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French-trained filly Qemah added to a big week for Coolmore stallions at Royal Ascot when she won the G1 Coronation Stakes, highlight of Friday’s fourth day of the Royal meeting.
Qemah provided Coolmore’s pensioned sire Danehill Dancer with his 22nd G1 winner. The son of Danehill enjoyed a long shuttle career and was champion sire in Britain and Ireland in 2009 and was champion sire of two-year-olds on three occasions.
Qemah joins the impressive list of top class fillies sired by Danehill Dancer that includes G1 winners Again, Esoterique, Legatissimo, Lillie Langtry and Speciosa.
The retired Coolmore stallion has also been responsible for brilliant colts and sire sons such as Mastercraftsman and Choisir.Qemah had finished third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) and is the second consecutive win in the Coronation Stakes for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget following Ervedya's success 12 months ago.
A €200,000 purchase by Mandore International Agency for Al Shaqab Racing at the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale in 2014, Qemah is the first foal out the Group-placed Kartica (Rainbow Quest).Kartica is out of the Listed winner Cayman Sunset (Night Shift).
COMMONWEALTH CUP: The Karl Burke-trained filly Quiet Reflection won the second running of this G1 event to provide her shuttle sire Showcasing with his first G1 winner.A £44,000 purchase by Burke from the Powerstown Stud draft at the DBS Breeze-Up Sale in 2015, Quiet Reflection is the first winner from the Haafhd mare My Delirium.
Her second dam Clare Hills (Orpen) was a Listed winner at Beverley.Quiet Reflection started the season with success in the G3 Prix Sigy in April and followed up with a G2 triumph in the Sandy Lane Stakes. She has now won six of her seven starts.
Her 2YO younger brother Full Intention was fourth in Tuesday's Windsor Castle Stakes.The filly is the fourth graduate of the Doncaster Breeze-up Sale to succeed at Royal Ascot this week joining Ardad, My Dream Boat and Prince Of Lir.
The two-year-olds Ardad and Prince Of Lir were joint-top lots when purchased for £170,000 at this year's sale.Showcasing, a G2 winner by Danzig, retired to Whitsbury Manor Stud in 2011 and shuttles to Haunui Farm in New Zealand. He has been represented by 13 individual black-type winners.
KING EDWARD VII STAKES: The great mare Urban Sea was close up in the pedigrees of both colts who fought out the finish of this G2 event.Victory went to Sir Michael Stoute’s Across The Stars, a son of Sea The Stars, beating the Galileo colt Beacon Rock. Urban Sea is the dam of Sea The Stars and Galileo.
Across The Stars is the first Royal Ascot winner among 29 stakes winners by Sea The Stars, the six time G1 winner by Cape Cross standing at Gilltown Stud.From the third crop of Sea The Stars, Across The Stars adds to a great season for the sire with his success coming less than two weeks after Harzand claimed the Epsom Derby to join Taghrooda and Sea The Moon as classic winners by the 10-year-old stallion.
Across The Stars was purchased by Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock for 600,000gns at the 2014 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.He is out of the stakes placed Mark Of Esteem mare Victoria Cross and is a half-brother to seven winners including G2 winner Bronze Cannon.
ALBANY STAKES: War Front filly Brave Anna secured this G3 for Aidan O'Brien but not with his most fancied contender with his favourite Cuff only able to finish fifth.
Brave Ana is one of three winners out of G3 Ballyogan Stakes winner Liscanna (Sadler’s Wells), which makes her a sister to the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Hit It A Bomb.Liscanna, who foaled another colt by War Front in 2015, is a half-sister to the G3 winner The Bogberry (Hawk Wing).
War Front, standing at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, has sired four Royal Ascot winners including War Command, the winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes in 2013, last year's Britannia Handicap winner War Envoy and 2013 Queen Anne Stakes hero and shuttle sire Declaration Of War.A son of Danzig, War Front is the sire of 43 stakes winners.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH STAKES: Another Royal Ascot win for Galileo when The Ralph Beckett-trained Kinema survived a stewards inquiry after interference in the final furlong.Bred by Rockhart Holding out of the winner Bon Nuit (Night Shift), the five-year-old Kinema is a half-brother to the winner Whispering Gallery and hails from the family of G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner No Pass No Sale and leading jumps sire Anshan.
Bred along the same lines as G3 winner Dress Rehearsal, Kinema has twice been through the sales ring, originally when purchased by Marc Keller for €250,000 at the 2012 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale before being bought by JJ O'Leary two years later for the considerably for 15,000 guineas at the 2014 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale.QUEEN’S VASE: A Friday double for Galileo when Sword Fighter landed a second consecutive win in this Listed race for Aidan O'Brien after Aloft took the honours last season.
The three-year-old colt is the second Royal Ascot winner produced by Tarbela, a Grand Lodge half-sister to the dams of G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Gilt Edge Girl and G1 Prix Morny hero Arcano.Tarbela's second foal Big Audio claimed the 2009 Chesham Stakes.
Sword Fighter provided Galileo with his 220th stakes winner.