Andrew Caulfield, March 30, 2010- (GB) PEDIGREE INSIGHTS BY ANDREW CAULFIELD

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai -G1, $5,000,000, Meydan, 3-27, NH4yo/SH3yo/up, 2410m, 2:31.84, gd/fm. 1--DAR RE MI (GB), 121, m, 5, (Ire) 1st Dam: (Ire) (G1SW-Fr, $146,917), by (Ire) 2nd Dam: Delsy (Fr), by Abdos (Fr) 3rd Dam: Kelty (Fr), by Venture VII (GB) O-Lord Lloyd-Webber; B-Watership Down Stud (GB); T-; J-W Buick; $3,000,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Mare-GB at 11-14f, G1SW-GB & Ire, GSW-Fr & GISP-US, 16-6-4-4, $4,318,308. *1/2 to Dariyoun (), Ch. Imp. Older Horse- Spa, MSW & G1SP-Fr, $187,775; Darazari (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells), G1SW-Aus, GSW-Fr & GSP-HK, $596,122; Kilimanjaro (GB) ( {GB}), GSP-GB & SP-Ire; Rhagaas (GB) (Sadler=s Wells), G1SP-Fr & GSP-Ger, $218,132; Diaghilev (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells), G1SW-HK & GSW-Fr, $1,935,491 Werk Nick Rating: A+++ >Triple Plus= Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the Racing Post chart, the brisnet.com PPs o r the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. Click for the Dubai Racing video.

Last October a headline on the Australian news sheet Breednet caught my eye. ACox Plate Quinella for the >Old Biddies=@ it read. Tara Madgwick then expanded on the theme, writing that AIn recent weeks on Breednet we=ve highlighted some examples of the progeny of older mares excelling on the track, despite the sale ring stigma attached to them in this part of the world.@ Never having been lucky enough to visit Australia, I assumed that this stigma was no different to the widespread (and unfounded) prejudice against elderly mares which had been discussed a few months earlier by myself in my Owner & Breeder column and by Rob Whiteley in his excellent op/ed piece AOlder Can Be Better@ (still available under the op/ed button on the TDN website). Reading on, I was surprised to find the Aold biddies@ article citing mares which were well short of veteran status. The first two in the Cox Plate had been foaled when their dams were 16 and 14 and among the other mares mentioned were three aged 13, 12 and 14 (as well as a 19-year-old and a 22-year-old). The domination of the G2 UAE Derby three days ago by two Australian-bred three-year-olds whose talents were honed in South Africa will probably have reinforced the Aussie prejudice against older mares. Both first and second, Musir and Raihana, are first foals, produced when their dams were five.

Caulfield cont.

