Andrew Caulfield, July 12, 2005–Pastoral Pursuits (GB) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS Tackling Group 1 company in the Prix Morny on only his third outing, he wore down the odds-on Zamindar to BY ANDREW CAULFIELD win by a short neck. By the time he raced again in the G1 Middle Park S., Bahamian Bounty had changed DARLEY JULY CUP-G1, £250,000, Newmarket, 7-7, hands for a reported £1 million, his buyer being 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:11.86, gd/sf. Maktoum Al Maktoum, who had campaigned the colt’s 1--sPASTORAL PURSUITS (GB), 131, c, 4, by Bahamian Bounty (GB) sire, champion sprinter Cadeaux Genereux. 1st Dam: Star (GB), by Most Welcome (GB) Sheikh Maktoum’s decision to buy the colt was 2nd Dam: Marista (GB), by Mansingh justified by a head victory in the Middle Park and 3rd Dam: Evendo (GB), by Derring-Do (GB) Bahamian Bounty then attempted to gain his third (24,000gns yrl ‘02 TATOCT). O-The Pursuits & Group 1 success, this time over an extra furlong in the National Stud Partnership; B-Red House Stud; T-Hugh Dewhurst S. Perhaps the extra distance was beyond Morrison; J-John Egan; £145,000. Lifetime Record: him, as he could finish only fourth behind the Middle 10-6-2-0, £264,496. Park third-place getter In Command. Click for the racingpost.co.uk chart or the free The next chapter in Bahamian Bounty’s story was a brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. move to Dubai, into the care of Saeed bin Suroor, but he failed to add to his reputation. Finishing last of six in One of the saddest stories in Britain’s breeding the French 2000 Guineas seemed to confirm his lack of industry in recent years has been the decline in the stamina and his only subsequent appearance came over fortunes of the country’s National Stud at Newmarket. six furlongs, when he finished a respectable fourth in Little more than 20 years ago the stud was home to the the 1997 Darley July Cup--a race which, last week, Derby winners Mill Reef, Blakeney, Grundy and Royal was to provide him with his finest moment as a Palace, as well as Moorestyle, a sprinter who earned stallion. That was when his four-year-old son Pastoral Horse of the Year honors, and Star Appeal, a champion Pursuits sprang a 22-1 surprise for a partnership which who numbered the Arc among his Group 1 successes. includes the National Stud. Unfortunately, the stud was heavily dependent on the When Bahamian Bounty began his stallion career at benevolence of owners such as Paul Mellon and Carlo the National Stud in 1998, his fee was £4,500--a Vittadini in the struggle to compete for the best stallion modest amount for a dual Group 1 juvenile winner. Of prospects. With the Levy Board controlling the purse course, he wasn’t helped by his failure to shine at three. strings, the National Stud has steadily lost clout in an Although he fared reasonably well in his first season, with a book of around 55 mares, books of 38, 29 and industry dominated by a new breed of owners who 37 followed as the novelty wore off. Then his first naturally wish to stand their best colts at their own farms. two-year-olds drew attention to him in 2001, with Berk The struggle to find a successor to the magnificent The Jerk and Lady Links both becoming Listed winners. Mill Reef has consequently proved an unequal one, He again added to his reputation in 2003, when the despite the arrival of the French Derby winners Suave two-year-old Pastoral Pursuits became his first Group Dancer and Celtic Swing (neither of whom lasted long, winner in the G3 Sirenia S. and Babodana, Naahy and for different reasons). Many now question the stud’s Dubaian Gift all underlined his ability to get smart role, but there has been one success story over the last performers at up to a mile. As a consequence, few years--the steady rise to prominence of Bahamian Bahamian Bounty’s book rose to over 110 mares in Bounty. 2004, and another good year, featuring Group Trained by David Loder, a man adept at handling successes over seven furlongs by Naahy and Pastoral quick-maturing juveniles, Bahamian Bounty soon Pursuits, led to his fee being increased to £6,000 this established that he had been very well bought for year. His successes also earned him respect in the sales 45,000 guineas as a yearling. ring last term, with weanlings selling for up to 54,000 guineas and yearlings for up to 130,000 guineas. www.coolmore.com Pastoral Pursuits has now won over £260,000-- roughly 10 times his price as a yearling. He is the third foal of Star, a lightly-raced juvenile five-furlong winner by Most Welcome. It is always interesting to try to work out why a breeder chose a certain stallion for a particular mare, and I can’t help thinking that Star might have been sent to Bahamian Bounty because her second dam, Evendo, was by Derring-Do. When this very successful stallion was mated to Bahamian Bounty’s fourth dam, Djerella, the outcome was the remarkable Stilvi. Stilvi’s tremendous speed and courage helped her inflict two defeats on the top male sprinters in 1972 and she later made a truly spectacular start to her broodmare career. All of Stilvi’s first five foals became stakes winners and among them were Tachypous (G1 Middle Park S. and second in the 2000 Guineas), Tromos (G1 Dewhurst S.), Tyrnavos (G1 Irish Derby) and Tolmi (G2 Coronation S. and second in the 1000 Guineas). Pastoral Pursuits seems to be ideally suited to six and seven furlongs, but his connections considered it worth trying him over a mile in the G1 Queen Anne S., in which he lost his chance by slipping on the treacherous ground at York. He could possibly stay a mile, as his broodmare sire, the underrated Most Welcome, was versatile enough to finish second in the Derby and third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Pastoral Pursuits’ younger brother Goodricke is also above average and a third good performer, by Bahamian Bounty out of a Most Welcome mare, is Group-placed Mary Read. Pastoral Pursuits isn’t the first good sprinter from this family, as Star is a half sister to Superstrike, winner of the GIII Riva Ridge S. and GIII Frank J. Defrancis Memorial Dash in 1992..