Andrew Caulfield, June 11, 2002 – Sadler’s Wells/ line cross

P EDIGREE INSIGHTS Sadler’s Wells and among them are 11 stakes winners (22 percent). As many as eight of the 11, including In BY ANDREW CAULFIELD The Wings, Moon Queen, Dance Routine, Hunting Hawk and St Expedit, are Group winners, representing PREMIUM BLEND a whacking 16 percent, and there can’t be many I hate to say “I told you so” (not really), but last crosses as dependable as this. Incidentally, this total of week’s European classics reminded me of a piece I Group winners may rise higher still, because the 49 also wrote for TDN early last September, after Quarter include Starbourne, this year’s Irish 1000 Guineas third Moon had won the G1 Moyglare Stud S. who ran fourth in Friday’s Oaks. “When I tell you that Sadler’s Wells’ latest collection Not even , though, can match the exceptional record being built up by Sadler’s Wells’ of juveniles contains 13 youngsters out of Shirley partnership with daughters of . The first 24 Heights mares and another eight out of mares by animals bred this way include 10 stakes winners (42 Shirley Heights’ son Darshaan,” I pointed out, “you will percent) , with seven of them (29 percent) winning at appreciate that crossing the perennial sire Group level, including , the filly who was with mares from the Mill Reef line has become one of favorite for the Oaks until the ground turned against the most popular ‘nicks’ in European breeding.” her. No fewer than five of the Group winners (21 The enormous potential of this cross was underlined percent) have won a Group 1. Those five include several more times during the rest of the 2001 season. Edadiyla ( and French St Leger), High --out of a Darshaan mare--won the G1 St Leger Chaparral (Derby) and Milan (St Leger), as well as the and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf; Moon Oaks second , so this is truly a classic Queen--out of a Shirley Heights mare--won the G2 Prix partnership. de Royallieu; and --out of a Darshaan Be warned, there are roughly another 20 youngsters mare--won the G1 Racing Post Trophy. among Saddler’s Wells’ juvenile crop out of mares by Then, in the space of three days last week, Quarter Mill Reef, Shirley Heights and Darshaan, with sisters to Moon failed by only half-length to catch in the Quarter Moon and Islington among the Darshaan band. Oaks, the pair 14 lengths clear of the rest; High Nothing has happened in the last nine months to Chaparral used his undoubted stamina to repel Hawk make me change my mind about why this particular Wing’s challenge in the Derby; and Dance Routine, a blend is proving so effective. I remain unconvinced that Sadler’s Wells filly out of a Shirley Heights mare, ran on it is because it produces two lines to that outstanding broodmare , through her sons and strongly to take second place in the French Oaks. For . If this were the explanation, Sadler’s good measure, Beat Hollow, a Sadler’s Wells horse Wells’ results with Mill Reef mares would surely be whose second dam is a Mill Reef mare, strengthened superior to those achieved with mares by his son and his claims to being the best turf horse in the U.S. with grandson, but that definitely isn’t so. an admirable win in the GI Manhattan H. The truth is that mares by Mill Reef, Shirley Heights It’s a worthwhile exercise to remind you of Sadler’s and Darshaan have done very well with several Wells’ statistics with mares by Mill Reef, his son Shirley from the line. Because Mill Reef, Heights and Darshaan. The 38 foals, aged three and Shirley Heights and Darshaan are strong influences for above, out of daughters of Mill Reef include eight stamina--they all won the Derby in England or France-- stakes winners (21 percent), but only one of the 38 has their daughters appreciate the element of speed won a Group race, so this has to be considered the possessed by so many members of the Northern Dancer weakest link in this very strong chain. male line. Shirley Heights mares have 49 representatives by (Pedigree Insights cont.)

www.coolmore.com It could be argued that many of the good winners Although Diaghilev ran respectably in the French Derby, sired by Sadler’s Wells from Mill Reef line mares are no the cheaper colt now has much the bigger price tag. better than they should be--they are by an exceptional sire out of mares which were themselves very good performers. However, that argument doesn’t hold good for Quarter Moon and High Chaparral, who so nearly pulled off the Derby and Oaks double. Quarter Moon’s dam, Jude, failed to reach the first three in four starts, while High Chaparral’s dam, Kasora, never raced before being sold by her breeder, the Aga Khan, for 270,000 guineas as a three-year-old. Bearing in mind that Kasora’s price made her the third highest-priced filly at Tattersalls’ 1996 December Sales, she clearly has a first-rate pedigree. Her family came into the Aga Khan’s studs via her second dam, the 1969 French 1000 Guineas winner Koblenza, who was one of the mares purchased from Madame Francois Dupre 25 years ago. These Dupre mares have supplied the Aga Khan with many good winners and Koblenza played her part. Her son Karkour had been sold by the time he won the G1 over 2½ miles, but her filly Kozana carried the Aga’s colors with great distinction. Kozana showed great versatility with a win in the G2 Prix de Malleret over 1¼ miles. Dropped back to a mile for the G1 Prix du Moulin, she found only Rousillon too good for her and then, stepped up to 1½ miles for the Arc a month later where she finished third, beaten only around two lengths by Sagace and . Kozana appeared to have nearly everything one hopes for in a potential broodmare, including an outcross pedigree. Surprisingly, she has failed to produce a Group winner, but her daughters Khanata (by ) and Kotama (by ) both became Listed winners by taking trials for the Irish 1000 Guineas. Two of Kozana’s sons also earned black type, with Khoraz (by ) being Group 1 placed in Ireland, Italy and the United States, and Kasora’s brother Korasoun (by Darshaan) showing decent form at around 1¼ miles in Ireland. Considering that the Aga Khan has won the Derby with four times since 1980, he was no doubt far from heart-broken that the latest winner is out of a mare he sold. The Aga Khan--together with all the other large-scale owner-breeders--faces a constant battle to keep the size of his broodmare band in check and to balance the books. He has to keep selling and Kasora’s achievement can only stimulate demand for any future mares and fillies from his studs. He has received six-figure sums for three of Kozana’s daughters, Kotama, Kasora and Koniya. The Aga’s only remaining daughters of Kozana are Khanata and the four-year-old Kozmina, an unraced daughter of none other than Sadler’s Wells. The Aga also has a couple of Kozana’s grand daughters, one of which has a juvenile filly by Darshaan. Coincidentally, and Sue Magnier had to pay only 270,000 guineas to acquire High Chaparral at the Houghton Sales, where they also splashed out 3,400,000 guineas for Diaghilev, a Sadler’s Wells colt out of another mare culled from the Aga Khan’s studs.