Danehill Dancer
Danehill Dancer’s reputation as a sire of sires has really grown in 2014.
His sons, Mastercraftsman and Choisir have both been represented by Group 1 winners this year, with Mastercraftsman’s first crop of 3yos been setting the tracks alight. His first crop includes classic winners, The Grey Gatsby, (French Derby) and Vague Nouvelle (Italian 1000 Guineas), as well as recent Investec Derby runner up, and Group 1 winner, Kingston Hill.
It was Choisir and yet another son of Danehill Dancer, Fast Company, who came to the fore at the 2014 Royal Ascot meeting.
Choisir’s brilliant son, Starspangledbanner, was represented by two first crop group winners at Royal Ascot – despite being blighted by fertility problems. His son, The Wow Signal, took his record to two wins from as many outings when winning the prestigious Group 2 Coventry Stakes (a race won previously by such classic winners as Henrythenavigator, Landseer, Canford Cliffs and Mill Reef, to name a few).
Starspangledbanner’s second group winner came when daughter, Anthem Alexander won the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes. Inevitably, this astonishing double has taken Starspangledbanner to the top of the GB/IRE first crop sires log (by prize money). The former July Cup winner is also the current leading sire of 2yos in the UK. To date, four of the stallion’s six runners are winners, and one can only wonder what might have been had Starspangledbanner had better fertility.
Fast Company, winner of the Group 3 Acomb Stakes, has made a cracking start with his first crop of 2yos in 2014.
Currently the UK’s second leading first crop sire (by prize money), Fast Company currently stands for a fee of 5,000 euros. Fast Company is sire of eight winners, at the time of writing, and his son, Balitha Alga, won the second stakes race of his career when successful in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes on the third day of the Royal meeting.
The Danehill male line is seldom quiet, and this year’s big Ascot meeting yet again highlighted the dominance of this great son of Danzig. Danehill Dancer’s descendants, shone.
Another son of the late Coolmore legend, the outstanding Dansili, had two major winners.
The Fugue (Group 1 Prince Of Wales Stakes) and Muteela (Sandringham Handicap).
Danehill is also the broodmare sire of the impressive Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes winner, Integral.
Another outstanding sire son of Danzig to enjoy plenty of success at this meeting was Green Desert.
His son, Invincible Spirit, is the sire of brilliant Group 1 St James Palace Stakes winner Kingman (a three parts brother to leading sire Oasis Dream), while Green Desert is also broodmare sire of G2 winner Bracelet.
The mighty sire Montjeu
On Thursday, his son, Leading Light, won the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup, and daughter Bracelet won the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes. Another of Montjeu’s progeny, Century, was second in the Listed Queen’s Vase on Friday.
Montjeu’s Epsom Derby winning son, Authorized, got among the winners when his son, Elite Army won Thursday’s King George V Handicap and another son of Authorized, Hartnell, won the Listed Queen’s Vase on Friday. Another Derby winning son of Montjeu, Motivator, is the sire of Tuesday’s Ascot Stakes victor Domination.
Bracelet is the second Ribblesdale winner sired by Montjeu (whose daughter Mont Etoile won the race in 2006), and he has a respectable record as a sire of fillies – even if they are not, by and large, as good as his colts.
Montjeu’s paternal half-brother, High Chaparral, is another son of Sadler’s Wells to have enjoyed a good Royal Ascot.
High Chaparral’s son, Toronado, picked up the second Group 1 race of his career when scoring in the opening day’s Queen Anne Stakes, while another High Chaparral son to score was Contributer (Listed Wolferton Handicap). High Chaparral is also damsire of unbeaten The Wow Signal (winner of the Group 2 Coventry Stakes) on the first day of the meeting.
The Spectrum family
Medicean’s son, Dutch Art (who is out of a mare by the South African based Spectrum) had an Ascot double on Saturday when Slade Power (who became his sires’ initial Group 1 winner) scored in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes and Baccarat won the important Wokingham Stakes.
Royal Ascot 2014 also proved a happy hunting ground for male line descendants of Gone West.
Gone West’s grandsons, Iffraaj, Quality Road and Raven’s Pass were all represented by stakes winners at Royal Ascot this year- Quality Road and Raven’s Pass both being sons of the Gone West horse Elusive Quality.
Iffraaj’s daughter, Rizeena won the Group 1 Coronation Stakes (she is from the family of the newly imported stallion Noble Tune). His son, Hot Streak, ran third in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes, and Quality Road had a first crop Royal Ascot winner in the form of Hootenanny (Listed Windsor Castle Stakes). Former Breeders Cup Classic winner, Raven’s Pass is the sire of Richard Pankhurst – winner of Saturday’s Listed Chesham Stakes.
One of history’s greatest broodmares, Allegretta, also made her mark at the Royal meeting this year. The mare (famous as dam of King’s Best and Urban Sea), is the fourth dam of Group 3 Jersey Stakes winner Mustajeeb, and the third dam of Gr2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner, Bracelet.
Allegretta’s Arc winning daughter, Urban Sea is the dam of champion sire Galileo – whose son Telescope was an impressive winner of Saturday’s Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes. Galileo’s half-brother Sea The Stars, whose first crop of 3yos have set European racing alight this season, is the sire of Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes runner up Mutakkyef.
