The dazzling victory of outstanding three year-old colt Celestial Legend in the $4million Group I ATC Doncaster Mile will have a lot of people thinking hard for a lot of reasons and with not one but two of his close relations to be offered at Inglis Easter on Monday there is time enough for consideration about a colt that could one day be the stallion Australia really needs.
Given the vast amounts of time and money put in by the stallion syndicates in sourcing new sire prospects, Celestial Legend has surely shot to the top of the list of unsecured colts still on the track.
With four wins from eight starts and two of them in elite Group I races at a mile, Celestial Legend has the form on the track to be a desirable stallion prospect and just as importantly he has the pedigree.
His sire Dundeel already has two Group I winning sons at stud and while Castelvecchio is in the airport lounge waiting for take off, Super Seth based in New Zealand has spread his wings and will have a top chance in the Group I ATC Champagne Stakes in unbeaten colt Linebacker.
Celestial Legend is from Sarraqa, an unraced Snitzel mare whose dam National Colour (SthAF) was the South African Horse of the Year and Champion 3YO Filly and Champion Female Sprinter with three Group I wins to her credit and a second in the Group I Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
Sent to stud in Australia at Arrowfield, she produced eight foals before her passing in 2018 and among them are two Redoute’s Choice colts that were sent back to South Africa and both won Group I sprints.
Mustaaqueem was the Champion 2YO Colt of 2016/2017 and Rafeef is now one of the leading young sires in South Africa based at Ridgemont and sired a Group I winner in South Africa yesterday with Thunderstruck winning the Group I Turffontein Computaform Sprint (1000m), a race also won by his sire.
Rafeef was the Champion First Season Sire in South Africa in 2021/ 2022 and has continued in that vein with seven stakes-winners so far this season putting him in the Top 10 leading sires in South Africa. His overall stats show him running at 9.7% SW to runner with 18 SW’s, three of them G1 winners.
Australia badly needs another top class grey stallion if we are to keep the ever popular grey horses in our elite thoroughbred population and Celestial Legend just might be that horse!
His family appears twice at Inglis Easter on Monday.
Arrowfield will offer his half-brother by Maurice (Jpn) as Lot 260.
Segenhoe have put the polish on 361, a Wootton Bassett (GB) filly from placed Redoute’s Choice mare Turaathy, a full sister to Rafeef and Mustaaqeem and three-quarter sister to the dam of Celestial Legend.
