Pedigree Insights

Andrew Caulfield, July 31, 2007–Alexandros (GB) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS The stylish winner of this Group 3 event at Deauville was Sheikh Mohammed's very progressive Kingmambo BY ANDREW CAULFIELD colt Alexandros, who looks capable of adding to his sire's considerable achievements in Europe. He has already won three consecutive races, following a half- Sunday, Deauville, France length debut defeat, and he wasn't fazed by dropping PRIX DE CABOURG-G3, 80,000, Deauville, 7-29, 2yo, i to six furlongs in the Cabourg after two wins at seven. 6fT, 1:13.90, gd. When Kingmambo's tough daughter Light Shift @ALEXANDROS (GB), 123, c, 2, by Kingmambo landed the Oaks at Epsom two months ago, she 1st Dam: Arlette (Ire), by King of Kings (Ire) became no less than the seventh Classic winner in 2nd Dam: High Hawk (Ire), by Shirley Heights (GB) Britain or France for the Lane's End stallion, sire also of 3rd Dam: Sunbittern (GB), by Sea Hawk (Fr) a Belmont S. winner in Lemon Drop Kid and a Japanese O-Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Derby winner in King Kamehameha. B-Darley; T-Andre Fabre; J-Olivier Peslier; i40,000. Light Shift's predecessors were King's Best (2000 Guineas), Bluemamba (French 1000 Guineas), Russian Lifetime Record: 4 starts, 3 wins, 1 place, i84,200. Rhythm (1000 Guineas), Rule of Law (St Leger), Click for the Racing Post race chart. Virginia Waters (1000 Guineas) and Divine Proportions (French 1000 Guineas and Oaks). During a weekend of seven Grade I events in the U.S. The fascinating aspect of Alexandros's pedigree is and Europe, we saw Awesome Again represented by that it bears distinct similarities to those of Virginia his eighth Grade I winner from his first four crops and Waters and Divine Proportions. Neither of these fillies Giant's Causeway come up with his fifth Grade 1 was old enough to have demonstrated her talent by the winner from his sole Irish crop. The Grade I/Group 1 time the mating which resulted in Alexandros took contests also produced excellent performances from place, so I am guessing that the inspiration for the mating was provided by Whipper, a brother-in-blood to Dylan Thomas, Lawyer Ron, Darjina and Soldier Hollow Divine Proportions sired by Kingmambo's brother but, as all of these horses or stallions have been written Miesque's Son. about in this column, I am turning my attention to the comparatively unimportant Prix de Cabourg. Cont. www.coolmore.com Whipper had belied his $4000 price tag as a weanling Her dam High Hawk had established herself as one of by winning the G1 Prix Morny in 2003, and by the time Shirley Heights's most accomplished daughters, both he retired to Ballylinch Stud he had increased his on the track and as a broodmare--and that is saying number of Group 1 victories at the Deauville festival to something. A Group 1 and Group 2 winner at around 1 three. Another incentive for sending Sadler's Wells 3/4 miles, High Hawk had been a regular visitor to mares to Kingmambo had been provided by El Condor Sadler's Wells, with her visits rewarding Sheikh Pasa, the star Japanese colt who had been the highlight Mohammed with the excellent In the Wings and his of Kingmambo's first crop. El Condor Pasa had an group-winning brothers Hunting Hawk, Hawker's News unusually intricate pedigree, featuring 4x3 inbreeding to and Morozov. This family has produced several other Northern Dancer, 4x4 to Special, 5x5x4 to both Forli group winners to Sadler's Wells and his sons Barathea and Thong and 4x5 to Native Dancer. and Beat Hollow, so Arlette has plenty of notable close For any Sadler's Wells mare, a mating to Kingmambo relatives. Her family also produced the Derby winner produces 4x3 inbreeding to Northern Dancer, 4x4 to High-Rise to a son of Shirley Heights and Sheikh Special and 4x5 to Native Dancer, with the duplications Mohammed's Irish 2000 Guineas winner Dubawi is out to Northern Dancer and Special being particularly attra- of a grand-daughter of Shirley Heights from this ctive in view of the extraordinary success enjoyed by distinguished family. the triumvirate of Nureyev, Sadler's Wells and Fairy King. It is going to be fascinating to see whether Indeed this cross has proved so compelling that there Alexandros proves superior to another member of are now 73 foals of racing age by Kingmambo out of Kingmambo's 2005 crop--the Crown of Crimson colt Sadler's Wells mares, with Alexandros being one of which was recruited to Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin more than a dozen two-year-olds. These two-year-olds team at a cost of $11.7 million last September. That also include another highly promising European juvenile crop numbers nearly 80 juveniles, but it was the last in Henrythenavigator, who kept his unbeaten record sired by Kingmambo before health problems began to intact in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. compromise his activities. Henrythenavigator is a full brother to Queen Cleopatra, Kingmambo was able to cover only 37 mares in a Group 3 winner good enough to finish third in both 2005, which means that he has only 22 yearlings in the Irish 1000 Guineas and French Oaks last year. 2007. Rarity value, coupled with Kingmambo's recent Breeders without the wherewithal to send their results, is certain to make any sales yearlings by him Sadler's Wells mares to Kingmambo have been happy very hot properties in the fall. to use his Classic-winning son King's Best as a Native Dancer substitute. This prolific cross has produced several Raise a Native Rasie You stakes winners, including Best Alibi, third in the 2006 Mr. Prospector Nashua Irish Derby, and Creachadoir, a close second in this Gold Digger Sequence year's French and Irish 2000 Guineas. Kingmambo Northern Dancer But there is more in common in the pedigrees of Nureyev Special Whipper, Divine Proportions, Virginia Waters and Miesque Prove Out Alexandros than just Kingmambo and Sadler's Wells. Pasadoble Whipper and Divine Proportions are out of Myth to *Santa Quilla Northern Dancer Reality, a mare by Sadler's Wells out Millieme, a sister Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge to the Derby and Irish Derby winner Shirley Heights. King of Kings (Ire) Habitat Virginia Waters, for her part, has Sadler's Wells and Zummerudd (Ire) Shirley Heights as the sire of her first two dams. Arlette (Ire) Ampulla (Ire) Alexandros is the first foal of Arlette, a mare by 3Fls, 1GSW High Hawk (Ire) Shirley Heights Mill Reef Sadler's Wells's Classic-winning son King of Kings, and G1SW, 12 starts, 6 (GB) Hardiemma (GB) the colt's second dam is High Hawk, this Shirley wins Sunbittern (GB) Sea Hawk (Fr) 17Fls, 4GSW Heights mare being a sister to Virginia Waters' second Pantoufle (GB) dam. It is worth adding that Sequoyah, the dam of Henrythenavigator and Queen Cleopatre, is also bred on the Sadler's Wells--Never Bend cross, and that the Oaks-winning Light Shift is out of a mare by none other than Shirley Heights. It was a bold move to send an unproven mare like Arlette to a stallion as expensive as Kingmambo, whose 2004 fee was $225,000. Although she won three times at around a mile in France, her wins had come in the provinces and it was already apparent that her sire, King of Kings, was heading for disaster as a stallion in the Northern Hemisphere. However, any shortcomings on King of King's part were more than compensated for by Arlette's outstanding female line. .

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