The Investec Derby and Oaks will be run this weekend and these two great classics have their roots way back in 1780 and 1779 respectively.
Sea The Stars – champion
There is a long honour roll of champions to have won the English Derby, with recent winners, Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) and Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) having gone on to great things at stud.
Has the Oaks proved as effective at unearthing future stud talent?
The last winner to produce a Gr1 winner was the mighty Ouija Board (Cape Cross), who won the Oaks by seven lengths in 2004. The champion went on to become one of just a handful of Epsom Oaks winning mares to throw an Epsom Derby winner, when her son, Australia (Galileo), landed the Derby in 2014.
A triple Gr1 winner, Australia is now standing at Coolmore and he will be represented by his first yearlings this year.
Australia- one of the best O’Brien has ever trained
Ouija Board has not been a one hit wonder at stud either, also producing (Our) Voodoo Prince (G3 Easter Cup) and the promising Frontiersman (Dubawi). The latter, a lightly raced four-year-old who has won three of seven starts, holds entries in the G1 Investec Coronation Cup, Gr2 Hardwicke Stakes and Gr1 Coral-Eclipse.
Alexandrova, from the same family as 2016’s dual Derby winner Harzand (Sea The Stars), is also dam of G2 Prix Kergorlay winner, Alex My Boy (Dalakhani).
Other Oaks winning daughters of Sadler’s Wells to enjoy success at stud include Salsabil and Imagine (while the Sadler’s Wells sired Moonshell features as second dam of Australian champion, Miss Finland, dam of Gr1 winner, Stay With Me).
Sadler’s Wells
The short lived Salsabil, arguably her sire’s greatest daughter, produced Gr3 Rockfel Stakes winner, Bint Salsabil (Nashwan) and Gr2 Knickerbocker Handicap winner, Sahm (Mr Prospector). The latter, who died after seven seasons at stud, left behind Breeders’ Cup winner, Maram and triple Sun Chariot Stakes winner, Sahpresa.
Imagine, a half-sister to champion, Generous, and from the same family as 2017 Gr1 Prix Saint-Alary winner, Sobetsu (Dubawi), produced tragic Gr1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner, Horatio Nelson (Danehill) and recent US Gr3 winner, Point Piper (Giant’s Causeway).
Other Oaks winners, since the turn of the century, to have been represented by at least one group/graded winner include Casual Look (dam of US Gr3 winner Casual Smile), Love Divine (Diesis) and Kazzia (Zinaad). Love Divine is the dam of St Leger winner, Sixties Icon (Galileo), the sire of Argentinian Gr1 winner, Sixties Song and fellow high class performers, Nancy From Nairobi, and Epsom Icon.
Kazzia produced Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic winning sire, Eastern Anthem (Singspiel) and Listed Pretty Polly Stakes winner, Kailani (Monsun). (Kazzia’s sire Zinaad was out of outstanding Oaks winner, Time Charter.)
This success rate is surely to be expected with the majority of these mares being covered by the best stallions around).
Rosedrop, who won the Oaks back in 1910, is dam of Triple Crown winner and champion sire Gainsborough, sire of multiple champion sire Hyperion (responsible himself for 3 Oaks winners).
Green Desert (photo by Shadwell)
However, few of the Oaks winners of modern times can be expected to be found in more modern day pedigrees than 1946 winner, Steady Aim (Felstead). The latter is third dam of multiple champion sire, Danzig, the sire of such important sires as Danehill, Green Desert, War Front and Anabaa.
