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Despite lacking Special Duty, winner of the English and French 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) – both on DQs – and Bethrah, the Coronation Stakes still may have given shape to the three-year-old filly division in Europe.

Lillie Langtry had won the Debutante Stakes (gr. II), Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint (gr. III), and the richly endowed Tattersalls Timeform Fillies’ 800, and was third in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (gr. I) at two. Injured in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, she missed some training and therefore didn’t reappear until the Irish 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) where she finished a staying-on fifth, beaten ¾ of a length.

In the one-mile Coronation Stakes (gr. I), she again finished well to run down the pacemaking Gile Na Greine (by Galileo), who had been a good third in the 1,000 Guineas, with the 1,000 Guineas first-past-the-post Jacqueline Quest (by Rock of Gibraltar) finishing third. The victory of Lillie Langtry completed a double for Danehill Dancer, which had been initiated by his juvenile daughter Memory, who captured the six-furlong Albany Stakes (gr. III), coming from the rear of the field to catch Margot Did, with Tiz My Time (from the first crop of Sharp Humor (TrueNicks,SRO) and trained in the U.S. by Kenny McPeek) third, and Distorted Humor (TrueNicks,SRO) ’s daughter Radharcnafarraige, already a group winner, fourth.

Lillie Langtry’s victory took Danehill Dancer’s total of group and grade I winners to 14, and he has firmly established himself as one of the premier sons of Danehill, both in Europe and Australia. His best also include Mastercraftsman, Champion Two-Year-old and winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) and at, Royal Ascot, the St. James’s Palace Stakes (gr. I); Choisir, who took the Golden Jubilee Stakes (gr. I) at Royal Ascot; the Irish 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) heroines Again and Speciosa; and Champion Australian filly Private Steer.

Lillie Langtry (TrueNicks A) is out of the Darshaan mare Hoity Toity, a half sister to the dam of stakes-winning and group I-placed Winged Cupid. The granddam, Hiwaayati, is a Shadeed half sister to the Nureyev group winners Great Commotion and Lead On Time. The fourth dam, Vive La Reine, is a sister to Vaguely Noble, and it’s been a good week for the family, as another sister, Viennese Rose, is fourth dam of Roan Inish, winner last week of the Woodbine Oaks.

It might be a bright omen for the future of Memory (TrueNicks A prior to her win) that she went one place better than Lillie Langtry achieved in last year’s Albany Stakes. She is out of the graded stakes-placed Diesis mare Nausicaa, who in turn is out of Blushing All Over, a French listed winner by Blushing Groom. Since both Diesis and the dam of Danehill Dancer are by Sharpen Up, Memory has that horse 3 x 3 in her pedigree, and she is the fifth stakes winner, and fourth group winner by Danehill Dancer out of a Sharpen Up line mare.

Last week we were noting that second season star Dubawi (IRE) (TrueNicks,SRO) was represented by his sixth stakes winner from his first Northern Hemisphere crop when his son Afsare took the Hampton Court Stakes (by inches over Quadrille, another Danehill Dancer). Well, now make that score seven first crop stakes winners, six of them group, following the victory of Monterosso in the King Edward VII Stakes (gr. II). Monterossa was making his first start in a black type event but had won four of his five previous starts, and scored by a decisive 2½ lengths here. His long term target may be the St. Leger (gr. I).

Afsare is out of a mare by Fairy King, and Monterosso (TrueNicks A) is bred on a similar cross, as his dam is by Barathea, a son of Fairy King’s brother Sadler’s Wells. The combination of Dubawi and Barathea gives a pair of Northern Dancer/Sir Gaylord crosses, one through Barathea, and the other through Shareef Dancer (broodmare sire of Dubawi’s sire, Dubai Millenium). As we’ve mentioned a number of times before, the Northern Dancer/Sir Gaylord duplication (or more in the case this week’s Royal Ascot scorer Rainfall, by Oasis Dream out of a Barathea mare, who has four versions of the cross) is becoming a very important one in Europe. This is the first stakes winner for Dubawi out of a Sadler’s Wells line mare, but two of Dubai Millennium’s three group winners were bred on the cross, one out of a mare by Barathea.

Monterosso’s dam, Porto Roca, was bred in Australia from one of her sire’s Southern Hemisphere crops, and was a top class runner, taking the STC Coolmore Classic (gr. I). A half sister to the New Zealand grade I winner Bluebird the Word (by Bluebird), Porto Roca is out of stakes-placed Antelliere (by Salieri, a European-raced son of the Damascus horse Accipiter, who did well as a sire in Australia). The family has been in Australia for some considerable time – since the late 1800s – and the fifth dam, Dual Vista, produced the AJC Oaks victress Dual Quest (a sister to Soft Quest, the fourth dam of Monterosso).

Galileo’s son Age of Aquarius, was outstayed after a gallant fight in yesterday’s Ascot Gold Cup (gr. I), but Friday, another young son, Mikhail Glinka, showed himself a promising stayer in the making with a nose victory over another Galileo son, Theology, in the Queen’s Vase (gr. III), a two mile contest for three-year-olds. Rated TrueNicks A++, Mikhail Glinka is bred on a version of the Sadler’s Wells/Shirley Heights cross, as his dam, Lady Karr, is out of a mare by Mark of Esteem (by Darshaan). This is a pretty classy pedigree, as Lady Karr is a sister to the Epsom Derby (gr. I) and Dewhurst Stakes (gr. I) winner Sir Percy. Another close relative, Grace O’ Malley (by Refuse to Bend, by Sadler’s Wells, out of the Darshaan mare Lionne, a three-parts-sister to the dam of Mikhail Glinka) took the Noblesse Stakes (gr. III) for the second time last weekend.

The other black type race of the day was the listed Wolferton Handicap, over 1 ½ miles, which fell to favored Rainbow Peak, who will now probably head for group events, possibly a group I in Germany. A son of Hernando (by the Nijinsky II, horse Niniski), Rainbow Peak (TrueNicks A+) prior to this win, Rainbow Peak is out of Celtic Fling, a daughter of Lion Cavern. Hernando, who is out of a mare by Miswaki (by Mr. Prospector), has five stakes winners out of Mr. Prospector line mares, including Rainbow Peak and his sister, Celtic Heroine (who took the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot), and group winner Herboriste (out of a mare by Lion Cavern’s brother, Giant's Causeway (TrueNicks,SRO)). The dam is a three-parts-sister to Celtic Swing (winner of the French Derby (gr. I), who sired a Royal Ascot winner in Takeover Target (five-time grade I winner in Australia, and also successful in the King’s Stand Stakes (gr. II), and the excellent filly Six Perfections (Prix Marcel Boussac (gr. I), Prix Jacques Le Marois (gr. I), and Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I)).

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