WOOTTON Bassett is one of 11 Group/Grade 1 winners by Iffraaj (Zafonic), and he is sure to surpass that achievement, and leave it well behind. His purchase by Coolmore, at a pivotal stage of his career, was simply inspired.

An undefeated juvenile Group 1 winner of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, and rated champion in France that year, Wootton Bassett made an immediate impact with his first crop, his son Almanzor winning the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Champion Stakes, and is now a Group 1 sire.

At the weekend King Of Steel became his eighth winner at the highest level, and the seventh since he was bought by Coolmore. He was also a perfect send-off for Frankie Dettori.

The yearlings of 2023 are the first born since Wootton Bassett moved to Coolmore to stand for one season at €100,000, but that figure quickly rose to €150,000. All his winners to date were conceived at fees as low as €4,000, though King of Steel was among the group who were conceived at a high in France of €40,000.

Wootton Bassett’s other top-level stakes winners include Al Riffa and Bucanero Fuerte, Group 1-winning juveniles last season and this year, Wooded who has his first yearlings, Prix Jean Romanet heroine Audarya who also landed the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Incarville and Zellie.

Keeneland sale

Bred in Kentucky by Bcf Services, King Of Steel was sold to Amo Racing at Keeneland for $200,000, and his winnings of more than €1.6 million have come from just seven starts. Trained by Roger Varian, he also won this year’s Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes, was runner-up in the Group 1 Derby at Epsom, third in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and fourth in the Group 1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. King Of Steel is the third foal and second winner for his winning Verglas (Highest Honor) dam Eldacar who was bred by Lady O’Reilly’s Petra Bloodstock.

Her first foal, Sunny Morning (Lope De Vega) was given every opportunity to win a race, starting her career in France where she was placed, and transferring to the USA where she was runner-up on five occasions in two seasons.

Next came Macadamia (Wootton Bassett), and she failed to sell for €70,000. Instead she was kept to race, has won twice in the USA and placed a number of times, and now she makes huge appeal as a breeding prospect as a winning full-sister to a Group 1 winner.