Three Group I races in Australia on Saturday with Anamoe putting the Cox Plate jewel in his crown and two first time G1 winners making for a memorable day, while the two best active stallions in Europe also had a role to play at Moonee Valley.
The Group I MVRC Cox Plate (2040m) was won by Godolphin homebred stallion Anamoe, who claimed his seventh G1 win making him the most successful G1 winner Godolphin have ever raced, read about him here.
We’ve looked at his pedigree so many times, but something worth noting is the lack of close up duplications and the diverse nature of his pedigree which has produced just about the perfect racehorse.
The closest line breeding he has comes through Nijinsky and that’s 5 x 4 and what sort of racehorse was Nijinsky? A horse like Anamoe as it turns out, a champion 2YO that trained on at three to win everything and I mean everything 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger, also the Irish Derby and the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Anamoe was precocious enough to make his debut as a spring 2YO running fifth in the Listed MRC Debutant Stakes and break his maiden in the Listed MRC Merson Cooper Stakes in November, before placing in the Blue Diamond, Golden Slipper and winning the Group I ATC Sires Produce… and we all know what he’s done since then.
Very few horses are talented and sound enough to do what he has done and those qualities have the potential to make him an exceptional stallion.
The Group I MVRC Manikato Stakes (1200m) gave popular mare Bella Nipotina, her first Group I win and her sire Pride of Dubai his first Group I winner, read about her here.
She has something in common with Anamoe as they are both by sons of Street Cry (IRE) as is Cox Plate runner-up I’m Thunderstruck, so the Dubai World Cup winning shuttle sire is continuing to exert a powerful presence long after the retirement of his world champions Winx and Zenyatta.
Like Anamoe, Bella Nipotina was also up and running as a spring 2YO finishing fourth in the Debutant Stakes and second in the Inglis Banner and has trained on in admirable fashion to be in career best form at age five.
She is a member of the double Danehill club carrying a 3 x 5 double cross and is interestingly a first Group I winner for Star Witness as a broodmare sire.
The Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) was won by Kiwi bred Sharp ‘n’ Smart (NZ), the second Group I winner for his sire Redwood (GB) and his first in Australia, click here to read about him.
High Chaparral has proven to be a very effective sire of sires and his influence will stand Sharp’n’ Smart in good stead when he progresses to the Victoria Derby next Saturday as his sire Redwood was a Group I winner at 2400m which was his best trip.
Sharp ‘n’ Smart is the first Group I winner for Oakleigh Plate winner Swiss Ace as a broodmare sire and his brilliance is probably what puts the turn of foot into this fellow, whose female pedigree features a lot of European middle distance blood.
The Group II MVRC Moonee Valley Cup (2600m) was won by Francesco Guardi (IRE), the 104th stakes-winner for Frankel, read about him here.
Francesco Guardi doing everything you would expect given his dam is a half-sister to two-time Arc winner Treve.
The Group III MVRC Tesio Stakes (1600m) won by the Yulong homebred Frankel mare My Whisper, read about her here.
My Whisper is from a grand-daughter of Dubawi, who has sired more stakes-winners in the world this year than any other sire with 41 on the board and one of those is My Oberon (IRE), who was also successful at Moonee Valley.
The Group II MVRC Crystal Mile (1600m) was won by My Oberon having his first start in Australia, read about him here.
He was already a stakes-winner in the UK this year and is one of three stakes-winners this year from exciting young mare My Titania, a Group III winning daughter of Sea the Stars, who is another sire that has had a benchmark year in 2022.
