Andrew Caulfield-November 11, Epicuris Suave Dancer suffered a leg injury after finishing third PEDIGREE INSIGHTS in the Prix Ganay on his reappearance. Peintre Celebre B Y A N D R E W C A U L F I E L D suffered a career-ending tendon injury while preparing to make his 4-year-old debut in the same race six years Saturday, Saint-Cloud, France later, while Rail Link also sprained a tendon before he CRITERIUM DE SAINT-CLOUD-G1, i250,000, STC, was able to compete at four. His early retirement 11-8, 2yo, c/f, 10fT, 2:17.41, hy. denied him the chance of racing outside France for the 1--sEPICURIS (GB), 126, c, 2, by Rail Link (GB) first time. 1st Dam: Argumentative (GB) (MSP-Fr), by Observatory I have noticed over the years that a missed season on 2nd Dam: Discuss, by Danzig the track can prove a serious obstacle for a new 3rd Dam: Private Line, by Private Account stallion, as breeders= memories often appear to be O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); remarkably short. While the old star is unproductively T-Criquette Head-Maarek; J-Thierry Thulliez. waiting in the wings for the next breeding season to i142,850. Lifetime Record: 3 starts, 3 wins, come around, the next generation of high-class colts i194,850. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. become flavour of the month. It is their achievements Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. which are freshest in the mind when mating plans are Click for the Racing Post result or the free brisnet.com drawn up. catalogue-style pedigree. Equidia VIDEO. Rail Link also had a couple of other obstacles to Blinkered, parochial and close-minded may be overcome when he commenced stallion duties as a adjectives most frequently applied to the American 5-year-old. For a start, he hadn=t raced at two and he racing industry in recent years, but America certainly had gained all four of his group successes over a mile doesn=t hold a monopoly when it comes to being and a half--a record unlikely to endear him to hidebound in her attitudes. A couple of last week=s commercial breeders. Then there was his size. Although worldwide Group 1 events illustrate how difficult it can American breeders have no objections to a stallion be for a British stud to persuade breeders to use a standing 16.2 or more, their European counterparts foreign-raced stallion (and the same applies in Ireland). tend to prefer a somewhat smaller horse. Timeform described him as big, strong and angular. The first instance concerns the Crown Oaks at Epicuris appears to have inherited a good measure of Flemington in Australia, which provided Set Square Rail Link=s size, but he is clearly much more precocious with her third win in four starts. This filly is by Reset, than his sire, thanks no doubt to having a 2-year-old an unbeaten son of the star New Zealand stallion Zabeel. winner as his dam. He is the first foal of Reset is also responsible for Fawkner (G1 Caulfield S. Argumentative, a lightly raced daughter of the top-class and G1 Caulfield Cup), Pinker Pinker (G1 W.S. Cox miler Observatory (one of only four horses with a Plate) and Rebel Raider (G1 South Australian Derby and victory over Giant=s Causeway). G1 Victoria Derby), but he was treated with suspicion Argumentative won over a mile on her only when Darley first shuttled him to England in 2005, appearance at two and then failed by only a neck and when he covered only 64 mares. Although he proved half-a-length to become a listed winner over seven much more popular in his second season, Reset was furlongs on her reappearance at three. never returned to England. (To veer off the subject She missed the Poule d=Essai des Pouliches, which briefly, Reset=s daughter Set Square has an unusual had seemed a possibility at one time, and there had pedigree in that she is inbred 3x2 to Zeditave, a also been high hopes of her dam Discuss. After champion Australian 3-year-old.) showing a lot of potential in two starts in maiden The other Group 1 winner I have in mind is Epicuris, company, this daughter of Danzig became one of the the unbeaten Rail Link 2-year-old who led throughout to leading fancies for the G1 Coronation S. Although that land the Criterium de Saint-Cloud over a mile and a step up in class proved too much for Discuss, she was quarter. The colt=s three victories have all come since it useful at around a mile. was announced in August that Rail Link was returning This family has been in the Juddmonte broodmare to France, scene of his triumphs in the Grand Prix de band for well over 30 years. Its first major contribution Paris and Prix de l=Arc de Triomphe in 2006. came in the form of Ballinderry, a daughter of Epicuris= The move made perfect sense, as two of his first four fifth dam Miss Manon. Ballinderry won the G2 group winners had been French-trained (the others had Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot in 1984 in the now won in Italy and Australia). famous green, pink and white silks and then produced Rail Link is by no means the first French-trained the Prix du Jockey-Club winner Sanglamore as her first winner of the Arc to have struggled a little as stallions foal. in England or Ireland. Hurricane Run left Ireland for Epicuris= fourth dam Miss Summer was acquired as a Germany; Peintre Celebre ended his career at a fee of 9-year-old in 1988, the year after her Nureyev filly Most only i10,000; and Suave Dancer was struggling for Precious has been placed in two of France=s top support when he died comparatively young. 2-year-old races. Most Precious went on to produce the Of course their problems weren=t just a result of being Poule d=Essai des Pouliches winner Matiara and this a foreign-raced horse in a strange land. For example, branch of the family produced another good filly in Suave Dancer, Peintre Celebre and Rail Link all endured Indonesienne, winner of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac in a wasted year when kept in training at four. 2013. Miss Summer=s best effort for Juddmonte was her Private Account filly Private Line, a stakes winner in England and the U.S. Private Line is the third dam of the Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner and she also produced a group-winning daughter and a group-winning granddaughter for Juddmonte. Because Epicuris is already a Group 1 winner over a mile and a quarter on heavy ground, it is tempting to think that he will be very well suited by an extra quarter mile at three. Perhaps he will, as a son of Rail Link. However, some elements of his pedigree do not necessarily support this view. He is inbred 4x3 to Danzig and his first three dams were all at their best at around a mile, as was his broodmare sire Observatory. Could it be that the Prix du Jockey-Club would be a better target than the Epsom Derby? EPICURIS (GB), c, 2012 Danehill Danzig Dansili (GB) Razyana Hasili (Ire) Kahyasi (Ire) Rail Link (GB) Kerali (GB) Theatrical (Ire) Nureyev Docklands Tree of Dockage Riverman Golden Alibi Distant View Mr. Prospector Observatory Seven Springs Argumentative Stellaria Roberto (GB) Victoria Star MSP Northern Dancer 1Fl, 1G1SW Discuss Danzig SP Pas De Nom 6Fls Private Line Private Account 12Fls, 1GSW Miss Summer (Ire).