A former notorious bridesmaid that finished second at her first four starts, the Roger Varian trained Ajman Princess started this year turning over a new leaf with two wins straight off the bat including a Listed victory at Goodwood in May.
Stakes-placed at her next three starts, Ajman Princess put in a career best
performance at Deauville with a change in tactics as connections elected to
press forward rather than come from off the pace as she has in the past.She led for Andrea Atzeni and dictated terms before forging clear to win the 2000 metre contest by a length and a quarter.
"Andrea gave her a great ride and she's a big, strong filly who strode all the way to the line. We're very happy," said Roger Varian.
"The ground dried in our favour and she was a bit unlucky in that two of her last three runs were on heavy ground, which might explain the improvement.
"We'll enjoy today because she's a Group 1 winner now and if she does nothing else in her career it's not the end of the world.
"She's in races like the Opera and the Fillies and Mares on Champions Day. She'll have that sort of programme to the end of the season and is a fabulous broodmare prospect."
Ajman Princess is the best of four winners from stakes-placed Reem Three, a half-sister by Mark of Esteem to Group II winner Asfare.
She is the 13th Group I winner for top class sire Teofilo, who has an impressive 9.4% stakes-winners to runners with 10 of those stakes-winners coming from his Southern Hemisphere bred foals.
Teofilo has been a sporadic visitor to Darley in Australia shuttling in 2009, 2010, 2011, then 2013 and then 2016.
He will have three year-olds running for him this season and they include highly promising Godolphin colt Sanctioned, who finished a good third in the Group III ATC Up and Coming stakes last Saturday.
Teofilo stands at a fee of $44,000 this spring and has two Group I winning sons
also at stud with Kermadec (pictured above) at Darley at a fee of $22,000 and Palentino standing
at Sun Stud in Victoria at $17,600.
Teofilo is enjoying success as a sire of sires in the Northern Hemisphere this
year where his Group I winning son Havana Gold has made a great start to his
stud career.
With his oldest progeny just two year-olds, Havana Gold is the sire of 14 winners from 45 runners highlighted by two Group III winners in Havana Grey and Treasuring while another son Headway was second in the Group II Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
With his oldest progeny just two year-olds, Havana Gold is the sire of 14 winners from 45 runners highlighted by two Group III winners in Havana Grey and Treasuring while another son Headway was second in the Group II Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
