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Global leaders Coolmore and Darley saw their stallions dominate Group races across the northern hemisphere over the weekend.
Darley led the way with multiple G1 victories by the progeny of sires standing at their UK and American studs.
• SHAMARDAL – His outstanding filly Lumiere became his 14th G1 winner she took out the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.The Mark Johnston-trained Lumiere (Shamardal x Screen Star by Tobougg) was a six length winner on Newmarket’s July course on debut before a second behind Besharah in the G2 Lowther Stakes.
Besharah started favourite in the Cheveley Park but could finish only third, with Illuminate filling second place.A Darley homebred who runs in the colours of Sheikh Hamdanm, Lumiere is a daughter of Screen Star, who recorded a remarkable Timeform rating of 110p when winning her only career start. Screen Star also has a yearling colt by Exceed And Excel, a full sister to Lumiere born this year and has been tested in foal to Authorized.
Lumiere’s fourth dam is the US champion 2YO filly of 1984 Outstandingly. Darley purchased Oustandingly for $1.15 million at the 1988 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale.• MEDAGLIA d’ORO – The current shuttle sire has the top juvenile filly in North America after Songbird recorded a commanding victory in the G1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita.
Songbird has now won two G1 races in succession after her win in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes and remains undefeated in three career starts.Bred in Kentucky by John Antonelli, Songbird was purchased for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale by Fox Hill Farm.
She is out of G2 winner Ivanavinalot and continues a tremendous year for Medaglia d'Oro, who is tied with Tapit for black-type winners this year.• HARD SPUN – Smooth Roller made his Graded stakes debut a winning one with a powerful victory in the G1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita.
It was the third win in just four lifetime starts for the 4YO gelding by former shuttler Hard Spun, with his easy win by five and a quarter lengths putting him in the frame for the Breeders Cup.Smooth Roller is out of Catch The Moment, an unraced daughter of Unbridled and was purchased for $160,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling sale.
Hard Spun is the sire of seven other Group or Graded winners this year, including G1 winners Hard Not To Like and Hard Aces.• STREET SENSE - Wedding Toast solidified her place among the top fillies and mares in the US with a dominant wire-to-wire victory in the G1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park.
It was the third consecutive graded stakes win for the daughter of Street Sense, and her second G1 in a row to go with her previous success in the G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes.The Darley homebred is out of Golden Sheba, by Coronado's Quest, a half-sister to five-time G1 winner Congaree and stakes winner and G1-placed Sangaree.
Street Sense’s year has been headlined by Wedding Toast, G1 Las Virgenes Stakes winner Callback, his Australian G1 winner Hallowed Crown and G2 King Edward Stakes victor Tower Of Texas.He is the sire of five G1 horses in 2015, bettered only by Tapit, War Front and Medaglia d’Oro.
COOLMORE’s northern hemisphere weekend highlights were provided by Uncle Mo and Zoffany, the exciting young shuttle sires currently standing in Australia:-• ZOFFANY – The son of Dansili sired his third first crop Group winner when the John Gosden-trained Foundation, a Listed winner previously, won the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket beating the highly regarded Galileo colt Deauville.
Foundation (Zoffany x Roystonea, by Polish Precedent) is trained by John Gosden for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing and is to have his next start in the G1 Racing Post Trophy.Bred by Eyrefield Lodge Stud, Foundation won a maiden and Listed contest at Haydock on his previous outings and adds to Zoffany’s fantastic first crop that also includes G2 Norfolk Stakes winner Waterloo Bridge, G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes and G3 Albany Stakes heroine Illuminate, G1 Phoenix Stakes runner-up and Windsor Castle Stakes winner Washington DC and Listed Rochestown Stakes victor Argentero.
His first Australian-bred progeny race this season.• UNCLE MO – This year’s leading North American First Crop Sire’s unbeaten colt Nyquist added a second G1 win to his record with a narrow victory in the GI Front Runner Stakes at Santa Anita.
Winner of his first three starts including the G1 Del Mar Futurity, Nyquist (Uncle Mo x Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry) was $180,000 Keeneland November weanling and then made $230,000 at the Keeeneland September Yearling Sale. He was sold for a third time making $400,000 out of this year’s Fasig-Tipton Florida March sale by Reddam Racing before he raced.Nyquist is the first winner for his well-bred dam Seeking Gabrielle, a half-sister by Forestry to G3 winner Seeking The Sky, the dam of G1 winner Sahara Sky.
Uncle Mo, the champion US 2YO colt in 2010, is currently the leading the US First Crop Sire with nine winners and eight placegetters highlighted by Nyquist, G3 winner Uncle Vinnie, turf stakeswinner Uncle Brennie and G2 placed filly Gomo.His first Australian two year-olds race this spring.
In other G1 results:-Outstanding youngster Shalaa, a 170,000 guineas purchase at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, recorded his second G1 win of the season in Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.
Shalaa (Invincible Spirit x Ghurra by War Chant) is now established as the best juvenile colt of the season after running up a sequence of wins in the G2 July Stakes, G2 Richmond Stakes and G1 Prix Morny at Deauville in France last month.The John Gosden-trained Shalaa was purchased by agent Charlie Gordon-Watson on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing from the draft of Clairemont Stud. Norris had purchased the son of Invincible Spirit for 100,000 guineas along with William Huntingdon at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale from the draft of Castlefarm Stud.