to an impressive start at stud, one that saw his stud fee increase steadily from €25,000 through to €75,000 in 2022. Coolmore trimmed this back to €60,000 in 2023 and €50,000 this year.

Camelot’s first two crops saw him notch up an Irish Derby with Latrobe, a USA Grade 1 victory with Athena and a juvenile Group 1 success with Wonderment.

His third crop was outstanding. Even So won the Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks, Sunny Queen took the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern, and there was also a memorable Group 1 double in Australia.

Sir Dragonet lifted the famous Group 1 Cox Plate, but more remarkable was the Group 1 South Australian Derby victory of Russian Camelot, an Irish-bred colt winning a classic in the southern hemisphere, despite being younger than his rivals. He added the Group 1 Underwood Stakes.

Fourth crop member Santa Barbara triumphed twice at Grade 1 level, taking the Belmont Oaks and Beverly D Stakes for Camelot, while Luxembourg, from his fifth crop, won the Group 1 Vertem Futurity at two, and added the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes the following year, later being successful in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and Coronation Cup.

Also born the same year as Luxembourg was Sammarco, who won the Group 1 German Derby, and doubled his tally when adding the Group 1 Bayerisches Zuchtrennen.

With the emergence of Bluestocking and Los Angeles, a juvenile Group 1 winner who took classic honours in this year’s Group 1 Irish Derby, Camelot now has at least one winner at the highest level in each of his first seven crops.