Andrew Caulfield, February 22, 2011- (Aus) After all, Australian sprinters have tended to PEDIGREE INSIGHTS dominate Royal Ascot=s feature sprints in recent years, BY ANDREW CAULFIELD with Choisir ( Dancer {Ire}), ( {GB}), (Ihtiram {Ire}) and COOLMORE LIGHTNING S.-G1, A$750,000, Scenic Blast (Scenic {Ire}) all taking the King=s Stand S. Flemington, 2-19, 5fT, 2yo/up, :57.20, dead. Choisir followed up in the Golden Jubilee, a race that 1--BLACK CAVIAR (AUS), 125, f, 4, by Bel Esprit (Aus) also fell to another Aussie raider, 1st Dam: Helsinge (Aus), by Desert Sun (GB) (Choisir {Aus}), last year. Starspangledbanner went on 2nd Dam: Scandinavia (Aus), by Snippets (Aus) to take the , with the Australian mare Alverta 3rd Dam: Song of Norway (Aus), by (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}) a good third; Choisir had put up a O-G J & Mrs K J Wilkie, Werrett Bloodstock P/L bold show against () in the Synd, C & Mrs J Madden, P Hawkes & D M & Mrs J Newmarket Group 1 seven years earlier. Taylor; B-Mr R Jamieson; T-Peter Moody; J-Luke The merit of these globetrotting sprinters has been Nolen; A$450,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+ recognised in the World Rankings. With a Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. rating of 123, Black Caviar was the highest-rated Click for the Racing Post chart, the free brisnet.com sprinter in the older horses section of the 2010 catalogue-style pedigree or the video. rankings, four pounds above the best of America=s specialist sprinters, Big Drama (Montbrook), Kinsale When I saw the result of =s Lightning S. at King (Yankee Victor) and Majesticperfection (Harlan=s the weekend, I jumped to the conclusion that the Holiday). Starspangledbanner was included in the connections of the stunning winner, Black Caviar, three-year-old section and he too was rated four would be busily arranging for their excellent mare to pounds higher than the best American specialist, tackle the major English sprints in June and July. Smiling Tiger (Hold That Tiger). It had been a similar story in 2009, when the top PEDIGREE INSIGHTS... three sprinters in the older horse section all carried the Get pedigree expert Andrew Caulfield’s (Aus) suffix after their name (one was based in Hong take on racing’s newsmakers! Kong and another in ). You can find all of Caulfield’s columns in the TDN Archive. Caulfield cont.

www.coolmore.com The -based Aussie, Both sons did very well. Magnus won the G1 AJC (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), had been considered the equal The Galaxy over 5 1/2 furlongs in 2007 and finished of Midnight Lute (Real Quiet) in 2008, when these two second to Miss Andretti in the Lightning S. before being were followed in the older sprinter rankings by two sent by Peter Moody to , where he finished a more Australians in Weekend Hussler (Hussonet) and good third in the King=s Stand S. Wilander also showed (Lion Cavern). I could go on, but I=m plenty of speed, with one of his group victories coming assuming that you already get the picture--that horses in the G2 Schillaci S., a race won by Black Caviar in bred in Australia are proving a match for any in the 2010. world over sprint distances. Both of Scandinavia=s fast sons were by sons of Unfortunately for those of us in Europe, it sounds as Danehill, and Black Caviar=s dam Helsinge was also by a though Black Caviar=s trainer Peter Moody is reluctant -line stallion in Desert Sun. This handsome son to test the daughter of Bel Esprit against the top of Green Desert never quite managed to fulfil the high Europeans in their own backyard, at least this year. hopes he sometimes raised on the racetrack, but he This is a pity, as Black Caviar looks ideally qualified to made amends by siring that extraordinary mare , boost the reputation of Australasian bloodstock in who clocked up 13 Group 1 victories in New Zealand, much the same way that Starcraft (Soviet Star), Australia and Hong Kong. Haradasun (Fusaichi Pegasus) and the previously Black Caviar is Helsinge=s first foal, her latest being a mentioned sprinters did during the noughties. We