Andrew Caulfield, June 12, 2007–Lawman (Fr) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS There was probably no better example of Green Desert's propensity for speed than his son Invincible BY ANDREW CAULFIELD Spirit. Theoretically, if ever there was going to be a son of Green Desert suited to a mile and a quarter, it was PRIX DU JOCKEY-CLUB-G1, i1,500,000, Chantilly, going to be Invincible Spirit. He comes from a 6-3, 3yo, c/f, 10f 110ydsT, 2:05.90, gd/sf. stamina-packed female line, starting with his dam 1--sLAWMAN (FR), 128, c, 3, by Invincible Spirit (Ire) Rafha, who followed up her victory in the Lingfield 1st Dam: Laramie, by Gulch Oaks Trial over 1 7/16 miles with a game victory in the 2nd Dam: Light The Lights (Fr), by Shirley Heights (GB) French Oaks. The next dam, Eljazzi, was a daughter of 3rd Dam: Lighted Glory, by Nijinsky II the versatile Artaius and the long-winded Border (i75,000 yrl >05 DEAAUG). O-Claudio Marzocco & Bounty. Border Bounty excelled with the top miler Enrico Ciampi; B-Petra Bloodstock Agency Ltd; Petingo, notably producing the champion sire Pitcairn, T-Jean-Marie Beguigne; J-Frankie Dettori; i857,100. whose son Ela-Mana-Mou made a big impact as a sire Lifetime Record: 5 starts, 3 wins, 2 places, on Britain's long-distance races. Pitcairn's sister Dingle i921,400. *1/2 to Latice (Ire) (Inchinor {GB}), Hwt Bay became the dam of the top-class stayer Assessor, 3yo at 9.5-11f, G1SW-Fr, GISP-US, $797,007; Satri whose stamina stretched to 2 1/2 miles. (Ire) (Mujadil), GSW & G1SP-Fr, $228,977. With a background like this, it was no surprise to see Click for the Racing Post chart or the free brisnet.com Rafha produce 1 1/2-mile group winners to Shirley catalogue-style pedigree. Heights and Bahri and a very useful two-mile horse to Royal Academy. However, it was a different story When people talk about Danzig as a sire of sires, when Rafha was mated to Danehill and Green Desert. Danehill takes pride of place, but Shadwell's Green Her Danehill foals were the accomplished sprinters Desert usually comes in a very honourable second. Kodiac and Massarra, but the fastest of her foals was Interestingly, there were some distinct similarities undoubtedly Invincible Spirit. between the two, as both reached the first three in the 2000 Guineas before dropping down the distance scale LAWMAN (FR), c, 2004 to win two important six-furlong contests, including the Northern Dancer Danzig Sprint Cup at Haydock. Pas de Nom Green Desert Speed was clearly their main asset, even though both Sir Ivor Foreign Courier colts had elements of stamina in the bottom half of Invincible Spirit Courtly Dee (Ire) Sharpen Up (GB) their pedigree. Whereas Danehill's first two dams were Kris (GB) Doubly Sure (GB) daughters of His Majesty and Buckpasser, Green Rafha (GB) Artaius Desert's were by the Derby-winning Sir Ivor and the Eljazzi (Ire) Kentucky Derby second Never Bend. Despite their Border Bounty (GB) Raise a Native similar profiles, Green Desert has proved the stronger Mr. Prospector Gold Digger influence for speed, with his mature progeny in Britain Gulch Rambunctious Jameela and Ireland having an average winning distance of 7.7 Laramie Asbury Mary Unplaced furlongs, compared to Danehill's figure of around nine Mill Reef 6Fls, 3GSW Shirley Heights (GB) furlongs. He's best known in the States as the sire of Light the Lights (Fr) Hardiemma (GB) Grade I winners Sheikh Albadou, Heat Haze and White GSW 5Fls, 2Wnrs Lighted Glory Nijinsky II Heart. 14Fls, 1Ch, 3GSW Lighted Lamp www.coolmore.com Three stabs at seven furlongs established that even Her mating with the ,6,000 Inchinor resulted in that short distance was beyond Invincible Spirit's best, Latice, who became Laramie's first Classic winner over and all seven of his victories came over six. Chantilly's 2,100-metre course when she took the Appropriately, his best effort came when he sprang a 2004 Prix de Diane. It was Laramie's rendezvous with 25-1 surprise to emulate his sire Green Desert in the the Ir10,000gns Mujadil which produced Satri, who 2002 Haydock Sprint Cup. graduated from handicap company to win a Group 3 The signs are that Invincible Spirit is going to prove a and finish second in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. It worthy alternative to Green Desert, who is now 24. should pay to keep an eye on Laramie's next foal, a Even though he began his stallion career at a fee no yearling colt by Cape Cross, another accomplished son higher than i10,000, he got off to a flying start last of Green Desert. year and maintained his momentum so well that his fee Mention of Cape Cross reminds me that, despite for 2007 rose to i35,000. With 35 first-crop juvenile leaving a sizeable legacy for speed, Green Desert has winners to his credit, Invincible Spirit is clearly very several stallion sons with top middle-distance adept at passing on the speed and precocity associated performers to their credit. Cape Cross, of course, is with his male line. best known as the sire of Ouija Board, while Desert Green Desert has only once sired a Grade I winner Style gave us Mandesha, France's champion over as long a distance as 1 1/4 miles--the three-year-old filly last year. Desert Sun's daughter American-raced White Heart--but Invincible Spirit, with Sunline, the extraordinary New Zealand-bred, twice his stamina-packed bottom line, has already matched won the prestigious W.S. Cox Plate at around 1 1/4 that feat. His dashing son Lawman carried his speed miles, so Lawman joined some illustrious company beyond a mile and a quarter nine days ago, when he when he won at Chantilly. landed the Prix du Jockey-Club. Whether Invincible Spirit will make a habit of siring top middle-distance performers remains to be seen, and I expect he'll ultimately make his name principally as a sire of smart sprinter-milers, just as Green Desert has done. Needless to say, there is plenty of stamina in the bottom half of Lawman's pedigree, even though his broodmare sire is Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Gulch. His second dam Light the Lights proved herself one of the best staying fillies in France in 1988 when she won the G2 Prix de Pomone over 1 11/16 miles and ran a very respectable ninth in the Arc. Lawman's third dam, the accomplished broodmare Lighted Glory, was also a Group 1 performer in France, as well as being a half- sister to the high-class stayers King Luthier and Torus. This excellent female line traces to the 1000 Guineas winner Picture Light, whose descendants have won all five of Britain's Classics. Another member of the Picture Play family is the Classic-winning miler Desert Prince, a Green Desert colt who was the highest-rated three-year-old of 1998. Incidentally, Desert Prince is inbred 4x4 to Never Bend through Courtly Dee and Mill Reef, and so is Green Desert's outstanding son Oasis Dream. This inbreeding appears one generation further back in Lawman's pedigree and also in the pedigree of another of Invincible Spirit's first crop group winners, Captain Marvelous. The second dams of Lawman and Captain Marvelous are both by Shirley Heights, a stallion who appears as the broodmare sire of five of Green Desert's stakes winners. I am feeling guilty that I have got this far into Lawman's story without mentioning the tremendous record of his dam, Laramie. This daughter of Gulch finished fourth of 12 on the second of her two starts in minor company in Ireland, without showing much ability, but she must now be a contender for any Broodmare of the Year awards. As a non-winner, Laramie was sent by Petra Bloodstock to comparatively inexpensive stallions but that hasn't stopped three of her first five foals from becoming group winners. .