There have been few mares to match the deeds in the sale ring of Newsells Park Stud's stakes-placed Danehill mare Shastye.
The half-sister to Jean-Luc Lagardere's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Sagamix has generated income to match the GDP of a small country.
We have seen a couple out in Australia with
the Lloyd Williams-owned Sir Isaac Newton (IRE) and Paul Fudge's honest Maurus (GB)
but she finally earned an elusive Group 1 winner when her son Japan (Galileo)
won Sunday's Group 1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.
Third in the Derby at Epsom and a last-start winner of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Japan defeated Slalom (Intello) by half a length with Jalmoud (New Approach) in third. (image Sporting Life )
"We were very happy with him because today the pace was slower," O'Brien told he Racing Post.
"At home when he gets to the front he usually waits. At Ascot they went very fast and when he came there the rest of the field died away.
"Here they didn't go fast early and then it was sprinting all the way. Knowing the horse we were very happy with him.
"The Arc always has been [in our minds] and after the last day we wanted to give him one more run and so it was nice to come here. He would then have a possibility of the Irish Champion or coming back here for the Niel."
Japan was purchased as a yearling for 1.3 million guineas, a price that was barely a blip on the radar compared to a couple of foals out of Shastye who was herself a 625,000gns purchase at the 2005 Tattersalls December Sales.
Shastye's first foal, a filly by Sadler's Wells named Shabyt made 350,000 gns as a yearling but did not make the track.
Her second foal, the Galileo filly Secret Gesture was a 230,000 gns buyback, which proved a fortunate decision. Secret Gesture won at Group II level but finished first past the post in the G1 Beverley D Stakes but lost the race in the steward's room. She placed in five Group Ones, including a second in the Epsom Oaks, thenwent on to sell to Darley for $US3.5m as a broodmare prospect at Keeneland in 2016.
The Listed Ipswich Cup winner Maurus was her third foal and he sold at the Arqana August Sale for €320,000.
Secret Gesture's full brother Sir Isaac Newton made a whopping $3.6 million gns to the bid of MV Magnier in Book I of the Tattersalls October Yearling sale. He won the Group III International Stakes and Royal Ascot's Listed Wolferton Stakes but failed to win in 11 starts in Australia.
At the Tattersalls October Yearling sale, Shastye's Street Cry filly made 800,000 gns to the bid of Charlie Gordon-Watson. Named Secret Soul she failed to win in eight starts.
At the 2017 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the Coolmore partners finally struck Gold when they went to 1,300,000gns for Japan.
A year later at the same sale the same connections went to 3,400,000gns to secure Japan's brother who they have named Mogul.
Besides being half-sister to Group I Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sagamix (Linamix) Shastye is also a half-sister to Group I Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Sagacity (Highest Honour), and Group II Prix de Malleret winner Sage Et Jolie (Linamix) who is the dam of Group I Prix d'Ispahan winner Sageburg.
They are out of the Sagace mare Saganeca, the Champion older mare in Italy in 1992, who is also the dam of the non-winner Sagalina herself the dam of Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Sagawara.
Japan becomes the 80th Group 1 winner for Galileo (IRE) (image Mark Smith ) who is fast closing down Danehill's record of 84.
