Oasis Dream was an excellent racehorse, one of the best by his sire, and he is now well-established as being one of the top stallions in all of Europe. Banstead Manor Stud's son of Green Desert (by Danzig) is also beginning to show considerable promise as a sire of successful stallion sons.
Just over a week ago, for example, the pattern-winning sprinter Captain Gerrard added his name to Oasis Dream's growing list of sons with at least one blacktype winner among their offspring when his son Alpha Delphini took a listed contest in England. And on Saturday the feature race in that country went to a daughter of Showcasing. A lightly-raced sprinter who won the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, was second in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes and third in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, Showcasing (by Oasis Dream) stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud, his oldest progeny are four-year-olds, and such is the success he has enjoyed so far, he is becoming one of the most sought-after young stallions in England. His current total is 13 individual stakes winners. In addition to three pattern winners, a listed scorer and a classic-placed stakes winner from his New Zealand-born progeny, he has supplied the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Toocoolforschool, Grade 1-placed dual US Grade 2 scorer Prize Exhibit, this year's Group 3 Greenham Stakes winner Tasleet and Group 3 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas) scorer Conselice, and, of course, Quiet Reflection. The Karl Burke-trained three-year-old is a leading candidate for championship honours in the sprinters' division as she has won both the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Ascot and Group 1 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock. The former was, of course, against her own age group, she was then third to Limato in the Group 1 July Cup on her first attempt against the older horses, and while it was a pity that the rain-softened ground led to him being withdrawn on Saturday, she was impressive in beating The Tin Man by one and three-quarter lengths. Quiet Reflection began her career at Hamilton in mid-July of last year, winning a five-furlong maiden by five lengths. She was only fifth behind Besharah in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes next time – one of only two defeats in her career to date – but then won the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes by four lengths at Ayr and followed that with a two and a half length score in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot. She kicked off her current campaign with a head defeat of Jimmy Two Times in the Group 3 Prix Sigy over six furlongs at Chantilly in April and then beat Donjuan Triumphant by three and three-quarter lengths in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock before her one-length Group 1 defeat of Kachy at the royal meeting.
Quiet Reflection was bred by Springcombe Park Stud and she was sold for £32,000 in Doncaster as a yearling. She returned to that venue for their breeze-up sale the following April and it was there that Burke secured her for £44,000. Her own-brother Full Intention, who made £54,000 at last year's Premier Yearling Sale in Doncaster, is winless in five starts. That said, he is rated 88, down from a peak of 93.
The colt was short-headed when favourite for a Windsor maiden in April, finished third to Mehmas at Chester the following month and was then fourth behind Ardad in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was odds-on in his two subsequent starts but had to settle for second both times, first at Chester and then at Thirsk, and all over the minimum trip. The pair are the two foals out of the six-furlong juvenile scorer My Delirium (by Haafhd) and she, in turn, is one of two foals and two winners out of the Listed Hilary Needler Trophy winner Clare Hills (by Orpen). The other is the four-times scorer Finesse (by Shamardal) whose first-born is a yearling colt that has already been named Nine Below Zero (by Showcasing). That close relation to Quiet Reflection was followed by a Foxwedge (by Fastnet Rock) filly born in March.
Morale (by Bluebird), the third dam of Saturday's Group 1 star, was unplaced in France and produced just four winners from nine foals, but that was a better strike-rate than that of her dam Shebasis (by General Holme). That unraced mare was responsible for the the listed scorer and prolific Scandinavian winner Bluebeard (by Bluebird), and for the stakes-placed dual US winner Busheto (by Be My Guest), but that pair were among just four winners from the mare's 14 progeny.
Their siblings also include Zing Ping (by Thatching) who, although only placed, became the dam and grandam of a string of winners, the best of whom is the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes runner-up Fear And Greed (by Brief Truce). That one-time scorer is, in turn, the grandam of the ill-fated Listed Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up and Group 2 Prix Robert Papin third Areen (by Kodiac). These are the highlights of the first four generations of the pedigree, but Quiet Reflection is not the first Group 1 star for her family. The relationship is distant, because he was a half-brother to her fifth dam, Annie Aaron (by Buffalo Lark), but Alysheba (by Alydar) was the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Preakness Stakes hero of 1987, when he was champion three-year-old in the USA, and at four he was crowned US Horse of the Year. His 11 wins also included the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic, Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, Grade 1 Woodward Handicap, Grade 1 Meadowlands Cup, Grade 1 Super Derby, and Grade 1 Strub Stakes and he stood as a stallion in the US and in Saudi Arabia. His progeny included the Canadian Horse of the Year Alywow and, in Europe, the high-class Bright Moon, who won the Group 2 Grand Prix d'Evry, Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville, and two editions of the Group 2 Prix de Pomone. Quiet Reflection, who is one of the ante-post favourites for next month's Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot, is related to an outstanding colt but she is easily the best horse to emerge from the family's most recent generations, and that suggests that a large part of the credit for her talent may go to Showcasing. She is unlikely to remain his only Group 1 star for long. Comments are closed.
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