Pedigree Watch – G1 and 3YOs from Blue Hens

Tara Madgwick - Sunday September 8

Spring stakes racing produced plenty of noteworthy horses on Saturday with two brand new Group I winners in Australia and New Zealand from iconic female families, plus a couple of progressive new three year-old stakes-winners that are both out of mares we would term blue hens.

Mornington Glory wins the G1 Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley - image Grant Courtney

The $750,000 Group I MVRC Moir Stakes (1000m) was a lesson in horses for courses with the race fit, track and distance specialist, Mornington Glory too good for star three year-old fillies Hayasugi and Lady of Camelot, read about the race here.

Bred and sold by renowned breeders Gooree Stud, Mornington Glory is a half-brother to a couple of horses that they kept and raced with great success in dual Group I winner Hallowed Crown and Group II winner Needs Further, both of them now stakes producing sires. He is the tenth and final foal from their blue hen Crowned Glory, a Group winning daughter of Danehill that ran second in the 2000 Golden Slipper to Belle du Jour.

Crowned Glory was 21 when he was born and just goes to show that older mares can still produce good horses later in life if they are exceptional producers in the first place and she certainly was with nine foals to race all winners.  Her success as a racehorse and producer is no accident as Crowned Glory is a grand-daughter of another blue hen in Lady Giselle (Fr), the dam of Group I winners Zabeel and Baryshnikov.

Mornington Glory is the second Group I winner for Woodside Park Stud’s Shalaa (IRE) and is his first in Australia. A Group I winning juvenile by Invincible Spirit he shuttled first to Arrowfield and was marketed as being suitable for mares with Danehill blood and to date nine of his 17 stakes-winners are bred that way and they include eight of his nine Group winners and both of his G1 winners.

The $400,000 Westbury Stud Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings in NZ delivered a first G1 for a well bred mare in Grail Seeker (NZ), whose pedigree is very well known in Australia, read about her here.

Grail Seeker is a half-sister to stakes-winner Deep Image and is the best of eight winners from nine foals to race from unraced Starwish, who was a savvy purchase for NZ based Jamieson Park, who paid $200,000 for her at the 2015 MM National Broodmare Sale. Starwish is a grand-daughter of Group I winner Stella Cadente, whose grand-dam is celebrated blue hen Eau D’Etoile (NZ), who produced Group I winners Filante, Bint Marscay and Kenny’s Best Pal as well as stakes-winner Eau d’Scay.

This is a family that has offshoots all over Australia and most commercial breeders have had or have some connection to it somewhere!

Grail Seeker is the 27th Group I winner for Redoute’s Choice as a broodmare sire and is the 13th Group I winner for influential sire Iffraaj (GB), who shuttled to New Zealand earlier in his career and is making big waves as a sire of sires through his champion son Wootton Bassett (GB), whose first Aussie bred offspring will race here this season. We got a little sneak preview of what that might look like at Randwick on Saturday when his quality imported son Royal Patronage (Fr) won the Group II ATC Tramway Stakes, read about him here.

Advertisement

The $175,000 Listed MVRC Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) saw blueblood Godolphin filly Silmarillion cast off maiden status, read about her here.

A half-sister to Group I winner Kementari and G1 placed stakes-winner Telperion, Silmarillion is the third stakes-winner among seven winners from seven to race for minor winning Redoute’s Choice mare Yavanna, who traces in tail female line to legendary matriarch Denise’s Joy via the Joy and Fun branch of the family.

She is the 13th stakes-winner worldwide for Dubawi’s champion son Too Darn Hot (GB) and his second in Australia joining Godolphin’s glamour dual Group I winning colt Broadsiding, whose grand-dam is by Redoute’s Choice.

The $175,000 Listed MVRC McKenzie Stakes (1200m) produced a strong win for talented colt Angel Capital, who was the most expensive yearling by Harry Angel (IRE) sold in 2023 when fetching $400,000, read about him here.

Angel Capital is a half-brother to Group winners Berkeley Square and Senor Toba so is the third stakes-winner from the first five foals from Group I placed Teofilo (IRE) mare Bahamas, who is shaping as an outstanding producer for her owner David Peacock, one of the most successful breeders in South Australia.

This family has been nurtured by Peacock for generations and has caught alight in recent years with Bahamas a half-sister to Group II winner Affair to Remember from stakes-winner St Trinians.

Angel Capital is the 15th stakes-winner for Harry Angel and is his fifth in Australia with the best of them being G1 winner Tom Kitten. He is also the 40th stakes-winner worldwide as a broodmare sire for outstanding Galileo sire son Teofilo (IRE). Harry Angel has had five runners from mares by Teofilo and four are winners with Angel Capital the first SW bred this way.

Advertisment
More Reading...
First Winner for Palace Pier
Kingman’s Champion 3YO Miler Palace Pier(GB) was a one term shuttler to Australia for Darley in 2022 and that crop will race next season, but in the meantime he had his first Northern Hemisphere winner overnight at Haydock.
First Local Win As New Endeavour (IRE) Records Stakes Success
While it may have taken the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained New Endeavour (IRE) a while to record his first Australian success, connections were rewarded for their patience as the 5yo dominated under Tim Clark to win the Group 3 BRC Lord Mayor’s Cup (1800m) at Eagle Farm.
Kiwi Bred Campaldino Wins G3 for Darby
Promising New Zealand-bred stayer Campaldino passed his biggest test with flying colours at Eagle Farm on Saturday, stepping up to stakes company and adding the A$200,000 Gr.3 Living Turf Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) to his winning sequence.
Sires With Winners - Friday May 30
Here is the full list of 41 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Bendigo
A flashy chestnut filly with a bit of the Apache Cat’s about her was an eye-catching five length debut winner at Bendigo on Friday for the Ciaron Maher stable.
Ears Back Wins Listed Stakes at Wanganui
A two-race North Island campaign has ended on a career-defining high for Ears Back and her Rangiora trainer John Blackadder, who scored their first black-type win in Saturday’s Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m) at Wanganui.
Another Win for Smart Exceedance Filly
Apprentice Liam Kauri has continued a winning association with the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott stable by partnering their smart three-year-old Tristar to victory in the Ambient Group 3YO (1100m) at Te Rapa, his second victory aboard the filly from just two rides.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
There were six heats for juveniles at the Randwick trials on Friday and some interesting unraced winners including a $1.45million colt by Extreme Choice and a Too Darn Hot (GB) filly bred to win an Oaks..
Stakes Potential for New Hello Youmzain Winner
Late-season black type is on the radar for Platinum Diamond after an impressive upset victory in Saturday’s Full Circle Appearance Medicine 2YO (1200m) at Wanganui.
Bright Future for El Roca 3YO
Owner-trainer-breeder Kylie Little believes she might have a promising stayer on her hands with Eagle Rock, who left maiden ranks with an emphatic performance in Saturday’s Matt Edwards-Lime Group Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa.