Arguably, the most significant stallion in racing the last two days has to be Green Desert (Danzig—Foreign Courier, by Sir Ivor). Now pensioned, the 29-year-old Nunnery Stud resident sired his 99th worldwide stakes winner on Sept. 19, when his 3-year-old daughter Semayyel won the John Musker Fillies Stakes at Yarmouth.
But that was then and this is now, so what has he done for us lately? Well, nothing directly, but his sons have shined. Within a 24-hour span (give or take), Cape Cross, Oasis Dream, and Invincible Spirit all added new black-type winners to their ever-expanding CVs.
On Sept. 27 Cape Cross (Green Desert—Park Appeal, by Ahonoora) added stakes winner 79 as his son Caucus, out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Maid To Perfection (from the Stinging Nettle female family that brought the U.S. graded stakes winners Stroll and Grassy), took Newmarket’s listed Jockey Club Rose Bowl.
At Newmarket the following day, Oasis Dream (Green Desert—Hope, by Dancing Brave), notched another stakes winner in his belt, when Chigun, a 3-year-old filly out of the Nashwan mare Stormy Weather, won the listed Rosemary Stakes, to become the 62nd added-money winner for her 12-year-old sire.
In France, the Wertheimers’ 3-year-old filly Foreign Tune became the 61st stakes winner for 15-year-old Invincible Spirit (Green Desert—Rafha, by Kris). Out of the group III-winning Green Tune mare Gwenseb, Foreign Tune won the listed Prix Coronation at Saint-Cloud.
All in all, not a bad 24-hours for the Green Desert boys.
Other sires to add to their career totals for black type include Galileo (Sadler’s Wells—Urban Sea, by Miswaki) who racked up stakes winner 131 with Gallipot, who took the Princess Royal Stakes at Newmarket, Sept. 28. The 3-year-old bay filly is the second foal out of the Spinning World mare Spinning Queen, who won the group I Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket in 2006.
Add U.S.-based stallion Arch (Kris S.—Aurora, by Danzig) to the list as well. His 2-year-old daughter Waterway Run, out of the Dixieland Band mare Princess Consort, won the group III Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket to become her sire’s 43rd stakes winner. Incidentally, Arch and Green Desert share a common female family, that of Courtly Dee (Never Bend—Tulle, by War Admiral). Arch is a great grandson of the blue hen matron while Green Desert is a grandson.
Another family connection occurred in Newmarket’s group I Fillies Mile. The winner, Godolphin’s 2-year-old Elusive Quality filly Certify and the runner-up, Roz, trace in tail-female to the Bold Lad mare Lodge, a stakes-placed half sister to leading European stallions Habitat (Sir Ivor) and Northfields (Northern Dancer) who are sons of the Occupy mare Little Hut. Undefeated in four starts, Certify was bred by Darley in partnership with Hurstland Farm and William Kartozian out of the stakes-winning Mr. Leader mare Please Sign In. Certify’s third dam is Lodge. (Incidentally, the Nuckols family has been stewards of this fine family for decades, having owned Little Hut and bred her foals since her first in 1959 until the mare died in the early 1980s.) John Ferguson signed the $80,000 tab for Certify at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Roz, on the other hand, was a Darley-bred by Sheikh Mohammed’s young European stallion Teofilo (Galileo—Speirbhean, by Danehill), who also sired Somerville Stakes (Eng-III) winner Havana Gold on the Sept. 27 Newmarket card. Roz’ dam, Debonnaire, is a daughter of group-placed Ultra Finesse, a Rahy great granddaughter of Lodge purchased for Sheikh Maktoum’s Gainsborough Stud out of the Keeneland July sale. Roz was purchased by Crimbourne Stud out of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for $26,022.
Certify is the 10th gr. I winner out of 84 career added-money winners for her sire.
On the same Newmarket card, Godolphin’s 5-year-old Australia-bred Retrieve (Rahy—Hold to Ransom, by Red Ransom) got back in the black-type column by winning the appropriately named Godolphin Stakes, his first added-money win this year. The winner’s purse pushed his earnings past the $1 million mark.
In India, U.S.-bred expat Rebuttal (Mr. Greeley—Reboot, by Rubiano) scored a stakes coup when his 3-year-old son Super Storm won the grade III Two Thousand Guineas at Mysore. The bay colt is out of the Conquistador Cielo mare Cielo Vodkamartini, a winning full sister to grade II stakes winner Cielo Del Nord, from the female family of Lahib and General Holme.
Pierro, Australia’s 2-year-old Triple Crown champion, took another step to repeating honors by taking Moonee Valley’s group II Bill Stutt Stakes. The 3-year-old bay son of last year’s leading sire Lonhro (Octagonal) out of the Daylami mare Miss Right Note is undefeated in eight starts. On the distaff side of things, 3-year-old filly Snitzerland (Snitzel—Monte Rosa, by Fraar) captured Moonee Valley’s group III Champagne Stakes to remain perfect on the year. Last year she won the AAMI Golden Slipper (Aus-I) at Rosehill.
Also undefeated, Australia’s Horse of the Year Black Caviar is scheduled to race again in 2013. Fingers crossed for the gallant daughter of Bel Esprit—Helsinge, by Desert Sun.
And that last item brings us full circle: Desert Sun, broodmare sire of Black Caviar, is also a son of Green Desert.