also 2010 Redoute=s Choice filly which is inbred 3x4 to have the fascinating prospect of the New Zealand-bred, Danzig. Australian-raced (High Chaparral {Ire}) Black Caviar was one of three runners by Bel Esprit in competing in Europe=s top middle-distance events this the Lightning S. field. The son of is year. clearly passing on plenty of the speed which brought As with most horses bred in the Southern him six group victories at less than seven furlongs, Hemisphere, Black Caviar possesses a cosmopolitan including Group 1 wins in the Blue Diamond S. at two pedigree. Although both her parents, Bel Esprit and the and the Doomben Ten Thousand at three. unraced Helsinge, were bred in Australia, Bel Esprit was Mating Helsinge to Bel Esprit produces 3x4 sired during one of Royal Academy=s flying visits from inbreeding to Vain, a champion at two and three in Ashford Stud, and Helsinge is by Desert Sun, a British- Australia before becoming a champion sire and bred import. champion broodmare sire. From an American viewpoint To add to the mix, Black Caviar has the distinction of it is arguably more interesting that Black Caviar is having a fourth dam, Love Song, who was foaled in inbred 5x5 to Silly Season. This winner of the Denmark. Love Song competed in Britain, Sweden and Dewhurst S. and Champion S. for Paul Mellon was a Denmark, notably winning the 1979 Dansk Oaks. son of Tom Fool. Tom Fool in turn was one of the best After being sold for 4,600 guineas, Love Song was sons of Menow, the influential stallion who appears sent to Australia, where she produced two colts and twice in the fourth generation of Royal Academy=s three fillies. Two of the fillies produced group winners, pedigree. with Song of Kingston producing Muirfeld Village, a colt good enough to finish second in the G1 Victoria Derby and G1 Spring Champion S. BLACK CAVIAR (AUS), f, 2006 However, the daughter that concerns us here is Love II Song=s Vain filly, Song of Norway. This mare=s name Royal Academy and heritage provided scope for some chilly-sounding Crimson Saint names, and she enjoyed stakes success with Frosty Bolero Rose Bel Esprit (Aus) The Snowman, Midnight Sun and Russian Tea Room, Wilkes (Fr) Vain (Aus) as well as with Black Caviar=s second dam Scandinavia. Elated (Aus) Bespoken (Aus) Scandinavia was a daughter of Snippets, a leading Adios (GB) Vin d’Amour (NZ) two-year-old and sprinter who once finished second in Gliteren (NZ) the Lightning S. (the race won by Black Caviar three Danzig Green Desert days ago). Scandinavia became one of the 50-plus Foreign Courier Desert Sun (GB) stakes winners by Snippets, winning the G3 Blue Hotfoot (GB) Solar (GB) Diamond Preview over five furlongs at two and the six- Helsinge (Aus) Languissola (GB) Unraced panel QTC Cup at three. Her speed also brought her Lunchtime (GB) 4Fls, 1GSW Snippets (Aus) third place in the 1999 Lightning S. Scandinavia (Aus) Easy Date (Aus) I=m guessing here, but I wonder whether MGSW-Aus 10Fls, 2GSW Song of Norway (Aus) Vain (Aus) Scandinavia=s owners were tennis fans. Her 2002 12Fls,1GSW, 3SW Love Song (Den) Flying Spur colt was named Magnus, perhaps after Magnus Norman, a Swede who was a semi-finalist at the 2000 Australian Open. There can be no doubt that Wilander, her 2005 son by Exceed and Excel, was Caulfield cont. named in honor of the Swedish champion who won the Australian Open three times. Incidentally, Royal Academy covered his last mares at the age of 22 in Australia in 2009, siring nine live foals from 14 mares. This winner of the July Cup and Breeders= Cup Mile was represented by Group 1 winners in the U.S., Britain, Ireland, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Brazil and South Africa, so it is going to be interesting to see where he makes the longest-lasting impact. It could well be Australia, as Bel Esprit is his second Australian son to sire a major sprinter, the first being Ihtiram, sire of Miss Andretti. One of Royal Academy=s daughters is the dam of , a Lightning S. winner who is now covering his second book of mares at Coolmore in Ireland, having become a six-figure stallion in Australia.