CORAL-ECLIPSE WINNER’S SA CONNECTIONS

Star three-year-old Paddington, an impressive winner of Saturday’s Gr1 CoralEclipse, is the second son of star sire Siyouni in the past three years to win the Eclipse - a race whose past winners include subsequent South African stallions Mystery IX, Daylami, Twice Over and Oratorio. Siyouni, France’s Champion Sire of 2020 and 2021, is also the sire of 2021 Eclipse winner St Mark’s Basilica.

TThe last great hope for the Nureyev male line, Siyouni is currently the sire of this season’s Gr1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas/Gr1 Coronation Stakes winner Tahiyra.

His outstanding son Paddington, winner of his last six races in a row including this year’s Gr1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas and Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes, hails from a classic family, and one which has been well represented in South Africa.

Paddington’s second dam Millionaia (Peintre Celebre) finished second in the Gr1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks), and her dam Moonlight Dance, winner of the Gr1 Prix Saint-Alary, produced Gr1 Dewhurst Stakes runner-up Fencing Master (Oratorio). The latter, who stood at the Hemel ‘N Aarde, left behind a few smart performers, from limited opportunities, including Mauritian star Walls Of Dubrovnik and Zimbabwe Derby winner Solinski.

Moonlight Dance, a daughter of disappointing sire Alysheba, was a daughter of an even better race mare in the form of Madelia (Caro). Never beaten, Madelia won both the French 1000 Guineas and Oaks of her year in just a four-race career. At stud, Madelia’s offspring included the once-beaten Gr2 Mecca Dante Stakes winner Claude Monet (Affirmed), who retired to a forgettable stud career in South Africa.

Madelia was produced by the Tom Fool mare Moonmadness, whose Gr1 Prix Du Moulin de Longchamp winning son Mount Hagen was exported to South Africa. A son of the notoriously bad-tempered Bold Bidder, Mount Hagen, whose progeny overseas included Gr1 Irish 2000 Guineas/Gr1 Eclipse winner Dickens Hill, failed to live up to expectations in South Africa but did sire the stakes winners Glowing Praise, Misty Peak and Nilgiri and he is also broodmare sire of champion and multiple

Gr1 winner Nhlavini (National Emblem).

Other members of this family to end up in South Africa include Peacetime (Nijinsky II), sire of champion Evening Mist and fellow Gr1 winners Golden Peak, Saintly Lady, Sweet Secret and Proud Pilgrim, and Gr1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner Byword. The latter, like Millionaia sired by Peintre Celebre, made his mark as the sire of Gr1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes winner Camphoratus.

Paddington is out of French Listed winner Modern Eagle, whose outstanding sire Montjeu has also made quite an impression in South Africa.

Montjeu’s star son Camelot is sire of the game front running Crown Towers (winner of the 2021 Gr3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial), while Montjeu was responsible for South African graded stakes winners Wise Son and Gorongosa - dam of Gr3 Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup winner Shangani and dual Listed Aquanaut Handicap queen Chitengo, among others.