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The weekend provided the first ever dead heat in a Japanese grade I event as Champion Two-Year-Old Filly and Japan 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) victress Apapane could not be separated from Saint Emilion, who we had noted as one to watch here after her win in the Sankei Sports Sho Flora Stakes (gr. II).

Apapane (TrueNicks A++) is one of four stakes winners who have already appeared from the second crop sired by Kingmambo’s son King Kamehameha (Pedigree Consultants recommended mating), himself winner of the Japan Derby. Apapane is out of the Salt Lake (TrueNicks,SRO) mare Salty Bid, and we can note that another Kingmambo son, Lemon Drop Kid (TrueNicks,SRO) , has two stakes winners from two starters out of Salt Lake mares. He also has two stakes winners out of 18 starters by Salt Lake’s sire Deputy Minister, and overall is 4 for 23 (stakes winners to starters) with mares by Deputy Minister and his sons.

Saint Emilion is by Sunday Silence horse Zenno Rob Roy (who is out of Mining’s U.S.-raced grade I winner Roamin Rachel), now sire of four stakes winners, three graded, with his first crop of three-year-olds. Saint Emilion’s dam, a group winner over 10½ furlongs in France is by Last Tycoon, and inbred 3 x 3 to that horse’s broodmare sire, Mill Reef. The pedigree is notable for duplications of Buckpasser through the dams of Mining and Last Tycoon’s sire, who both have a double of La Troienne. Mill Reef also has La Troienne through her son Bimelech, and appears in two of Zenno Rob Roy’s first three graded winners.

We were recently discussing the virtual disappearance of the Buckpasser male line, but it’s certainly not going down without a fight in South America. Not only did Spend a Buck do very well in that part of the world, but a branch through Buckpasser’s son Egg Toss has now extended itself two further generations. In Argentina the 25 de Mayo de 1810 (gr. II) fell to Inter Red, who is by Rincon Red, by Rincon Toss, by Egg Toss. He’s inbred 4 x 4 to the very influential Good Manners (son of Nashua bred on similar lines to the dam of Mr. Prospector).

In Australia the major race of the weekend, the Doomben Cup (gr. I), went to Metal Bender (TrueNicks A++), who is by Danasinga (by Danehill) out of a mare by Bluebird. What is really interesting here is that both Danehill and Jacqwin, the dam of Metal Bender, are Northern Dancer/His Majesty crosses, Jacqwin being out of mare by Pleasant Colony. Still in Australia, boom second season sire Fastnet Rock (Danehill, again) was represented by Stryker, who took the Fred Best Classic (gr. III), and Rothesay, successful in the Lord Mayor’s Cup (gr. II). Both are out of mares by Woodman (TrueNicks A++), and there have only been four starters by Fastnet Rock out of Woodman mares, two graded winners, and a stakes placed horse. Fastnet Rock with Woodman gives a double of Buckpasser (Tom Fool) along with Nijinsky II (responsible for Fastnet Rock’s broodmare sire, Royal Academy), whose dam is a reverse cross to Tom Fool. Fastnet Rock seems to throw very much to that Nijinsky II background. The very promising freshman sire Domesday (by Red Ransom from the family of Redoute’s Choice, et al.) was represented by his first stakes winner when Pressday took the laurels in the Bollinger Champagne Classic (gr. II). Pressday (TrueNicks B+) is out of a mare by Kaaptive Edition (by Kaapstad, by Sir Tristram) and Red Ransom/Sir Tristram is beginning to turn into a useful cross. Domesday also has a grade one placed two-year-old out of a mare by Kaapstad’s near relative Octagonal (by Zabeel, by Sir Tristram).

Danzig inbreeding at 3 x 3 featured in the pedigree of Luen Yat Forever, who won the Macau Gold Cup (a local grade I event). The Australian-bred is by Honours List (by Danehill) out of a mare by Langfuhr, but both sire and dam are parallel Danzig/Hail to Reason crosses.

On the “International Outcross” side of things we have Sun Kingdom (TrueNicks A+), who won the Juvenile Million (gr. II) at Bangalore in Indian. He’s by Royal Kingdom, an Irish-bred son of Fairy King from the family of Blushing Groom. His U.S.-foaled dam, Porsche Too, is by Mercedes Won (U.S.-raced, by Air Forbes Won, by Bold Forbes), out of a mare by California sire Ruken (by Nashville, by Nasrullah). The third dam was foaled in the U.S. but is by My Babu’s half brother Marco Polo II, out of the New Zealand-foaled mare Taj Beebe II (by Balloch). The family had produced just minor California stakes winners in recent generations, and you don’t hit a major winner until you find Aulyn, a New Zealand Oaks winner in the early 1980s whose fourth dam, Grilse, is fifth dam of Sun Kingdom. It would be interesting to know what inspired the importation of Porsche Too to India.

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