I WROTE recently about the death of Pastorius (Soldier Hollow) at Haras de Hetraie. The Group 1 Deutsches (German) Derby winners’ loss will be felt even more heavily after the meeting at Aintree, where his four-year-old daughter Zenta won the Grade 1 Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle.

Standing at a fee of €7,000 this season, the highest it has been since he went to stud in 2014, it was clear that Pastorius was just starting to advertise his growing importance as a sire of jumpers, and the first crop conceived after he moved from Germany to France included Zenta, who was also placed in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham. The Grade 3 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle and Listed Prix Finot Hurdle winner is trained by Willie Mullins.

Winner of the Group 1 Prix Ganay, beating Maxios by a length, with the subsequent Group 1 Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden a length further back in third, Pastorius was poorly supported in Germany, and yet he sired Group 3 winner Master Bloom and an Australian listed winner in his first crop.

The second crop featured the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes winner Dalika, and Group 3 winner Riocorvo, while yet another group winner emerged from his third crop.

In addition to Zenta, Pastorius has sired a listed chase winner in France, Campinas, and a Grade 1 AQPS winner in July Flower, while his son Bolero was placed in the Grade 1 Prix Cambaceres Hurdle at Auteuil. By Soldier Hollow (In The Wings), sire of Group 1 flat winners Ivanhowe, Welstar, Dschingis Secret and Serienholde, as well as Grade 1 National Hunt winners Saldier and Arctic Fire, Pastorius is a full-brother to Group 3 winning juvenile Parthenius (Soldier Hollow).

Zenta is one of two foals, and the only runner, out of Zenturie, a winning three-year-old in Germany and the daughter of Tiger Hill (Danehill). She in turn is one of six successful offspring of the winning Doyen (Sadler’s Wells) mare Zayraba. The best of the six were the Group 3 winning miler Zarewitsch (night Shift), and the listed hurdle and chase winner in Germany, Zent (Platini).

Zenta’s third dam Zaydiya (Shernazar) won the Listed Grand Prix de Nantes, and her winning half-sister Spring Morning (Ashkalani) bred the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner French Fifteen (Turtle Bowl), and he is sire of the Group 1 winner French King.