Andrew Caulfield-Sept. 9, G Force (Ire) Five of his six Grade I winners won over nine furlongs PEDIGREE INSIGHTS or more, and among them were Thunder Gulch, winner B Y A N D R E W C A U L F I E L D of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont S., and the European star Nayef. BETFRED SPRINT CUP-G1, ,273,000, HAY, 9-6, Although Nayef=s finest performances arguably came 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:12.95, gd. over a mile and a quarter (in winning the Champion S., 1--#@sG FORCE (IRE), 127, c, 3, by Tamayuz (GB) Juddmonte International and Prince of Wales=s S.), he 1st Dam: Flanders (Ire) (SW & MGSP-Eng, also stayed a mile and a half well enough to win the $387,113), by Common Grounds (GB) G1 Dubai Sheema Classic 2nd Dam: Family at War, by Explodent and to finish a head 3rd Dam: Sometimes Perfect, by Bold Bidder second in the G2 King (70,000gns yrl >12 TATDEC; 25,000gns HRA >13 George. His half-brothers TATHIT). O-Middleham Park Racing XVIII & Partner; Unfuwain and Nashwan B-Kildaragh Stud & Twelve Oaks Stud Est (IRE); had also tackled the King T-David O=Meara; J-Daniel Tudhope. ,154,818. George, with Unfuwain Lifetime Record: 8-3-2-1, ,190,405. *1/2 to Louvain finishing second in 1988 (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}), GSW-US & MSP-Fr, $223,742; and Nashwan winning a G Force and Laajooj (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), SW-Eng, $200,937. year later. Clearly there Racing Post Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5- were no issues about cross pedigree. Click for the Racing Post result, the stamina in this Height of Fashion family. brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style However, perhaps thanks to Gulch=s influence, pedigree. VIDEO, courtesy Racing UK. Nayef=s stallion career certainly hasn=t been dominated Classifying Mr. Prospector=s son Gulch as a champion by stayers (though one of his sons, Snow Sky, is sprinter may be essentially accurate, but this among the leading contenders for the G1 St Leger later description certainly doesn=t tell the whole story. The this week). For example, Nayef=s Royal Ascot winners fact that his dam Jameela had flourished over a mile Mustajeeb and Spacious were respectively successful in and a quarter, winning the GI Ladies H. and the G3 Jersey S. over seven furlongs at three and the GI Delaware H., persuaded Gulch=s connections that he G2 Windsor Forest S. over a mile at four. was worth trying in the Triple Crown events of 1987. His best winner, Tamayuz, also showed plenty of This bold attitude was rewarded with sixth place in the speed in a career spent exclusively over a mile. GI Kentucky Derby, fourth place in the GI Preakness The possibility, therefore, existed that Tamayuz and a remote third in the GI Belmont S. and Gulch was would sire plenty of individuals which would display even asked to end his sophomore season in the more stamina than he had a chance to. In fact, the Breeders= Cup Classic. reverse has been true with his best progeny, as his However, the writers of APrincipal Racehorses of progressive son G Force demonstrated with his victory 1987@ weren=t fooled. They made a telling point about in the G1 Betfred Sprint Cup over six furlongs three Gulch's record in the 21 races he packed into his 2- and days ago, 3-year-old seasons. To Tamayuz=s considerable credit, G Force is the fifth APeople who look at the 1987 past performances of group winner to emerge from the 125 foals in the Gulch will conclude that he was a plodder who couldn=t stallion=s first two crops. He follows Sir Prancealot beat top-class competition. The impression couldn=t be (G2 Flying Childers S. over five furlongs as a more deceptive. Gulch was a natural sprinter or miler. 2-year-old), the filly Thawaany (recently a close second His career record at a mile or less was 7-for-10; beyond in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest after winning a a mile he was 1-for-11, and his lone victory at 9f, in the G3 over six furlongs), Brown Sugar (G3 Molecomb S. Wood Memorial S., came at the expense of Gone West, over five furlongs and the G3 Sirenia S. over six) and another son of Mr. Prospector who couldn=t go the Meiner Eternel (a Group 3 winner over six furlongs in distance.@ Japan as a 2-year-old). Other talented sprinters by him These comments were thoroughly vindicated during include Taayel and Best Regards. the 1988 season, when Gulch added another 11 starts It may well be relevant that Tamayuz=s broodmare to his extensive resume. Although he was beaten in all sire is the brilliant Nureyev. In addition to siring 1 1/2 four of his races over nine furlongs as a 4-year-old, mile performers of the calibre of Theatrical and Peintre Gulch won five of his seven starts at a mile or less, Celebre, this very versatile stallion also sired plenty of ending his career on a very high note at the Breeders= fast European performers. Think Soviet Star, Cup, this time winning the Sprint. Stravinsky, Fasliyev, Polar Falcon and Wolfhound. So, This durable horse also landed the GI Metropolitan H. with Gulch and Nureyev as his grandsires, it isn=t so for a second time. His first victory illustrated his surprising that Tamayuz=s career has taken this turn. toughness, as it came in the midst of his Triple Crown This trend towards speed in Tamayuz=s progeny ventures, nine days after the Preakness. should help endear him to Ireland=s commercial It therefore seemed safe to neatly pigeon-hole Gulch breeders, who were somewhat lukewarm about him, as a sprinter-miler, but then he proceeded to confuse judging by the number of mares he covered in his first the issue as a stallion. four years. Perhaps Tamayuz didn=t help himself by finishing a disappointing fourth in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in his only appearance outside France. Whatever the reason, he covered 87 mares in his first season, 79 in his second, 26 in his third and 57 in his fourth. It is arguably a measure of his talent and potential that his small third crop has already produced two group-placed 2-year-olds in Tupi and Quinta Verde. Of course, some of the credit for the speed being displayed by Tamayuz=s progeny must go to the bottom half of their pedigrees. G Force is a perfect example. His dam Flanders raced exclusively over five and six furlongs during a 19-race career. She proved best at five furlongs, winning the Windsor Castle S. and the valuable Weatherbys Super Sprint at two and finishing a short-head second in the G2 King=s Stand S. at three. Flanders has since proved a wonderfully consistent winner producer and G Force=s Grade 1 victory is her just reward. Her Grade III-winning daughter Louvain had beaten her to the distinction of producing a Grade I winner, as her Mizzen Mast filly was Flotilla, winner of the Breeders= Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Poule d=Essai des Pouliches. Flanders= half-sister Land Army has also produced a top-class performer in Lethal Force, who established himself as last year=s best sprinter in Britain with his Grade 1 victories in the Diamond Jubilee and the July Cup. These three Group 1 winners show that great oaks can indeed grow from little acorns. Family At War, the Florida-bred daughter of Explodent who produced Flanders and Land Army, had only one opponent when she gained her solitary success, in a five-furlong maiden race at Pontefract at two. G FORCE (IRE), c, 2011 Gulch Mr Prospector Nayef Jameela Height of Fashion Bustino (GB) (Fr) Tamayuz (GB) Highclere (GB) Nureyev Northern Dancer Al Ishq (Fr) Special Allez Les Trois Riverman Allegretta (GB) Kris (GB) Sharpen Up (GB) Common Grounds Doubly Sure (GB) (GB) Flanders (Ire) Sweetly (Fr) Lyphard 19-6-4-1 Sweet and Lovely 11 Fls, 2 GSW, Nearctic 1 SW Family at War Explodent 9-1-2-0 Venomous 14 Fls, 2 SW Sometimes Perfect Bold Bidder Miss Ribot.