Greys Inn
Legal Eagle, winner of Saturday’s Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, is a member of a formidable male line, which has enjoyed a tremendous run of success in 2015.
A son of former July winner and Equus Champion, Greys Inn (by Zabeel), Legal Eagle traces back directly to the great sire, Turn-To, whose descendants have made their mark the world over. In 2015, this particular male line was responsible for the champion sires in all of Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa – quite a feat in an era where the Native Dancer and Northern Dancer male lines generally reign supreme.
Japan
Deep Impact
In Japan, Deep Impact landed his fourth consecutive sires’ crown – his sire Sunday Silence traces back directly to Turn-To through his grandsire, Hail To Reason. Sire of more than 20 Gr1 winners, Deep Impact had runners last season that included Gr1 Hong Kong Cup hero, A Shin Hikari and Gr1 George Ryder winner, Real Impact.
Another descendant of this great male line to flourish in Japan last year was Maurice, recently named that country’s Horse of The Year for 2015. Winner of both the Gr1 Yasuda Kinen and Gr1 Hong Kong Mile last year when unbeaten during the season, Maurice is a son of Gr1 Japan Cup winner, Screen Hero, with the latter being a great grandson of Derby winner and hugely influential sire, Roberto (by Hail To Reason). Remarkably, nine of the top 11 sires (by prize money) last year in Japan are descendants of Turn-To.
Turn-To’s son, Hail To Reason, has more than made his mark in Japan, his son Roberto being the sire of important sires, Brian’s Time and Real Shadai, while another son, Halo, is responsible for dominant champion sire, Sunday Silence, whose sons and grandsons now dominate the Japanese sire lists.
New Zealand
In New Zealand it was another branch of the male line to take championship honours. Savabeel is a direct descendant of Turn-To’s son, Sir Gaylord, whose grandson, Sir Tristram, was one of the greatest stallions ever to stand at stud in the Southern Hemisphere. Savabeel completed a rare male line generation trio, as he, his sire, Zabeel and his grandsire, Sir Tristram, have now all won general sires titles in New Zealand. Savabeel is currently second on the 2015-2016 general sires list, with another Zabeel son, Zed, being in seventh place.
South Africa
Al Mufti
Captain Al picked up his first general sires list in South Africa last season, where he was the first Turn-To male line descendant to prevail in this country since his own sire, Al Mufti (by Roberto), took the title back in 1999. Al Mufti ranks as one of the best sires in recent times to have stood in South Africa, with his offspring including not only Captain Al but 11 other Gr1 winners, and he has since become a highly successful broodmare sire (Inbreeding to Al Mufti has been seen to succeed here, with the graded stakes winners, Flash Drive and Hot Affair, both inbred to the Roberto son). Seven times champion sire of 2yos and consistently among the top stallions in South Africa, Captain Al was joined by his champion son, Captain Of All, at Klawervlei in 2015.
Interestingly, another of the country’s top stallions, Dynasty, traces back directly in female line to Source Sucree (his sixth dam) – the dam of Turn-To himself. Exciting young sire, Philanthropist, whose first local crop race this season, is another interesting descendant of Turn-To.
Australia
More Than Ready
Another hugely successful modern day sire descended from Hail To Reason and thus from Turn-To is the Southern Halo son, More Than Ready. A horse whose descendants have excelled the world over (his South African runners including the Gr1 winners Entisaar and Gimmethegreenlight), More Than Ready was represented by 15 stakes winners last year.
The former Gr1 King’s Bishop Stakes winner reached a notable landmark recently, when Centre Pivot became his 150th stakes winner, when successful in the Listed Bernborough Handicap. The sire of three Breeders’ Cup winners to date, and sire of promising stallions Pluck (NZ’s currently third leading first crop sire) and Sebring (whose first crop included Horse Of The Year, Dissident), More Than Ready has headed the leading sires of 2yos lists in both Australia and North America.
U.K.
Yet another promising sire to have emerged from this male line is five time Gr1 winning miler, Canford Cliffs, who ended 2015 as the third leading first crop sire in Britain (by stakes). The son of Hail To Reason descendant and former Gr1 Prix Morny hero Tagula, made a bright start, included producing a pair of Group winners in his first crop of 2yos – Most Beautiful and Painted Cliffs.
Turn-To, the founder of this remarkable and ongoing dynasty, made just eight starts, winning six of them. His notable wins included the Garden State Stakes at two and the (subsequent Gr1) Flamingo Stakes at three. A chestnut son of Nasrullah’s three parts brother, Royal Charger, Turn-To has been described by various sources as a “deep-bodied, muscular, handsome chestnut with a look of great quality and plenty of natural speed”.
His best performers included champion 2yos, First Landing, (sire of fellow 2yo champ Riva Ridge) and Hail To Reason, the Gr1 Futurity winner and successful sire, Cyane, Best Turn (sire of outstanding sire, Coxs Ridge) and Sir Gaylord (sire of Derby winner Sir Ivor and outstanding sire and broodmare sire Habitat). Turn-To sired a total of 25 stakes winners in all.
