Group I racing is now complete for the season in South Australia with four G1 races over distances ranging from 1200m to 2500m contested in Adelaide over the past month and all of them were first time G1 winners, three of them Kiwi breds, so let’s take a look at the pedigrees.
The Group I SAJC Goodwood Handicap (1200m) is an all aged handicap sprint and produced a win for three year-old filly Royal Merchant, who beat a couple of older mares to provide an all girl finish, read about her here.
Royal Merchant is the first Group I winner and second stakes-winner for Merchant Navy, who has relocated to Kooringal Stud this year. She is also the first stakes-winner as a broodmare sire for Seventh Reason, a blue-blood son of Sadler’s Wells that topped the 2007 Magic Millions Yearling Sale when selling for $2million. He won two minor races and sired just 14 named foals, four of which won with Seventhchic the best of them as a metro winner.
Royal Merchant traces in tail female line to blue hen Eau D’Etoile, the dam of G1 winners Filante, Bint Marscay and Kenny’s Best Pal, so quality is not lacking in her pedigree.
The Group I SAJC Derby (2500m) delivered a new Group I winner for Dundeel when Dunkel (NZ) took the prize landing his second Derby of the season to go with his Tasmanian Derby success, read about him here..
Foaled in New Zealand as is Dundeel’s other G1 winner this season Militarize, Dunkel is the seventh G1 winner for Dundeel among 24 stakes-winners. He is also the 18th G1 winner for influential Green Desert son Cape Cross as a broodmare sire. He is a significant upgrade on the rest of his female family being the first stakes-winner in three generations.
The Group I SAJC Australasian Oaks (2000m) was won by an up and comer in Affaire a Suivre (NZ), read about her here.
Affaire a Suivre is the second G1 winner for Astern and like the previous horse Dunkel has a double cross of legendary sire Sadler’s Wells. There are 35 G1 winners worldwide to carry a double cross of Sadler’s Wells including two more Australian G1 winners this season in Mr Brightside and Tuvalu.
Affaire a Suivre claims legendary matriarch Fall Aspen as her third dam so she’s a valuable broodmare prospect for either hemisphere.
For the record, Fall Aspen had 13 foals to race for 12 winners headed by:
G1 winners Timber Country, Fort Wood, Hamas and Northern Aspen
G2 winners Bianconi, Elle Soule, Colorado Dancer (Dam of Dubai Millenium, sire of Dubawi))
G3 winner Mazzacano
SW Prince of Thieves.
The Group I SAJC Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) was won by quality three year-old filly Ruthless Dame (NZ), read about her here.
Ruthless Dame is the 10th G1 winner for Tavistock and his second at the 1200m distance joining another flying filly in Entriviere. He might be better known as a sire of stayers, but in the case of Ruthless Dame her female family is all about speed.
Her dam was a stakes-placed juvenile winning daughter of brilliant G2 winning 2YO Lady Dehere, a half-sister to triple G1 winning sprinter Sea Siren. First three dams by Keeper, Dehere (USA) and Success Express (USA), all speed racehorses and versatile sires.
