Wootton Bassett’s champion son Almanzor (Fr) has been the first season sire sensation at Australasian yearling sales in 2021 and is off the mark with his first Northern Hemisphere winner after Faro de San Juan won on debut at Chantilly in France overnight.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for owner South Australian owner breeder Peter Katelanis, Faro de San Juan scored a determined half length win in the five and a half furlong juvenile maiden featuring nine runners.
The win was not unexpected with Faro de San Juan sent out favourite and performing accordingly as the very first runner for Almanzor.
Faro de San Juan was bought from the 2019 Tattersalls December Foal Sale for 160,000 guineas by Haras de Etreham / SF Bloodstock.
He is the first foal of Group III placed Kodiac mare Fixette, who comes from the family of dual Group I winning stayer Gallante (IRE), whose wins included the Group I ATC Sydney Cup.
A regular shuttler to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, Almanzor was phenomenally successful at the Australasian sales this year as seen below with his top seller a colt from Lazumba that made $800,000 at Magic Millions when bought by Ultra T'Bred Racing Pty Ltd/Baystone Farm.
