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Frankel topped the Royal Ascot sires’ list with an outstanding three Group 1 winners, but there was diversity in the stallion-winning ranks, too, writes Amy Bennett
IT WAS A BONANZA WEEK for Juddmonte sires, past and present, headed of course by the kingpin himself, Frankel.
Twice triumphant himself at the Royal meeting, and successful five times in all at the Berkshire track, Frankel the course of the week, three Group 1-placed performers and a conditions runner-up. prevalent as breeders seek to outcross the saturation of sire sons of Galileo.
The leading sire got the ball rolling in the first race of the meeting with Triple Time triumphing in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1), 11 years after Frankel routed the opposition in the same race by 11l.
From a mile winner at the highest level on Tuesday to the winner of the extreme 2m4f of the Gold Cup (G1) on Thursday – Frankel managed it all.
Courage Mon Ami, racing for the Amir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing, took his unbeaten record to four with a mammoth leap from a Goodwood handicap in late May to success on the biggest stage a month later.
A graduate of Anthony Oppenheimer’s Hascombe & Valiant Studs, the four-year-old gelding is out of the maiden winner Crimson Ribbon (Lemon Drop Kid), a full-sister to the Hascombe luminaries Bronze Cannon and Valiant Girl. The mare has already enjoyed success with Courage Mon Ami’s threeparts siblings Crimson Rosette (Teofilo) and Astronomos (New Approach), both Group 3-placed Listed winners, as well as the Listed-placed Purple Ribbon (Gleneagles).
As well as being represented by his Classic-winning son Chaldean, runner-up in the St James’s Palace Stakes (G1), and the Queen Alexandra runner-up The Grand Visir, Frankel was also represented by a further two place getters – as a broodmare sire, just for good measure.
First, came the Juddmonte homebred Coppice, who stayed on well in the Sandringham Stakes to take her record to three wins from four runs. A full-sister to the high-class sprinter and first-season sire Calyx, out of the high-class Helleborine (Observatory), from an outstanding and storied Juddmonte family, the filly holds an eye-catching entry in the Falmouth Stakes (G1) and looks to have plenty more to come. Age Of Kings (Kingman), a 1,100,000gns yearling purchase, may have more racecourse experience than Coppice, but his success in the Jersey Stakes (G3) on the final day of the meeting was also his first success at black-type level.
It was also a second successive Jersey Stakes winner for his sire, who was responsible for last year’s winner in Noble Truth.
The Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner Mostahdaf,
The Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami, upgrading to Group 1 success after winning a handicap at Goodwood
Out of the May Hill Stakes (G2) heroine Turret Rocks (Fastnet Rock), who went on to score at Group 3 level at four and five, the colt was well-beaten in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1), but was prominent throughout in the Jersey, scoring by a comfortable length.
It did look briefly as if Kingman’s Fred Darling Stakes (G3) winner Remarquee – out of a daughter of former Juddmonte sire Champs Elysees – may get up in the Coronation Stakes (G1), however, Tahiyra (Siyouni) was always doing enough to hold her in second, with another of Kingman’s daughters, Sounds Of Heaven, a head away in third.
The final day of action saw a breakthrough first stakes success for Juddmonte’s young sire Expert Eye as Snellan landed the Listed Chesham Stakes. The son of Acclamation scored himself at Royal Ascot in 2018 when taking the Jersey Stakes, so it was a fitting first black-type winner for him.
A maiden winner at Limerick just ten days earlier, the filly was bred by owner Lindsay LaRoche out of the Listed-placed Sea The Moon mare Illumined, who raced for George Strawbridge. A half-sister to the Group 3 winner Night Lagoon, dam of the top-class duo Novellist and Magical Lagoon, among others, she was purchased at the 2020 Tattersalls December Mares Sales for 170,000gns by Harvey Bloodstock, carrying this filly.
Rounding out the action for the Juddmonte sires, former inmate Cacique sired the Ascot Stakes winner Ahorsewithnoname on the opening day, while Oasis Dream enjoyed success as a broodmare sire with Big Evs (Blue Point) in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes, and St Lawrence (Al Kazeem) in the Wokingham handicap.
US-breds take the eye
A trio of Kentucky-breds brought a touch of the stars and stripes to the Royal turf, starting with the filly Crimson Advocate (Nyquist) in the opening race of the second day.
In the last 15 years, the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) has been won by four fillies trained by Wesley Ward, most recently with Campanelle in 2020. On this occasion, Ward’s runner Bundchen (Gun Runner) beat only four, but the George Weaver-trained Crimson Advocate got up to pip Relief Rally (Kodiac) by the narrowest of margins.
