The hugely influential Green Desert again made his mark at this year’s Royal Ascot meeting.
Green Desert son Invincible Spirit is the sire of Kingman and Territories, whose sons Field Of Gold and Lazzat won the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes and Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes respectively at the Royal meeting last week.
Invincible Spirit – Green Desert ex Rafha (Pic – Irish National Stud)
Invincible Spirit is also the sire of Thursday’s Britannia Stakes winner Arabian Story, while Kingman’s French classic winning son Persian King is the sire of Saturday’s Golden Gates Stakes winner Quai De Bethune.
Lazzat is, in fact, inbred to Green Desert, with his dam Lastochka a daughter of Australia (whose dam is a granddaughter of Green Desert).
Yet another son of Invincible Spirit, Born To Sea, is the broodmare sire of Thursday’s impressive Gr2 Norfolk Stakes winner Charles Darwin, while Invincible Spirit’s high-class son Ghostwriter ran third in Saturday’s Gr2 Hardwicke Stakes.
The high-class sire Havana Grey is another inbred to the excellent Green Desert. Havana Grey made his presence felt at the Royal meeting with his sons Havana Hurricane and Azizam finishing first and third respectively in Wednesday’s Listed Windsor Castle Stakes. Havana Grey is also the sire of Friday’s Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes winner Adrestia.
However, Green Desert’s underrated son Cape Cross enjoyed even more success, with Cape Cross’ sire sons and broodmare daughters both excelling at the 2025 Royal Ascot meet.
Cape Cross’s outstanding sons Sea The Stars and Golden Horn both made their mark at Ascot.
Sea The Stars, whose daughter Understudy ran second in Thursday’s Gr2 Ribblesdale Stakes, is the broodmare sire of both Copper Horse Stakes winner French Master and Gr2 Queen’s Vase victor Carmers, while his paternal half-brother Golden Horn was responsible for Trawlerman, a seven length winner of Thursday’s Gr1 Gold Cup.
Another son of Cape Cross, Gr1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Awtaad, is the sire of both Tuesday’s Ascot Stakes winner Ascending and Friday’s Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes winner Ethical Diamond, as well as Wednesday’s Gr1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes runner up Anmaat.
Cape Cross, broodmare sire of Tuesday’s Listed Wolferton Stakes hero Haatem (Phoenix Of Spain), is also the sire of outstanding racemare Ouija Board, whose dual Derby winning son Australia enjoyed some excellent results at Royal Ascot this year.
Responsible for 2025 Gr1 Betfred Derby winner Lambourn, Australia enjoyed big-race success as both a sire and broodmare sire at Royal Ascot this year.
Australia’s three-year-old daughter Cercene became her sire’s seventh Gr1 winner when she won Friday’s Gr1 Coronation Stakes.
Another daughter of Australia, Lastochka, is the dam of the aforementioned Lazzat. The latter has won eight of just 11 starts, with the gelding’s six black-type, wins including a victory in the 2024 Gr1 Prix Maurice de Gheest.
It is safe to say that Cape Cross, who also appears in the pedigree of this year’s Gr1 Betfred 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court (third in Tuesday’s Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes), remains a hugely underappreciated factor in classic pedigrees.
