Top-class miler Canford Cliffs (by Tagula) has been represented by four individual stakes winners from his first crop and, although his runners also include the dual classic-placed filly Harlequeen (dam by Rainbow Quest), he is awaiting the emergence of his first Group 1-winning son or daughter.
Only one of the blacktype wins has come in 2016, which is a bit surprising given the promising start he made as a freshman, and that was the Group 3 L'Ormarins Queens Plate Oak Tree Stakes victory of Al Jazi at Goodwood just over two weeks ago. Like last year's Group 3 Balanchine Stakes winner Most Beautiful, she is out of a daughter of Cape Cross (by Green Desert). The third of Canford Cliffs's pattern winners is 2015's Group 2 Railway Stakes scorer Painted Cliffs (dam by Kyllachy) and his other blacktype winner is Aktoria (dam by Zafonic), who took the Listed Prix Six Perfections over seven furlongs at Deauville 12 months ago. Al Jazi is inbred 4x4 to Lyphard (by Northern Dancer), she was bred by Skymarc Farm, made €160,000 as Lot 1 in the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale, is trained in France by Francois Rohaut and carries the famous Al Shaqab Racing colours. She made a winning debut over six furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte as a juvenile and earned her first piece of blacktype when third in a mile listed contest at Toulouse in April. She won over a mile on heavy ground in May and missed out on blacktype by just a head when fourth in a seven furlong contest in early July, both at Maisons-Laffitte, before crossing the channel to beat Mise En Rose by one and three-quarter lengths on fast ground at Goodwood. This was not a strong Group 3 contest, but no matter how the rest of her career turns out, this filly will go to the paddocks as a pattern winner. That is an attribute that boosts her prospects of going to highly ranked stallions and it will add to the appeal of any of her future progeny that might go through the sales ring. Al Jazi is a half-sister to Rime A Rien (by Amadeus Wolf), who was placed in a listed contest over five furlongs at Deauville as a juvenile and is the dam of both a two-year-old colt named Beau Joueur (by Kendargent) and a Kyllachy (by Pivotal) filly that is catalogued as Lot 278 in the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. Her two-year-old half-sister Methyar (by High Chaparral) cost Al Shaqab Racing €200,000 at Deauville 12 months ago and her dam had a Champs Elysees (by Danehill) filly last year. That mare is Rainbow Crossing (by Cape Cross), a seven-furlong Gowran Park maiden winner when trained in Ireland as a juvenile and later a dual mile stakes-placed runner in France who rounded off her career with victory in a nine and a half furlong listed contest on the all-weather track at Deauville. She is the only winner among seven foals out of Group 3 Debutante Stakes scorer Rainbows For All (by Rainbows For Life) and that mare is, in turn, the best of eight successful runners out of an unraced mare called Maura's Guest (by Be My Guest). Those siblings include the Grade 3-placed four-time scorer Ray of Sunshine (by Rainbows For Life), two listed-placed horses and also Emly Express (by High Estate), a one-time scorer whose offspring include the stakes-placed sprint handicapper Damika (by Namid): he notched-up 11 wins. These are the highlights of the first three generations of Al Jazi's pedigree, but there is also plenty in the fourth generation that catches the eye, with branches that lead to some notably talented performers, including several with Group 1 form. The fourth dam of Al Jazi is Gay Apparel (by Up Spirits) and she was among the leading juvenile fillies in Canada in 1977. A full-sister to the multiple stakes winners Le Cambrioleur and Brief Escar, she was also a half-sister to Chaleur (by Rouge Sang). Also a leading Canadian juvenile, Chaleur went on to become a notably successful broodmare. Her progeny include the prolific Japanese blacktype scorer Sugino Hayakaze (by Diesis), Group 1-placed triple pattern winner Bog Trotter (by Irish River), dual stakes winner Ice Trick (by Icecapade), and also Poteen (by Irish River), a stakes winner who was placed in the Group 1 2000 Guineas, Group 1 Lockinge Stakes and Group 1 Racing Post Trophy. But back to Gay Apparel, the dam of Italian pattern scorers Bold Apparel (by Bold Forbes) and Conte Grimaldi (by Astronef), of pattern-placed stakes winner Cedrico (by Kings Lake), and of the mares from whom a variety of talented runners descend. Basilea (by Frere Basile), for example, is the dam of Group 3 Prix de Saint-Georges winner and Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) runner-up Pont-Aven (by Try My Best), and that makes her the grandam of the Group 2 scorers Sainte Marine (by Kenmare) and Josr Algarhoud (by Darshaan) and third dam of the dual Group 2 International Bosphorus Cup winner Indian Days (by Daylami), who retired to stud in Turkey. Gale Warning (by Last Tycoon), on the other hand, is the grandam of Group 1 Prix de l'Opera heroine Lily Of The Valley (by Galileo) and of Mubtaahij (by Dubawi), the eight-length Group 2 UAE Derby winner who was runner-up to California Chrome in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in March. On his first start since then, the colt was third to Effinex in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park last month. Basilea and Gale Warning's descendants are remotely connected to Al Jazi, a filly whose racing record is somewhat similar to that of her dam and grandam. It will be interesting to see how the rest of her career goes, both on the track and at stud. |
Archives
October 2018
Sires
All
|