Previously a winner on Turf at Gulfstream Park in mid-May, the filly was bred by Whitehall Lane Farm out of the Proud Citizen mare Citizen Advocate. She is a graduate of the OBS October Yearling Sale in Florida, where she was purchased for $100,000, a destination far from the usual fayre for Royal Ascot winners.
A US-bred was also to the fore in the Norfolk Stakes (G2) on Thursday, albeit this time trained in Ireland. Valiant Force became the joint-biggest priced Royal Ascot winners of all time when scoring by a length and a quarter at 150-1 for trainer Adrian Murphy and owner Amo Racing.
The son of Malibu Moon was clearly highly regarded at home as he made his debut in Listed company, finishing runner-up to His Majesty (No Nay Never) in the First Flier Stakes on May 1.
Later that month, he was beaten just over 5l when fifth of six behind Givemethebeatboys (Bungle Inthejungle) in the Marble Hill Stakes (G3).
Twice a graduate of Keeneland, the colt is the first foal out of the Quality Road mare Vigui’s Heart, from a family full of blacktype, albeit none at the highest level in its immediate generations.
Rounding off a hat-trick for US-breds was the Derby (G1) runner-up King Of Steel, who franked the Epsom form with an impressive success in the King Edward VII Stakes (G2). The colt was foaled in Kentucky, but boasts a pedigree as European as they come – he is by Wootton Bassett out of the Verglas mare Eldacar, a winner at up to 3000m in France.
Bred by BCF Services LLC, the colt is another graduate of Keeneland, and hails from the family of Contributer, who went on to Group 1 success in Australia, having won the Listed Wolferton Handicap at the Royal meeting.
King Of Steel: the son of Wootton Bassett backed up the Derby form in the King Edward VII Stakes
He was bought by Alex Elliott at Keeneland, Joorabchian reporting that Elliott told him then not to walk away from the sale without the colt on the purcashed list.
Crowned with Steel King Of Steel was one of a pair of Group 2 winners at the meeting for Wootton Bassett, who kicked off the meeting in style when his son River Tiber justified favouritism in the Coventry Stakes (G2).
Snellan (blue and white stars): gave her sire Expert Eye a first stakes winner with her victory in the Chesham Stakes for US breeder Lindsay LaRoche
Although bred in Ireland by Pier House Stud, who sold him for 480,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the colt actually hails from the last French-conceived crop of his sire, who moved from Haras d’Etreham to Coolmore in summer 2020, just months before River Tiber was born.
River Tiber is out of the unraced Transcendence, a half-sister to the Listed winner Mister Manannan and the Group 3-placed dam of the Phoenix Stakes (G1) winner Sudirman, from the family of such as Dandy Man and Anthem Alexander. The colt is now unbeaten in three starts, and he holds the usual glittering array of entries expected of a high-class juvenile inmate at Ballydoyle.
Other Coolmore sires to make it to the scorecard during the meeting included Australia, sire of Waipiro, who won well in the Hampton Court Stakes (G3), Caravaggio, now based in Japan and sire of the Group 3-winner Porta Fortuna, who gave Frankie Dettori his 80th Royal Ascot winner when triumphing in the Albany Stakes (G3), the late Mastercraftsman, who was represented by the Kensington Palace Fillies’ Handicap winner Villanova Queen and the Gold Cup runner-up Coltrane, and, of course, the late lamented Galileo, who was responsible for a hat-trick of scorers in the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) heroine Warm Heart, Queen Alexandra Stakes winner Dawn Rising and Okita Soushi, who landed the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.
Warm Heart and Okita Soushi were both bred under the Coolmore banner and both represent the cross of Galileo over a Fastnet Rock mare, while Turret Rocks, dam of the Jersey Stakes winner Age Of Kings, is bred on the reverse cross, giving Fastnet Rock a trio of winners as a broodmare sire.
Classic form to the fore for Siyouni
Also on “red-hot” sire form was the mighty Siyouni, who celebrated three winners, headed by the Group 1 winners Paddington and Tahiyra.
The Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Paddington could scarcely have been more impressive in brushing aside the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas victor Chaldean (Frankel), while the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Tahiyra may have had to survive a stewards’ enquiry to win her third Group 1, but the daughter of Siyouni looks to have many more top-level successes ahead of her.
Siyouni rounded off his week with another success via the Buckingham Palace Stakes winner Witch Hunter.
