Black Knap, the game winner of Saturday’s Gr3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup, is a son of top local sire Dynasty out of a high-class broodmare in Wintersweet. He hails from one of the most prominent families in the stud book.
Black Knap, who made amends for his half-brother Strathdon’s runner-up finish in the 2018 G3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup, is the third graded stakes winner for his winning dam Wintersweet (Western Winter).
A full-sister to the dam of graded stakes winners Black Arthur (Silvano) and Robert The Bruce (Jallad), Wintersweet is also dam of Gr1 Cape Guineas hero Tap O’ Noth (Captain Al).
Sean Veale (gold cap) gets the best out of Black Knap to beat July hopeful Matterhorn in a thriller (Pic- Candiese Lenferna)
It is a tribute to the Foster family’s Wintersweet that all three of her graded stakes winners were sired by different stallions!
But outstanding broodmares is nothing new for Wintersweet’s remarkable female line.
She sports Tessa Gillian (Nearco) as her fifth dam, with that full-sister to Royal Charger and three-parts sister to Nasrullah creating her own remarkable dynasty.
Tessa Gillian was a great granddaughter of ‘Flying Filly’ Mumtaz Mahal, whose numerous high-class descendants continue to make their presence felt in major races around the world. Among the notable recent high-class descendants of Mumtaz Mahal are the likes of Coronet, Cracksman, Igugu, and Zarkava, and the latter’s Gr1 winning sire son Zarak.
Igugu
An exceptionally speedy two-year-old, Tessa Gillian’s victories included a score in the now Gr3 Molecomb Stakes, traditionally a race for some of Britain’s speediest two-year-olds.
Other influential broodmares to have won the Molecomb include Diableretta, Urshalim, Hayloft (third dam of South African champion and successful sire What A Winter) and Marwell, to name but a few.
Tessa Gillian was also runner up in all of the Cheveley Park Stakes, 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes, all of which are currently classified as Gr1 contests.
As successful as she was on the racecourse, Tessa Gillian proved even more so at stud with her influence being largely restricted to her daughters. She did produce a pair of stakes winners, including Gimcrack Stakes hero and successful sire Test Case, while her son Palm Beach II sired the top-class filly Palmistry, as well as Royal Palm.
Tessa Gillian’s daughter Courtessa (Supreme Court) is the fifth dam of Derby/Arc winning champion Golden Horn (Cape Cross), and granddam of the remarkable broodmare Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight). The latter produced five individual G1 winners, and also ranks as the ancestress of successful sire Commands, as well as such Gr1 winners as Danewin, De Beers, Hiyaam, Shooting To Win, Viking Ruler, Viscount, and Verry Elleegant – the latter is inbred to Eight Carat.
Lonhro (Octagonal-Shadea)
Eight Carat’s champion son Octagonal (Zabeel) is the sire of Horse Of The Year and Australian champion sire Lonhro, among others.
Courtessa also ranks as granddam of 1000 Guineas winner On The House (the third dam of four time Gr1 winning sire Cracksman) and granddam of outstanding sprinter Habibti (Habitat).
The Centenary, winner of the 2015 Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap, is another smart performer descended in female line from Tessa Gillian, as are fellow South African graded stakes winners Delta Force and Dunbarton.
