One male line which continues to flourish is that of Green Desert, and that deceased Danzig son’s male line was seen to good effect in Germany recently.
Brilliant three-year-old Wonderful Moon, a son of Green Desert’s once beaten Deutsches Derby winning great grandson Sea The Moon, made it win number three from just five starts when recording a facile win in the Gr3 pferdewetten.de-Cologne Classic recently.
Green Desert (photo by Shadwell)
Sarah Whitelaw writes that for good measure Grocer Jack, runner up in the Cologne Classic, is a son of Green Desert’s highly successful son Oasis Dream.
The same card saw Green Desert’s grandson Lawman (by Invincible Spirit) provide the winner of the Gr2 Carl Jaspers-Preis in the form of Be My Sheriff.
Lawman
The latter, winning the first group race of his career, is one of 32 stakes winners sired by 2007 Gr1 Prix du Jockey Club/Prix Jean Prat winner Lawman, who is also responsible for the Gr1 winners Just The Judge, Law Enforcement, Marcel, Most Improved and St Leger winner Harbour Law.
Green Desert also made news in Australia recently, with his son Cape Cross broodmare sire of the very impressive South Australian Derby winner Russian Camelot, while Green Desert’s grandson Showcasing is the sire of recent Gr3 Prix de la Grotte winner Tropbeau. Shaman, winner of the recent Gr2 Prix d’Harcourt, was produced by the Green Desert mare Only Green).
One of the very best sire sons of Danzig (and one of six Danzig sons to win the July Cup), Green Desert’s influence and legacy continues to grow -in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
A top-class sire himself, Green Desert sired more than 90 stakes winners, with his tally headed by 12 Gr1 winners.
Like his own sire, Green Desert had marked success in the July Cup, with his sons Owington and Oasis Dream winning the race in 1994 and 2003 respectively, granddaughter Fleeting Spirit winning in 2009 and grandsons Mayson and Muhaarar landing the July Cup in 2012 and 2015 respectively.
Cape Cross
His top-class son Cape Cross, Champion Sire in France in 2009, has already sired a top class stallion son in the form of Derby/Arc winning champion Sea The Stars (sire of the aforementioned Sea The Moon) and his Investec Derby winning son Harzand could add to his legacy, with Harzand’s first crop due to race this year.
Since retiring to stud in 2010, Sea The Stars has consistently shown himself to be a high-class stallion, even if his high quality mates undoubtedly helped his cause. His 60 black type winners thus far include a pair of Epsom classic winners in Harzand and Taghrooda, outstanding stayer Stradivarius and 10 other G1 winners (his daughters Sea OfClass and Star Catcher winning the last two renewals of the G1 Irish Oaks). Sea The Stars looks to have another very exciting prospect on his hands in the form of unbeaten French filly Raabihah- an impressive winner of the recent Listed Prix de la Seine.
His Lanwades based son Sea The Moon has made a very bright start to his stud career and was the Leading First Crop Sire in Germany in 2018 and he has come up with group winners in each of his first two full crops thus far.
Sea The Stars’ only sire son in South Africa, G3 Bavarian Classic hero Quasillo, has his first yearlings on offer in 2020.
Golden Horn
Cape Cross, broodmare sire of dual Derby winner Australia -who has made a reasonable start to his stud career, is also responsible for another Arc/Derby winning champion in the form of Golden Horn as well as popular Irish 2000 Guineas winner Awtaad (whose first crop are due to race in 2020).
The regally related Golden Horn (his dam is a half-sister to Coronation Stakes winner Rebecca Sharp (Machiavellian) , and his sixth dam Tessa Gillian is a full-sister to breed shaping sire Royal Charger and three-parts sister to Nasrullah) made a pleasing start with his first two-year-olds in 2019 headed by G3 Sweet Solera Stakes winner West End Girl and Italian champion Festive Star.
Green Desert’s July Cup winning son Oasis Dream (whose progeny include champion and successful South African sire Querari) is another from this male line who continues to make his presence felt. His Gimcrack Stakes winning son Showcasing has a growing number of sons at stud, headed by triple G1 winner Advertise, Flying Childers Stakes winner Soldier’s Call, and G2 Duke Of York Stakes winner Tasleet. Showcasing’s G3 Round Tower Stakes winning son Cappella Sansevero made an instant impression with his first runners in 2019 headed by G2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Pierre Lapin.
Oasis Dream is also broodmare sire of promising filly Simeen, a likely hope for the French 1000 Guineas.
The Green Desert male line was seen to good effect on the Leading First Crop Sires (by stakes) list in GB for 2019. No fewer than seven of the top 20 stallions on that list descended in male line from Green Desert including the leader Cable Bay.
Cable Bay is one of a growing number of high-class sire sons sired by Green Desert’s Gr1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Invincible Spirit, with others including I Am Invincible, Kingman, and Lawman.
One of the leading sires in Australia – he sports a fee of AUS$209 000 for 2020 – I Am Invincible has already sired nearly 100 stakes horses, including nine Gr1 winners, while the latter’s once beaten paternal half-brother Kingman’s first two crops have already produced nearly 30 black type horses including French classic winner Persian King and the now Coolmore Stud based Coventry Stakes winner Calyx.
Invincible Spirit
The sire of more than 120 stakes winners, Invincible Spirit’s influence appears likely to grow yet further with his 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia and dual Gr1 winning son Shalaa among his number of top class sons yet to be represented on the racetrack.
Inbreeding to Green Desert has already enjoyed success, with this pattern responsible for Gr1 winners Havana Grey and Hellbent-both of whom are now standing at stud.
With such exciting, unproven prospects as Magna Grecia, Galileo Gold, Shalaa, Hellbent, Advertise, Charming Thought and Territories still in the wings, the immediate future appears bright for Green Desert’s male line descendants.