Dubawi and sons
Dubawi made his influence felt during the Royal meeting with a winner of his own and another two sired by his sons.
Rogue Millennium achieved a memorable success for her trainer Tom Clover when staying on strongly to land the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (G2) by a neck from Random Harvest (War Front) to give the Newmarket-based handler a first Group winner and a first success at Royal Ascot.
A Listed winner last season, the filly has promised much but just been found wanting in three previous black-type starts in 2023.
However, she found her stride to become the first black-type winner out of the Cumberland Lodge Stakes (G3) winner Hawaafez, having been purchased for just 35,000gns as an unraced two-year-old at the 2021 Tattersalls December Mares Sale.
Night Of Thunder also gets an honourable mention, thanks to the exploits of his top daughter Highfield Princess, who was runner-up in the King’s Stand and third in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) just three days later.
Shaquille: the progressive Commonwealth Cup winner has only been beaten once in six starts
Dalham Hall Stud’s linchpin was also in action as a broodmare sire with his daughters producing the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) winner Mostahdaf, as well as Desert Hero, who carved out his own piece of history when becoming the first Royal Ascot winner for King Charles III, when triumphing in the King George V Stakes.
Away from fashion’s spotlight
Fashion may rule at Royal Ascot, on and off the Turf, but there were a number of winners during the week who returned their little-lauded sires to the spotlight – always a pleasing result at a big meeting.
Just as the crowds cheered for smaller trainers, such as Group 1 Commonwealth Cup-winning trainer Julie Camacho, so breeders should applaud winners by sires who hail from outside the leading lists, celebrating diversity in a sport so often dominated by a handful of names. And what better place to start than with Camacho’s hero Shaquille?
The three-year-old is now winner of six of his seven starts and was bred by Martin Hughes and Michael Kerr-Dineen out of the Galileo mare Magic. He is the biggest winner to date by Charm Spirit, the son of Invincible Spirit who spent the early part of his career switching between Tweenhills Farm & Stud and Haras de Bonneval, before settling at Haras du Logis Saint-German, where his fee this year was €5,000.
Docklands
The meeting also saw the winning return of the top talent Pyledriver, who landed the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) to set himself up for a return tilt at the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), which he landed last year. He is a son of another former Tweenhills inmate in the late Harbour Watch.
Also at the lower end of the fee scale is Mickley Stud’s Massaat, who stood for £4,000 this year and was represented by the Britannia Stakes winner Docklands, and Pearl Secret, who commanded an advertised fee of just £2,000 at Norton Grove Stud this year, and sired the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes winner Rhythm N Hooves.
Bradsell had already given his young Shadwell sire Tasleet a first Royal Ascot success last year when triumphing in the Coventry Stakes (G2), but he went one step further this year when holding off the determined Highfield Princess in the King’s Stand Stakes (G1) on the opening day.
Bradsell himself was purchased for just 12,000gns out of the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale, before reselling for £47,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale offered by Mark Grant Racing
Also celebrating a first Royal Ascot success was Golden Horn, who earned a high-profile move to Overbury Stud this year, and was represented by the Queen’s Vase winner Gregory, who stayed on well to triumph. The three-year-old – another winner for Wathnan Racing – is out of the Park Hill Stakes (G2) winner Gretchen (Galileo), a half-sister to the top stayers Duncan (Dalakhani) and Samuel (Sakhee).
DARLEY’S FIRST-SEASON SIRE Blue Point cemented his position at the head of the table of leading first season sires when siring his first stakes winner at the Royal meeting.
Bigs Evs had previously finished runner-up at Redcar in late May on his racecourse debut, but produced a powerpacked performance to triumph in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes, winning by 3l from Johannes Brahms.
Big Evs
Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock out of the Oasis Dream mare Hana Lina, a placed daughter of the top filly Queen’s Logic, the colt was a fitting first stakes winner for his sire, who won three times at the Royal meeting and commanded a fee of €35,000 this year at Kildangan Stud.
By the end of Royal Ascot 2023, Blue Point had sired 14 individual winners, and topped the table of first-crop sires by prize money. His nearest numerical rival was Ballyhane Stud’s high-class juvenile Soldier’s Call, the sire of 13 winners up until 23 June.
Two sons of No Nay Never came next, with Highclere Stud’s Land Force and Coolmore’s Ten Sovereigns – responsible for the Windsor Castle third Inquisitively – both level on six winners.
Coolmore’s Calyx had sired five, while stud mate Magna Grecia had four on the board. The Irish National Stud’s Phoenix Of Spain had also sired five individual winners.
