Boland Stud’s Eugene Freeman was all smiles after Tuesday’s thrilling victory in the Gr1 Epsom Oaks at Epsom on Friday – and for good reason.
Tuesday (Ryan Moore) gets the better of the luckless Emily Upjohn under Frankie Dettori (Pic – Ballydoyle)
Currently roaming the Ceres stud’s paddocks is English-bred mare Elisium. The daughter of Proclamation never raced, but is a half-sister to Hoity Toity, who features as the grandam of the latest Oaks winner, Tuesday. She won the Epsom Classic on what was her birthday, having been foaled on 3 June 2019!
Trained by Irish maestro Aidan O’Brien, Tuesday is the third Classic winner produced by Hoity Toity’s outstanding daughter Lillie Langtry, a dual Gr1 winner also trained at Ballydoyle.
Sired by Coolmore’s late supremo Galileo, Tuesday emulated own sister Minding, who won the Oaks and Irish 1000 Guineas in 2016, while her year-older sister Empress Josephine captured last year’s Gr1 Irish 1000 Guineas. Completing the stakes quartet is full sister and Gr3 winner Kissed By Angels.
But back to Elisium. Eugene recalls her purchase at the 2018 Cape Mare and Weanling from the draft of Klawervlei Stud.
“Farrier John Gatt put me onto the mare after he pointed out her smashing Pomodoro weanling at the time. On the strength of that, I purchased her and now own her in partnership with Lee Scribante.”
Russian Rock wins the Gr1 Cape Guineas in 2020 (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Gatt duly purchased the Pomodoro colt, subsequently named Russian Rock. He would step into the history books as yet another Classic winner for this fine family with his victory in the 2020 Gr1 Cape Guineas.
A runner in this coming Saturday’s Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, and a Hollywoodbets Durban July prospect, Russian Rock is a grey, like his dam. “She’s just below average size but beautifully-balanced with a great temperament and throws good-looking foals.”
Elisium was in foal to Red Ray at the time of purchase and the resultant foal, the Scribante-raced filly Seconda Error, won her maiden at the end of April.
Eugene adds: “Greg Bortz owns her juvenile filly Daisy Duke, who is by Galileo’s son The United States, so is bred on similar lines as Tuesday. Her next foal, a beautiful colt by Lancaster Bomber was foaled late and will go to the November 2YO Sale. She has a cracking colt at foot by One World and is currently in foal to Vercingetorix.”
Tuesday’s victory provided Aidan O’Brien with a record-breaking 41st British Classic success when she prevailed in a thrilling finish under Ryan Moore,
Tuesday has achieved remarkable progression already this year, following just one start as a two-year-old, when she was narrowly beaten. She went one better on her three-year-old return, before finishing third in the Gr1 1,000 Guineas and claimed runners-up honours in the Irish equivalent.
The Coolmore homebred becomes the third Classic heroine produced by Lillie Langtry, each of them by the great Galileo, which makes their two-year-old full-sister Delightful (Galileo) all the more exciting.
History will show that the acquisition of Elisium proved to be an inspired one and something every breeder can only dream about!
Watch the Oaks replay here:
