Invincible Spirit's position as one of Europe's outstanding stallions is well-established and his classic prospects for 2017 include National Defense, last year's juvenile champion colt in France.
The grandson of Green Desert (by Danzig) is trained by Criquette Head-Maarek, he was bred by Ecurie Des Monceaux and Meridian International Sarl, and he earned an official rating of 118 after his four and a half-length defeat of Salouen in the Group 1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium) over a mile at Chantilly in October. That performance, which gave his sire the 15th individual Group/Grade 1 winner needed to place his name on the list of internationally protected names, came just over six weeks after his impressive six-length debut success over the same trip at Deauville. Between those two wins he finished third to Akihiro and High Alpha in the Group 3 Prix des Chenes at Chantilly. The first-named is an Andre Fabre-trained, twice-raced son of Deep Impact (by Sunday Silence), and the runner-up, who was a three-length listed scorer on his previous start, finished fourth to Frankuus in the Group 3 Prix de Conde over nine furlongs at the same venue on his only subsequent outing.
National Defense, who made €280,000 at the Arqana August Deauville Yearling Sale, is the third foal and third winner out of an unraced mare called Angel Falls (by Kingmambo).
The eldest of the trio is Cascading (by Teofilo), whose only win came in a 12-furlong Epsom maiden and who earned her blacktype when a three-quarter-length third in a listed contest over that same trip at Newbury, and the one in the middle is Andalouserie (by Poet's Voice), a seven and a half-furlong winner in France. The mare's current two-year-old, a son of Makfi (by Dubawi), was the subject of a €110,000 private sale transaction at Deauville in October, and Angel Falls is due to visit Shalaa (by Invincible Spirit) after she has her Siyouni (by Pivotal) foal this year. Angel Falls is out of the Group 3 Prix d'Aumale winner Anna Palariva (by Caerleon) and that makes her a half-sister to three stakes winners, headed by the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte winner and Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Anna Salai (by Dubawi). The prolific Iguazu Falls (by Pivotal) won the Listed Surrey Stakes at Epsom, was twice Group 3-placed in England as a juvenile and has been third in the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort Stakes at Meydan, while Advice (by Seeking The Gold) is a pattern-placed four-time listed scorer in France. Their lightly-raced and placed half-sister Anemometer (by Sunday Silence) has also done her part for the family as she is the dam of the Australian-bred Grade 1-placed South African listed scorer Dubai Gina (by Dubai Destination). All of this suggests that National Defense could be a leading mile to 10-furlong performer in 2017, and as he is based in France he could be a candidate to try for the classic double of Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) and Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby). Whether or not he will stay beyond the distance of that latter classic remains to be seen, and although his third dam is the Group 3 Park Hill Stakes winner Anna Of Saxony (by Ela-Mana-Mou), progeny of Invincible Spirit who are effective at 12 furlongs and beyond are rare compared to the number he gets from five to 10 furlongs. In addition to the lightly-raced and aforementioned Anna Palariva, Anna Of Saxony is the dam of the Group 3 Queen's Vase third Ancestor (by Polish Precedent), of listed-placed stayer and prolific National Hunt scorer Aachen (by Rainbow Quest), and of one-time winner Anna Amalia (by In The Wings), who is the dam of the Listed Cheshire Oaks winner Anipa (by Sea The Stars) and of the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes heroine Ave (by Danehill Dancer). The fourth dam of National Defense is the unraced Anna Matrushka (by Mill Reef), whose offspring also include the Group 2 Prix Hubert de Chaudenay winner Pozarica (by Rainbow Quest) and the dual middle-distance Group 2 scorer Annaba (by In The Wings). The mare is also the grandam of the Group 1-winning miler Anna Monda (by Monsun) and her unraced daughter Accessories (by Singspiel) has produced the notably quick Australian pattern stars Bullbars (by Elusive Quality), Helmet (by Exceed And Excel), Epaulette (by Commands) and Pearls (by Exceed And Excel). The middle pair of that quartet are, of course, reverse shuttle stallions, with Helmet having sired Group 1 scorer Thunder Snow among his first crop and Epaulette proving popular at the yearlings sales in 2016. If you go back another generation of the family then you will find another mix of speed and stamina, with fifth dam Anna Paola (by Prince Ippi) having won the Group 2 Preis der Diana (German Oaks), her classic-placed and pattern-winning daughter Anno Luce (by Old Vic) being the dam of the brilliant hurdler Annie Power (by Shirocco), and others on the page including Group 1 Irish Derby third Annus Mirabilis (by Warning), the seven to nine-furlong horse Autumn Glory (by Charnwood Forest) and ill-fated juvenile Group 3 scorer Piping Rock (by Dubawi). All of National Defense's juvenile starts were over a mile, which is something that we often associate with potential middle-distance horses. It is not impossible that he will stay beyond the 10 and a half furlongs of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club, a race his sire has already won before with Lawman, but it is more likely that the influence of his sire will cap his range at that classic distance, and he could be among the season's leading eight to 10-furlong horses. Comments are closed.
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