Andrew Caulfield, September 28, 2004–Playful Act (Ire) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS Magnificient Style subsequently scored a notable group-race double at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting. BY ANDREW CAULFIELD First came her Spinning World filly Echoes In Eternity, who showed remarkable versatility to win the G2 Park MEON VALLEY STUD FILLIES’ MILE-G1, £200,000, Hill S. over a distance of 14.6 furlongs--and this less Ascot, 9-25, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:42.22, gd/fm. than a year after her success in the G2 Sun Chariot S. 1--sPLAYFUL ACT (IRE), 122, f, 2, by Sadler’s Wells over a mile. 1st Dam: Magnificient Style (GSW-GB), by Silver Hawk A day later it was the turn of Percussionist’s 2nd Dam: Mia Karina, by Icecapade younger sister Playful Act, who took the G2 May Hill 3rd Dam: Basin, by Tom Rolfe S. over a mile. This Robert Sangster-bred two-year-old O-Sangster Family; B-Swettenham Stud; T-John gave another fine demonstration of her talents in Gosden; J-Jimmy Fortune; £116,000. Lifetime Re- winning Saturday’s G1 Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile, cord: 4-3-1-0, £165,255. *1/2 to Styleistick (Storm when she confirmed Doncaster form almost to the Cat), MSW & GSP-US, $234,788; Echoes in Eternity ounce with Giant’s Causeway’s daughter Maids (Ire) (Spinning World), MGSW-GB, $241,555; and full Causeway. to Percussionist (Ire), GSW-GB, $234,103. Magnificient Style was clearly very well bought at Click for the Racing Post chart or the free brisnet.com the $410,000 she cost at Keeneland’s 1997 catalogue-style pedigree. November Sale. She had struggled on American Can anyone explain to me how that great producer racetracks in 1997, failing to reproduce the form that Bourtai failed to land the title of Broodmare of the had brought her an all-the-way victory over the future Year sometime during her magnificent career? French Oaks winner Sil Sila in the G3 Musidora S. over She produced a total of five stakes winners, with 10.4 furlongs. Perhaps racing on fast ground began to her first three foals following her private purchase by take its toll, as Timeform described her as having a Claiborne Farm in 1951 being those outstanding fillies pronounced knee action and recorded that she wore Delta, Levee and Bayou. Between them this trio bandages and kept changing her legs when a collected 14 stakes victories, including the CCA Oaks, disappointing favorite for the Ribblesdale S. on her last Monmouth Oaks, Delaware Oaks, Acorn S., Beldame appearance in Britain. S., Arlington Lassie S., Arlington Matron H., Princess Magnificient Style still had plenty to recommend Pat S., Gazelle H. and the Selima S. her--not least the fact that her pedigree was free of I suppose justice was belatedly done when Delta Northern Dancer and Raise a Native blood. Her dam, was named Broodmare of the Year for 1968, with her the French mile winner Mia Karina, had done well for half-sister Levee taking the same honor two years Mahmoud Fustok of Buckram Oak Farm, especially later. Now the family has another possible Broodmare with two colts that carried Fustok’s colors with of the Year, this time in Britain, thanks to the distinction. In addition to producing Magnificient Style achievements of the oddly spelt Magnificient Style--a to Silver Hawk, she produced Siberian Summer, granddaughter of Delta’s last living foal, Basin. conqueror of Bertrando in the GI Charles H. Strub S., This daughter of Silver Hawk has been busily to the French 2000 Guineas winner Siberian Express. reviving the family fortunes this year, with three Mia Karina first visited Silver Hawk in 1991, soon individual group winners. The first was Percussionist, after Silver Ending--a Silver Hawk colt out of her a Sadler’s Wells colt who ran away with the G3 Derby half-sister Copperhead--had established himself as one Trial at Lingfield before finishing an excellent fourth, of the leading three-year-olds of 1990 with victories in beaten only a length, in the Derby. the GI Pegasus H. and GII Arkansas Derby. www.coolmore.com It is a lesson to us all that Basin, the dam of Mia filly Polonia, winner of the Prix de l'Abbaye. Moss’s Karina and Copperhead, failed to pick up a single dollar sister Shore also left an indelible mark by producing in five appearances before embarking on a similarly Alligatrix. This daughter of Alleged became the dam of disappointing broodmare career. None of Basin’s 13 Croco Rouge (Prix Lupin, Prix d’Ispahan and third in the foals was good enough to earn black type, but the Arc) and Alidiva, who in turn produced the Group 1 latent power of her illustrious bloodlines helped no winners Ali-Royal (Sussex S.), Sleepytime (1000 fewer than three of her daughters produce Grade I Guineas) and Taipan. winners, the third being L’Quiz. This daughter of If Godolphin tries to buy Playful Act, the price is likely L’Enjoleur produced two Group 1 winners to Zabeel, to reflect the fact that the game filly has the makings of namely the top-class Australian filly Champagne and the an exceptional broodmare once her racing days are over. New Zealand Derby winner St Reims. Yet another of Basin’s daughters, Czaravina, produced a Group 1 performer in Australasia. Clearly, you write of any member of this exceptional female line at your peril. Magnificient Style’s first four foals are now stakes winners, the other being her Storm Cat filly Stylelistick, who collected a couple of stakes on turf. Watch out for Magnificient Style’s next foal, a yearling filly by Danehill. Playful Act now heads the betting for next year’s Oaks and it is going to be interesting to see whether Godolphin try to buy her from the Sangster family. History suggests that they will, as Godolphin purchased her half-sister Echoes In Eternity and the future classic winners Balanchine and Cape Verdi from Robert Sangster. Although Playful Act is inbred 3x4 to Nearctic, a horse who set track records over five, six and eight furlongs as a four-year-old, she looks sure to be very well suited by a mile and a half. She is also inbred 4x4 to Hail to Reason through Bold Reason, winner of the Travers S. after his third in the Belmont, and Roberto, winner of the Derby. Sligo Bay, winner of the GI Hollywood Turf Cup over a mile and a half, is another Sadler’s Wells inbred to Hail to Reason, as are the Derby and St Leger second Dushyantor, the Oaks third Relish the Thought and the Arc hopeful Policy Maker. Before I finish, it could be an eye-opening exercise for some readers if I were to list some of the important winners produced by the Bourtai female line. Levee became the dam of that exceptional racemare Shuvee and numbers the likes of Meneval, Sacahuista, Strategic Choice, Geri, Ekraar and Raging Fever among her descendants. Silk Slippers, winner of the Fillies’ Mile for Robert Sangster during its days as a Group 2 event, is out of a granddaughter of Levee. She was by Nureyev, Sadler’s Wells’ three-parts brother. The Bayou branch has also provided a rich legacy which includes Anifa, Coastal, Slew o'Gold, River Flyer, Victory Ride, Sleep Easy and Aptitude. And Bourtai’s first stakes-winning daughter, the Some Chance filly Banta, is ancestress of such as Big Spruce, Talking Picture, Trusted Partner, Thirty Six Red, Corrazona and Dress To Thrill. As for Delta, this daughter of Nasrullah bred five stakes winners from 10 foals, the pick of them being the Kentucky Derby third Dike. Delta’s Round Table filly Moss produced two good but very different winners in the American stayer Peat Moss and the very fast Irish.