Andrew Caulfield, September 19, 2006–Kastoria (Ire) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS BY ANDREW CAULFIELD IRISH FIELD ST LEGER-G1, i300,000, Curragh, 9-16, 3yo/up, 1 3/4mT, 3:01.03, gd. 1--sKASTORIA (IRE), 133, m, 5, by Selkirk 1st Dam: Kassana (Ire) (GSW-Fr), by Shernazar (Ire) 2nd Dam: Kassiyda (Ire), by Mill Reef 3rd Dam: Kadissya, by Blushing Groom (Fr) O-His Highness The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC; T-John Oxx; J-Michael Kinane; i174,600. Lifetime Record: SW & GSP-Eng, GSP-Fr & Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 11-14f & 14f+, 11-6-4-0, i402,250. Click for brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree or for the Racing Post race chart. It was time to sit up and take notice when the Aga Khan decided to keep Kastoria in training this year at the age of five. A survey of the latest edition of the Aga=s stud book reveals that that the vast majority of his homebred broodmares, which number around 170, were retired after their three-year-old season. If I=ve counted correctly, there were only 16 exceptions to this rule and none of these 16 had been given the chance to compete at the age of five. So why was Kastoria asked to break new ground? The decision to keep her in training possibly owed something to Europe=s much improved programme for older fillies and mares, but I suspect that the main reason was that Kastoria still had so much untapped potential. A severe sinus problem, which was relieved by a hole being bored into her face, had severely restricted her career as a young filly. Consequently, this big daughter of Selkirk hadn=t made her debut until the June of her four-year-old season, when she failed to win a maiden race for four-year-olds and up at Wexford, one of Ireland=s minor tracks. Fortunately, Kastoria quickly showed the benefit of that initial experience and before long she was competing with credit in stakes company. By the end of the season she had raced six times for two wins and four seconds, including two seconds at Group 2 level. According to the Racing Post handicappers, Kastoria had improved virtually with every race and her final effort was rewarded with a rating of 114. There were clearly plenty of opportunities available to a mare of this class, but even Kastoria=s connections must be a little surprised at how well her current campaign has gone. When she wore down Yeats to take the G1 Irish St Leger, she was winning for the fourth time in five starts in 2006, and she is likely to continue to tackle the males. Kastoria is by no means the first daughter of Selkirk to shine after the age of three. Squeak (GI Beverly Hills H. and GI Matriarch S.), Favourable Terms (G1 Nassau S.), Field of Hope (G1 Prix de la Foret), Red Bloom and the late-maturing Freedonia are other Selkirk daughters which have scored at group level at four. www.coolmore.com And Kastoria isn=t the first to shine in a St Leger, as Kassiyda, Kastoria=s second dam, won at around Sulk, another of Selkirk=s Group 1-winning daughters, 1 1/4 miles, but her achievements on the track were was second in the French St Leger. Selkirk=s 1000 less significant than her bloodlines. With Mill Reef as Guineas winner Wince produced Quiff, a close second her sire and Blushing Groom as her broodmare sire, in the 2004 St Leger. Kassiyda had a pedigree which combined two brilliant It is hardly surprising that Selkirk=s progeny often performers bred along similar lines. Mill Reef and train on extremely well. At nearly 16.3 hands, Selkirk is Blushing Groom were both sired by sons of Nasrullah one of the bigger stallions in Britain and he was narrow and both came from families tracing to Black Ray, as a young horse. In other words, he was just the type through the sisters Infra Red and •clair. Incidentally, to improve with maturity. Although he showed plenty Blushing Groom was a son of Red God, who also of potential as a two-year-old, he wasn=t able to fulfil appears in Selkirk=s pedigree, as the grandsire of his this promise during the first half of his second season. broodmare sire, Nebbiolo. Selkirk sired the Italian The possibility existed that he was simply racing over champion Altieri from a Blushing Groom mare, and too far, as he tackled 1 1/4 miles and 1 7/16 miles, but Kastoria is his sixth stakes winner with a Mill Reef mare he also disappointed when he was returned to a mile as its second dam, two of the others being the Group 2 and another explanation emerged. Selkirk needed to winner Highdown and the Derby third Border Arrow. have an undescended testicle removed, after which he Kastoria=s female line has served the Aga Khan and was transformed into an outstanding miler. his forebearers extremely well for an extremely long time. The family traces all the way back to KASTORIA (IRE), m, 2001 Qurrat-Al-Ain, one of the foundation mares acquired by Native Dancer the current Aga=s grandfather in 1928. More recently, it Atan Mixed Marriage (GB) was Kastoria=s third dam Kadissya who provided the Sharpen Up (GB) Rockefella (GB) Aga with the dual Derby winner Kahyasi (who has Rocchetta (GB) Chambiges (Fr) found lasting fame through his daughter Hasili). Selkirk Yellow God (Ire) Kadissya was also a half-sister to Kalata, whose Nebbiolo (GB) Novara (Ger) grandson Milan won the English St Leger in 2001, so Annie Edge (Ire) Be Friendly (GB) this family is a proven source of Classic stamina. Friendly Court (Ire) No Court (GB) Crepello (GB) Busted (GB) Sans Le Sou (GB) Shernazar (Ire) Val de l’Oir (Fr) Sharmeen (Fr) Kassana (Ire) Nasreen (Ire) GSW-Fr Never Bend 7Fls, 1GSW Mill Reef Kassiyda (Ire) Milan Mill Wnr 12Fls, 2GSW Kadissya 12Fls, Blushing Groom (Fr) 1Ch, 2GSW, 1SW Kalkeen (Ire) Although Selkirk disappointed on all three occasions he ventured beyond a mile, he has been a prolific source of very talented performers from 1 1/4 miles to 1 3/4 miles. This year alone he has enjoyed stakes success in that distance range with Freedonia, Kastoria, Kiswahili, Linas Selection, Riyalma, Scottish Stage and Tam Lin. But, as a son of Sharpen Up, Selkirk is also capable of siring good sprinters, with The Trader, Etlaala, Jedburgh and Reve de Paix among the current examples. Much, obviously, depends on the type of mare which Selkirk receives, and Kastoria is out of Kassana, a stoutly bred Shernazar mare who gained her best success in the G3 Prix Minerve over 1 9/16 miles. Kassana is also a half-sister to Kassani, an Alleged colt who triumphed in the G2 Prix Kergorlay over 1 7/8 miles. Kastoria is the second tough mare sired by Selkirk from a daughter of Shernazar, her predecessor being the Grade II winner Country Garden, who was second or third in four graded stakes as a five-year-old in 2000. .