While four-time Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath (Dubawi) isn’t shuttling to Australia this season after four successive years where he covered 377 mares, supporters of the stallion will be pleased to see that he recorded his first Australian winner on Tuesday - and it was an impressive one.
Stepping up to 1400m off the back of making his debut over 1100m, the James Cummings trained Crocodile had no issue with the Heavy 9 rated track, leading throughout under Adam Hyeronimus to win the HRC Motel 2yo Maiden Handicap by three and a quarter lengths at Hawkesbury.
From a family that is bred to appreciate more ground, it's highly like we’ll see Crocodile step out of further as he progresses through his grades.
A half-bother to Group 2 Tulloch Stakes and Group 2 Queensland Guineas winner Character (Teofilo), Crocodile is one of three winners from three to the races for the Medaglia d’Oro mare Monogram, herself a half-sister to Hard Spun’s Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes winner Tarquin.
From the family of European Horse of the Year and one of Darley's original shuttle-stallions Fantastic Light, as well as the Gooree Stud-based, Group 1 winner Your Song (Fastnet Rock), Monogram will interestingly be offered on Wednesday at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale as Lot 743 where she is being sold with an October cover to Triple Time (Frankel) who covered just 44 mares in his lone season at Darley Kelvinside in 2024.
With 26 winners in the Northern Hemisphere headed by the impeccably-bred Group 3-winning, Group 1 placed Mandanaba, herself the final foal of the three-time Group 1 winner Mandesha, Ghaiyyath is one of 25 stallions in Australia to record a first crop winner so far this season.
With Dubawi’s son Too Darn Hot being all the rage at the moment, it will be interesting to see if Ghaiyyath can follow suit, and if so, we may see him back on the Darley Australia roster in the years to come.