www.coolmore.com Andrew Caulfield cont. Apparently the got 26 mares in foal to Northern Hemisphere time in his first year, which Fortunately the weekend also produced further means that he will have his first runners in Europe and compelling evidence that older can indeed by better. Japan this year. Arrowfield nominated Redoute=s Choice The Dubai Sheema Classic provided another to the Breeders= Cup and the EBF Common Fund to well-deserved Group 1 victory for that tough mare Dar ensure that his progeny have equal opportunities if they Re Mi, who was foaled travel to Europe. The Maktoum family embraced the when her dam was 22, and opportunity, with Shadwell having four Redoute=s the richly endowed Choice foals born in Britain in 2008 and Darley two. Louisiana Derby went to Coincidentally, Coolmore brought Encosta de Lago to Mission Impazible, the 12th Ireland for the 2007 season, so this year=s two-year-old foal of La Paz, who was 19 races in Europe could have a fascinating Australian when she foaled this son of dimension. Unbridled=s Song. A place at stud surely awaits Musir, as he comes I will return to Dar Re Mi from a very successful female line. His second dam, the Dar Re Mi later in this piece, after British-bred Spring Reel, was by the brilliant Horsephotos taking a look at Musir=s out of the Classic-placed The Dancer. The Dancer=s background. As the likes of female line traces back to the influential Black Ray and Starcraft, Choisir, Takeover Target and Haradasun have she has proved a worthy member of this distinguished demonstrated that top Australian horses are capable of female line, with The Deputy and the Japanese star beating their European counterparts at the highest level, King Kamehameha among her descendants. I was disappointed to hear that Musir is heading back Now back to Dar Re Mi. In Rob Whiteley=s op/ed he to his birthplace, rather than to Europe. commented that: The son of Redoute=s Choice is reportedly going to AEvidence is overwhelming that the stigma against target the George Main S., with the Cox Plate a foals out of older mares is without merit. My guess is possible target later in the year. At least we Europeans that the mistaken belief is somehow a result of can look forward to seeing the Australian Group 1 confusion caused by the fact that pregnancy and winners Denman and Starspangledbanner campaigning foaling rates are lower for older mares. (Broodmares as for the Godolphin and Coolmore camps in Europe this a group will be empty or otherwise unproductive summer. approximately 30 percent of the time over their careers, I suspect that John Messara, the supremo of and more >missing= years occur in later years).@ Arrowfield Stud, would also have liked to see Musir This is certainly what happened with Dar Re Mi=s dam heading for Europe. Messara has gone to some Darara. After producing eight named foals in her first considerable lengths to convince owners and breeders nine years, this winner of the G1 in the Northern Hemisphere that Redoute=s Choice is produced a dead foal at the age of 14 in 1997. Darara=s capable of making as big an impact north of the equator history suggests that this setback had some as he has in Australia. The stallion=s achievements unfortunate longer-term effects. Barren to her 1997 include ending the lengthy sequence of sires= covering by Caerleon, Darara temporarily got back into championships achieved by his astonishing sire Danehill the swing of things, producing a colt to her 1998 (who also struck on the World Cup card as the mating with Sadler=s Wells. She must have had some grandsire of Al Quoz Sprint winner Joy and Fun). problems in 1998, though, as her foal wasn=t born until That championship was gained in the 2005/6 season, May 5 and she was then empty in each of the next four when Redoute=s Choice had only three crops of racing years. age. Coincidentally, the stallion who finished runner-up Most breeders would have given up at that point, but to him was Encosta de Lago, the broodmare sire of Darara wasn=t just any old mare. Besides being a Group Musir. Since then Encosta de Lago has twice topped 1-winning half-sister to the Prix du Jockey-Club winner the table, once at the main expense of Redoute=s , Darara had shone as a broodmare, with four Choice, who currently holds third place on the 2009/10 of her sons having shown Group 1 ability. Another list behind Street Cry and Encosta de Lago. driving force was that Darara=s owners, who had Redoute=s Choice had spent his first five years at fees bought her as an 11-year-old, had no daughters out of ranging between A$30,000 and A$40,000, but his her. Happily their perseverance paid off, with Darara early successes sent his fee soaring. Musir is a member surprisingly ending her barren spell with fillies by Selkirk of his first higher-priced crop, sired at A$220,000, and and Singspiel, born when she was 21 and 22. Redoute=s Choice=s fee peaked at A$330,000 in 2007 Although Evita, the Selkirk filly, failed to win, she has and 2008. John Messara also started to make now joined the broodmare band at the Lloyd-Webbers= Redoute=s Choice available to cover to Northern Watership Down Stud. She visited Galileo in 2009 after Hemisphere time in 2007. producing a Rock of Gibraltar colt. And the Singspiel filly, of course, was none other than Dar Re Mi, who has strong claims to being the best of Darara=s All European post times in the TDN are local time distinguished bunch of foals. DAR RE MI, m, 2005 Sadler’s Wells Northern Fairy Bridge Shirley Heights (GB) High Hawk (Ire) Sunbittern (GB) Singspiel (Ire) Cosmah * Ballade Miss Swapsco Derring-Do (GB) (Ire) Camenae (GB) Top Ville (Ire) (GB) Darara (Ire) *Sega Ville G1SW-Ire La Sega (Fr) 12Fls, 2Ch, 3GSW, (Fr) 5SW Delsy (Fr) Abdos (Fr) GSP-Fr Pretty Lady (GB) 15Fls, 1Ch, 3GSW Kelty (Fr) Venture VII (GB) 6SW 5Fls Marilla