Sunday Evening
Tap root mare Sunday Evening has made her mark all over the world, with the daughter of Eight Thirty featuring as the ancestress of countless stakes winners and successful sires and producers. Among her numerous high class descendants are Sunday’s Japanese Gr2 winner, Touching Speech (Deep Impact), who is out of the outstanding filly, Listen.
In Southern Africa, Sunday Evening features as the ancestress of Manshood (whose dam was champion Indian Skimmer), sire of legendary filly, Ipi Tombe, and outstanding sprinter, All Will Be Well, (Badger Land), whose 17 wins included the Gr1 Mercury Sprint.
Former top sprinter, Bluebird (by Storm Bird) is another high class representative from this family, and during his shuttle to Australia he left behind such high class South African performers as Race Master (Gr1 FNB 1600) and The Delegator (Gr1 SA Guineas). Bluebird’s champion sprinting son, Lake Coniston, later retired to stud to South Africa.
This is also the family of one of the top fillies of last season, Pine Princess (Captain Al), winner of the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks and former flying filly, Wild Wolverine. The latter underline the versatility of this female line which has produced stakes winners over a range of distances in a range of countries.
The smart sprinter, Romantic Moon (Silvano) is another from this remarkably potent female line, as is her full brother, who topped the 2013 Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
Sire Power
The Assayer by Galileo – Crystal Charm (Danehill)
Sunday Evening is also ancestress of promising young KZN sire, The Assayer (Galileo), whose first foals are now arriving to rave reviews. The Assayer, who accounted for Gr1 winners Copper Parade (Lecture), English Garden (Camden Park) and Gold Onyx (Black Minnaloushe) at two, is a grandson of Sadler’s Wells, who has fared well when mated to mares from this family. Among the top class performers sired by Sadler’s Wells from this family are Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner, Sequoyah (dam of multiple Gr1 winner Henrythenavigator), Gr1 Fillies Mile winner, Listen, Gr1 E P Taylor Stakes heroine, Insight, and Gr1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner, Saffron Walden.
Sons of Sadler’s Wells have also fared well with mares from this female line, with El Prado siring Medaglia D’Oro and Galileo the Irish 2000 Guineas/Breeders Cup Turf winner, Magician. The latter’s own sister, Outstanding won the Listed Naas Oaks Trial and finished third in the Gr1 Belmont Oaks.
It is interesting perhaps to note how similarly The Assayer is bred to Magician and Outstanding –all three being by Galileo out of Danehill-line mares from the same female line! The Galileo/Danehill cross, responsible for numerous stars including undefeated wonder horse Frankel, has once again been in the news this year, with the cross including St Leger “winner” Bondi Beach, Gr1 Secretariat Stakes winner Highland Reel, Park Hill Stakes (Fillies St Leger) heroine Gretchen, and this weekend’s Gr3 Arc Trial winner The Corsican.
Medaglia D’Oro
Medaglia D’oro (photo: Darley)
Medaglia D’Oro, who earned more than $5.7 million in his racing career, was a superb racehorse, whose wins included the Gr1 Donn Handicap, Gr1 Whitney Hcp, and Gr1 Travers Stakes. He was also second in the Gr1 Dubai World Cup and twice runner up in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Classic.
Since retiring to stud, Medaglia D’Oro has become an outstanding sire, whose stock has fared well all over the world. Best known as the sire of Horse Of The Year, Rachel Alexandra (herself dam of 2015 Gr1 winner Rachel’s Valentina), Medaglia D’Oro, sire of 70-plus stakes winners thus far, currently has 14 individual Gr1 winners to his credit, including Kentucky Oaks winner, Plum Pretty and Golden Slipper winner, Vancouver. He has been represented by 20 stakes winners in 2015, with his runners including Gr1 winners, Mshawish and Songbird and, at the time of writing, he ranks second on North America’s General Sires List by Stakes (Tapit is currently well clear by over $4 million). Medaglia D’Oro has been represented by just a single runner in South Africa – the talented stakes winner Mina Salaam.
Broodmare Sire
The son of El Prado is also shaping up to be a hugely promising broodmare sire and is damsire of a pair of Gr1 winners this year in the above mentioned Rachel’s Valentina (Gr1 Spinaway Stakes) and Rock Fall (Alfred G Vanderbilt Hcp).
Medaglia D’Oro is also the sire of recent Gr3 Philip H Iselin Handicap hero Valid, a horse with an intriguing pedigree. Valid, a half brother to Gr1 Malibu Prayer, has both a sire and a dam who trace back to Sunday Evening, making the gelding inbred to this blue hen mare.
Credentials
Sunday Evening herself was a top class two-year-old, winning three of 8 starts including the now Gr1 Spinaway Stakes. Her success on the track and as an influential tap root mare comes as no surprise, as she was well bred, being by the top class racehorse, Eight Thirty, out of Ashland Stakes (now Gr1) winner, Drowsy. The latter also produced Mesmer, who won no fewer than 39 races!
Sunday Evening’s sire, Eight Thirty was a top, but unsound, racehorse whose 16 wins included the Travers and Whitney Stakes, both now classified as Gr1 races, as well as Met Hcp (now Gr1) and former Gr1 Suburban Hcp. He left behind 50-plus stakes winners including such high class performers as Sailor and Bolero. His name is still seen in modern pedigrees through the likes of Be My Guest (Champion sire, broodmare sire of Rock Of Gibraltar), Royal Academy (Sire of over 150 stakes winners, broodmare sire of champion sire Fastnet Rock) and multiple champion sire, Storm Cat.
Sunday Evening is also the second dam of former Gainesway sire and US Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1969, Silent Screen (Prince John).
