Andrew Caulfield, October 10, 2006–Eagle Mountain (GB) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS From comparatively few runners in 1994, =s daughters had been represented by Cajarian, a Group 3 BY ANDREW CAULFIELD winner in Ireland, Kalajana, a Group 3 winner in France, and Kalabo, a two-year-old Listed winner in England. JUDDMONTE BERESFORD S.-G2, i125,000, James Wigan, of London Services, The Curragh, 10-8, 2yo, 1mT, 1:43.41, sf/hy. could therefore probably hardly believe his luck when 1--#@EAGLE MOUNTAIN (GB), 127, c, 2, by Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) he was able to buy Masskana, a six-year-old daughter 1st Dam: Masskana (Ire), by Darshaan (GB) of Darshaan, for 48,000gns. Admittedly Masskana 2nd Dam: Masarika (Ire), by Thatch hadn=t been anything out of the ordinary on the 3rd Dam: Miss Melody (GB), by Tudor Melody (Ire) racecourse but she had won three small races at around (220,000gns yrl >05 TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, 13 miles in the French provinces. Of greater Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-London importance was the fact that she came from a first-rate Thoroughbred Services Ltd; T-Aidan O=Brien; J-Kieren family--one good enough to persuade the Aga Khan to Fallon; i81,250. Lifetime Record: GSP-GB, 5-2-2-0, make one of his rare sorties into the sales ring. Also, i119,270. *1/2 to Wallace (GB) (Royal Academy), she was in foal to Sadler=s Wells= brother Fairy King, SW & MGSP-GB, $115,715; and Sulk (Ire) (Selkirk), whose services had been priced at IR20,000gns in Hwt. 2yo Filly-Fr, Hwt. 3yo Filly-GB at 14f+, 1994. G1SW-Fr, MG1SP-GB, $251,729. **Second SW and The reason why the Aga Khan added Masskana=s first GSW for freshman sire (by ). second dam, Miss Melody, to his broodmare band in Click for the racingpost.co.uk chart or the free 1977 was that she was a granddaughter of the brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. remarkable broodmare Sister Sarah. Sister Sarah was herself a great-granddaughter of the legendary Pretty Back in 1994, Darshaan=s eldest daughters were only Polly. Among Sister Sarah=s most notable descendants eight years old. There were already signs, though, that were St Paddy (Derby and St Leger), Flying Water this handsome Classic winner with an outcross (1,000 Guineas), To-Agori-Mou (2,000 Guineas) and pedigree was going to develop into a highly effective the champion sires Nearctic, Great Nephew and broodmare sire, just as his sire and Northern Taste. The family has more recently produced grandsire had done before him. another exceptionally influential broodmare in Balidaress.

www.coolmore.com Miss Melody=s purchase yielded one major dividend Incidentally, another Danehill stallion, Danehill for the Aga, in the form of Masskana=s dam, the Thatch Dancer, was mated with a mare from Eagle Rock=s filly Masarika. Having won the Prix du Bois and Prix family and this mare--an unraced granddaughter of Miss Robert Papin as a two-year-old, Masarika triumphed in Melody by Sadler=s Wells--produced the 2006 G3 the French 1,000 Guineas in 1984. By the time winner Danehill Music. Masskana came up for auction in 1994, Masarika had Eagle Mountain=s efforts have been largely been represented by her group-winning sons Massyar responsible for ensuring that Rock of Gibraltar is going (G2 Gallinule S. and third in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas) to finish among the leading first-crop sires of 2006. I=d and Madjaristan (GIII Arcadia H. and third in the GI have to say, though, that I was expecting more from Eddie Read H.), so Masskana had plenty going for her. this magnificent racehorse--a winner of seven straight Masskana=s new owner has given her every chance, Group 1 races--than he has accomplished so far. and has been amply rewarded, both on the racetrack However, he started the 2003 covering season in and in the sales ring. Her 1996 Royal Academy colt, competition with his peerless sire at Coolmore. Wallace, went within a short head of becoming a group Unfortunately Danehill=s death in mid-May, 2003, winner, earning a Timeform rating of 117 in the meant that Rock of Gibraltar led Coolmore=s Danehill process, and Sulk, her 1999 filly by Selkirk, did even team in 2004, at a fee of i65,000, so it=s possible that better. Sulk won the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, carrying his second crop is destined to help fulfil my James Wigan=s colors, and was later placed in the expectations. and Prix Royal-Oak, showing plenty of stamina for a daughter of Selkirk. These successes helped four of Masskana=s yearlings to sell for between 220,000gns and 300,000gns. One of those yearlings, the Rock of Gibraltar colt Eagle Mountain, provided his sire with his first group success when he strode right away from the opposition in the G2 Juddmonte Beresford S. His impressive display caused Eagle Mountain=s odds for next year=s 2,000 Guineas to be generally reduced to around 14-1 behind the favourite , who beat Eagle Mountain by only a head in the G2 Futurity S. Eagle Mountain=s Group 2 victory must have been good news to Charlie Gordon-Watson, who recently paid 300,000gns--the best price so far for a member of Rock of Gibraltar=s second crop--for another colt out of a Darshaan mare. Darshaan=s daughters have made enormous progress since Masskana came on the market in 1994. He has rarely been out of the top four broodmare sires over the last nine years, with five top-two finishes and a total of over 20 Group 1 winners. Ever since Darshaan mares started to enjoy spectacular success with Sadler=s Wells and some of his sons, breeders have tended to follow this route with a single-minded devotion. This cross now has nearly 200 foals of racing age and has produced 13 percent stakes winners. However, there are encouraging signs that Darshaan mares might also have a bright future with the male line, including the Danehill branch. Polish Precedent, a son of Danzig, sired this year=s French Derby winner Darsi from a Darshaan mare, and he also had two Group 2 winners among his 23 foals bred this way. Green Desert and his son Desert Prince are others with stakes winners out of Darshaan=s daughters. As for Danehill, he left only 12 foals out of Darshaan mares but they include Catcher In The Rye, a strong-finishing second in the 2003 French 2,000 Guineas, Mountain High, a narrowly beaten second in a pair of Group 2 contests this year, and an Australian stakes winner. Now Rock of Gibraltar has come up with a potential classic colt with his first mating with a daughter of Darshaan.