Al Muthana (Deep Field), surprise winner of Saturday’s Gr1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate, hails from a male line which has made its mark in South Africa.
Now a dual Gr1 winner, and conqueror of Jet Dark in last season’s Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, Al Muthana is one of three Gr1 winners for his sire Deep Field.
Bernard Fayd’herbe gives Al Muthana a refreshment after his herculean performance (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The latter, winner of his first five starts in a row including the Gr2 Tab.Com.Au Stakes, has proved a better stallion than his Gr1 MRC Caulfield Guineas winning full-brother Shooting To Win. While Deep Field has been responsible for 23 stakes winners, from 463 runners, his sibling has come up with 8 stakes winners from 282 runners.
Deep Field, already responsible for a number of sire sons, is also responsible for Gr1 Oakleigh Plate dead-heater Portland Sky and Gr1 Hong Kong Sprint winner Sky Field.
Deep Field and Shooting To Win, directly descended in female line from the remarkable mare Eight Carat (dam of five Gr1 winners), were sired by short-lived sire sensation Northern Meteor. Despite dying at the age of eight, Northern Meteor more than made his mark while at stud in Australia. He left behind six Gr1 winners, and his sons Deep Field, Shooting To Win, Eurozone and Zoustar have all sired at least one Gr1 winner.
Northern Meteor, in turn, was a son of former Australian Champion Sire Encosta De Lago, a horse who, from relatively small numbers of runners, enjoyed considerable success in South Africa. Among Encosta De Lago’s notable South African representatives were dual Gr1 winner, and champion, Delago Deluxe, Gr2 Gold Circle Derby winner Dan De Lago, Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner Mac De Lago and Gr2 The Fillies Nursery queen Merlene De Lago. Encosta De Lago was also broodmare sire of South African champion Musir (Redoute’s Choice), whose Gr3 winning three-parts brother Moofeed (Duke Of Marmalade) stands at stud in South Africa.
Sired by a son of Northern Meteor, and out of a mare by Redoute’s Choice, Al Muthana is bred on similar lines to prominent Australian sire Zoustar. The latter, who like Northern Meteor won the Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, is a son of Northern Meteor and the Redoute’s Choice mare Zouzou. Zoustar, Leading First and Second Season Sire in Australia, has also made his mark in the Northern Hemisphere, and is sire of 2022 Cartier Champion Lezoo.
Al Muthana also hails from a high-class female line. His dam El Daana, one of 179 stakes winners sired by multiple Australian champion sire Redoute’s Choice, was a smart performer whose wins included a triumph in the Gr2 VRC Edward Manifold Stakes. El Daana has more than made her mark at stud, as she is also responsible for Australian Gr2 winner Wawail (Lonhro).
El Daana, who is directly descended in female line from Futurity Stakes queen Mother Goose (also ancestress of such as Danehill and Northern Dancer), is one of a growing number of Gr1 producing daughters of Redoute’s Choice. Other Gr1 winners produced by Redoute’s Choice mares include outstanding Australian galloper Anamoe and Linebacker – who like Al Muthana contested Saturday’s King’s Plate.
El Daana had a Lonhro filly make A$625 000 at last year’s Inglis Easter Sale.
