Four Down, The Big One To Go

Prepare yourself for a shock, dear readers. I’m not an expert on Gaelic.

Much debate on AtTheRaces about the correct pronounciation of last night’s Albany Stakes winner Cuis Ghaire, a two-year-old daughter of Galileo out of a Danehill mare.

All I can say is, it’s lucky they didn’t have to contend with the filly’s grandam Smaioneamh. Get your non-Gaelic tongue around that one.

Odds-on Cuis Ghaire is unbeaten in three, though she didn’t win with the ease you expect from a short chalk. The utterly irritating Big Mac insisted the firm ground was against her (just like he wanted to insist the night before that Geordieland could have beaten Yeats – what’s he on, this Paddington bear?). Cuis Ghaire’s jockey said she struggled because she’s looking for more distance. You choose who to believe.

Cuis Ghaire is another above-average product of her sire Galileo, whom I’ve talked about in hopeful tones previously on this blog … I’m waiting! What an enigma he is: so many talented horses in the north – two-year-olds, three-year-olds and older horses - but so slow to find his feet here. With his oldest crop four-year-olds, he’s sitting on 53% winners-to-runners in Australasia with a respectable enough seven Australian-conceived stakeswinners.

Two races after Cuis Ghaire, Galileo had yet another triumph courtesy of three-year-old filly, Lush Lashes, in the feature event, the Gr 1 Coronation Stakes. What an affinity breeder/owner/trainer Jim Bolger (no relation I hope to the ex-NZ Prime Minister of the same name) has with the breed with not only this pair but also the brilliant colts colts Teofilo and New Approach.

Lush Lashes is the first foal of a daughter of Anabaa (shaping like a genuine broodmare sire-to-be) out of an Arazi mare from the family of Arc winner Saumarez. She is one of eight Galileo stakeswinners so far from daughters or grand-daughters of Danzig line stallions. Galileo has struck previously with Cuis Ghaire’s distaff line, being responsible for last year’s Irish champion staying three-year-old Soldier of Fortune, winner of the Irish Derby and the Epsom Coronation Cup. Third dam Fanghorn produced the outstanding sprinter Double Form and she’s also third dam of current top class short-course horse, Captain Gerard (by Oasis Dream).

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The Kingmambo-Sadler’s Wells cross is having a fun meeting at Royal Ascot. Crack three-year-old Henrythenavigator is its main flag-bearer and this morning the Ascot ‘Derby’, the Gr 2 King Edward VII Stakes, was won by the identically bred Campanologist.

The cross demonstrates linebreeding to Special through the three-quarter brothers Nureyev, damsire of Kingmambo, and Sadler’s Wells.

Appropriately-named Campanologist (someone who studies bell casting and ringing) is out of Ring Of Music, a daughter of the wonderful Glorious Song, dam of Singspiel, Rahy and Rivotious (USA), so he’s a colt with a hell of a pedigree. Success, however, didn’t come easily for this Kingmambo-Ring Of Music union, but it was a union someone in Sheikh Mohammed’s pedigree backroom must have been determined to pursue. Campanologist is the fourth Kingmambo foal produced by Ring Of Music. The earlier three, between them, have won one race. In fact, prior to Campanologist, Ring Of Music had produced six foals with just the single solitary racetrack success, a minor race in Dubai.

Blood will out, they say.

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Supaseus, who won the Listed handicap on the card, the Wolferton, provided a boost for a breeder-client of Queensland’s Wattle Brae Stud.

Supaseus is out of Supamova (Seattle Slew sister to Septieme Ciel) whose daughter Supamach (Machiavellian) had her first foal, a Wattle Brae-reared Danzero colt, sell at this year’s Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

This was a cracking good sort. I made several trips over to Z Block to inspect him. I bet the Wattle Brae people had my name written in the catalogue before he went to the ring. But at the death I just couldn’t get my punter on to him.

But the next best thing. He had been found by Gai – I’ve said before, you have to get up early in the morning to beat her – and he was knocked down to Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds. Perhaps he’ll be another Sebring for the purple-and-white stars? He was ‘only’ $100,000. If I had to fault him I’d say a smidgen light in the girth, but a quality individual who as a first foal would only keep improving. His name’s Antiguan. Black book him.

Later in the sale, Gai bought another Danzero colt, out of Global Dance, by Spinning World (sire of Supaseus!). $120,000 this time. I was in love with this horse, in my opinion one of the standouts of the sale. Two of my clients took half each. He’ll be a winner.

Though he’s getting on and can be hard to pick, Danzero has been producing some smart types. With Danglissa, Kingsgate, Miss Bussell and of course Dance Hero all graduates of Tulloch Lodge, Gai clearly knows how to get the best out of this breed.

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Patkai (by Indian Ridge), hollow winner of the Gr 3 Queen's Vase for three-year-olds, is yet another big race winner out of a Sadler's Wells mare. His unraced dam, Olympienne, is a daughter of Gr 1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Hellenic (by Darshaan), one of the great broodmares with three Gr 1 winners and two other stakeswinners to her credit. Four of the five were by Sadler's Wells, the other by Danehill.

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Thank God there's only one more night to go. I'm walking around during the day an even bigger zombie than usual.