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In the week following the runaway 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) victory of Frankel – which simultaneously confirmed his brilliance and the extreme improbability of him staying the Derby trip of 1½ miles – there were a number of significant Derby and Oaks trials in Europe.

Not surprisingly, the Sadler’s Wells line was a dominant force in these, and the most recent week was a particulary good one for Montjeu and his second season son Hurricane Run. In the Derrinstown Derby Trial (gr. II, video below), Montjeu's son Recital (TrueNicks A++) stamped his ticked to Epsom with a win over Hurricane Run’s son Memphis Tennessee. Out of the Kendor mare Dibenoise, Recital is a brother to the Prix Ganay (gr. I) victor Corre Caminos.

One of Recital’s Derby rivals may be Pour Moi, another son of Montjeu and winner of the Prix Greffulhe (gr. II, video below). He is out of the Darshaan mare Gwynn, from the family of foundation mares Royal Statute/Queen’s Statute (family of Snow Bride, Lammtarra, Hector Protector, and Bosra Sham to name but a few). Montjeu has not demonstrated as strong an affinity for mares by Darshaan as did his sire, although he does have four stakes winners from 42 starters on the cross. He did sire group I winners Fame and Glory and Montare from mares by Darshaan’s sire Shirley Heights.

In the Lingfield Derby Trial (gr. III), Dordogne, a son of Singspiel (grandson of Sadler’s Wells), prevailed over Hurricane Run’s son Hurricane Higgins, a three-parts-brother to the Montjeu group I winner Jukebox Jury. Dordogne (TrueNicks A++) is out of a mare by Efisio (by the Forli stallion Formidable), a prolific sire of winners and stakes winners who is now emerging as a very promising broodmare sire.

To go with his pair of seconds in Derby trials, Hurricane Run also had a first crop group winner in the shape of Ballybacka Lady, who took the Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial (gr. III). Ballybacka Lady (TrueNicks A) is out of a mare by Anabaa, and her fourth dam is a sister to Storm Bird.

Sadler’s Wells’ French-based son Poliglote (who has also shuttled to South America) doesn’t have many runners in England, but might have a good one in Zain Al Boldan (TrueNicks A++), who took the Lingfield Oaks Trial by six lengths. She is out of a mare by Cardoun (by Kaldoun, by Caro), with a second dam by the Green Dancer horse Cadoudal. In Italy, another Sadler’s Wells horse, Doyen, had his daughter A Ma Yen (A++) take an Italian Oaks trial, the Premio Baggio. She is out of the Silver Hawk mare A Ma Guise, who is out of the U.S. multiple graded winner Traces of Gold. The Sadler’s Wells/Silver Hawk cross has banged in 10 stakes winners, five group or graded, from only 56 starters.

Of course, Sadler’s Wells’ premier son Galileo was also in the mix last week. His son Treasure Beach (TrueNicks A++), third to Frankel in the Royal Lodge Stakes (gr. II) last year, reappeared in the 1 5/16-mile Chester Vase (gr. III) and was up in time to score by a head from Nathaniel (by Galileo out of the exceptional producer Magnificent Style). Out of a mare by Mark of Esteem, Treasure Beach is bred on a version of the Sadler’s Wells cross with Darshaan/Shirley Heights, and one that has produced three group winners from only seven starters. In France, Galikova (TrueNicks A+), a Galileo half sister to none other than Goldikova, demonstrated that she is going to be one of the ones to beat in the Prix de Diane-French Oaks (gr. I). Her dam, Born Gold, is by Blushing Groom, and Galileo has only two starters out of mares by that horse, but out of Blushing Groom line mares he has seven stakes winners from 48 starters. Galikova’s granddam, Riviere d’Or, is a Northern Dancer/Never Bend cross, so very similar to Galileo’s sire, Sadler’s Wells.

If Goldikova is worth a fortune as a runner and a broodmare, the same can be said of Wonder of Wonders, who will be among the favorites for the English Oaks (gr. I) after a stylish score in the Cheshire Oaks. She is by Kingmambo out of a sister to Galileo, and her second dam is Urban Sea, which also makes her very closely related to King’s Best. By the way, Kingmambo is a Mr. Prospector/Nureyev cross, and Wonder of Wonders’ dam is by Sadler’s Wells (three-parts-brother to Nureyev) out of a mare by a son of Mr. Prospector.

Another Chester classic trial, the Dee Stakes (gr. III) for colts, went to Glen’s Diamond (TrueNicks A++), who is by Intikhab (by Red Ransom), sire of last year’s classic generation filly star Snow Fairy. Glen's Diamond is out of a mare by Rainbow Quest, and the granddam, Music and Dance, is by Northern Dancer out of Producer, an excellent daughter of Nashua, who was a group I winner in Europe and a multiple stakes winner in France.

Finally, the Italian Derby (gr. II) went to undefeated Crackerjack King (TrueNicks A). He is from the second crop of Shamardal (TrueNicks,SRO), who had last year’s French Derby (gr. I) and 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) winner Lope de Vega (IRE) (TrueNicks) in his first crop, as well as Australia classic winner Faint Perfume in his first Southern Hemisphere crop. The dam, Claba di San Jore (by Barathea, a son of Sadler's Wells), has been a remarkable producer, with four other stakes winners from five runners, the others including Awelmarduck, who also took the Italian Derby (then gr. I), and Jakkalberry, successful in the Gran Premio di Milano (gr. I) and a group winner on the Derby undercard. Respectively, Awelmarduk and Jakkalberry are by Almutawakel and Storming Home, both sons of Machiavellian, the broodmare sire of Shamardal.

Filed under: Recent Winners, Sires, European Racing