Beautiful Romance represents strong Group 1 family

BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE (GB) - 2012 bay filly

Derby and Champion Stakes hero New Approach (by Galileo) got outstanding results with his first crop. He had three juvenile stakes winners at Royal Ascot, a remarkable feat even though he himself was an undefeated champion at that age, and that first crop did not disappoint when they reached three and four years of age.

Unbeaten juvenile champion Dawn Approach won the Group 1 2000 Guineas and Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes, Talent took the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom and was runner-up in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster, and the Group 2 Dante Stakes scorer Libertarian was runner-up in the Group 1 Derby at Epsom.

That same crop also yielded the Group 1 Nassau Stakes winner Sultanina, who got her big win as a four-year-old.

New Approach's tally now stands at 27 stakes winners, seven of whom come from his Australian-born crops, and they include last year's Group 1-placed juvenile Group 2 scorer Herald The Dawn and the notably talented filly Beautiful Romance.

A third-crop daughter of the Dalham Hall Stud stallion, Godolphin's four-year-old is trained by Saeed bin Suroor, she was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, and her first start of 2016 was in the Group 2 Betfred Middleton Stakes over 10 and a half furlongs at York, which she won by one and a quarter lengths.

She began her career with a nine-length score in a mile maiden at Doncaster on her only start as a two-year-old, she was third behind Osaila in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes first time out at three, easily beat Gospel Choir in an 11 and a half furlong listed contest at Windsor, and rounded off that season with third place to Simple Verse and Journey in the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot.

That prestigious 12-furlong contest came a month after her disappointing fifth place finish behind Treve in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, which was run on very soft ground, and her only other start was in the Group 3 Prix de Psyche over 10 furlongs at Deauville, in which she finished last of six.

Beautiful Romance is the fifth foal out of the Group 3 Princess Royal Stakes winner Mazuna (by Cape Cross) and it is a little surprising that she is one of only two winners for her dam so far, from five runners, especially given the good strike-rate of some of the mare's relatives.

What is no surprise is that Mazuna could produce at least one high-class performer, for not only is she by a regally-related leading sire, but she comes from a family whose first few generations have yielded several Group 1 horses, two of whom became the sires of Group 1 winners.

Mazuna had a first-crop son of Australian-born Darley shuttle sire Sepoy (by Elusive Quality) in 2014 and a first-crop daughter of Group 2 scorer and Yorton Farm Stud stallion Universal (by Dubawi) 13 months ago.

She is out of Keswa (by Kings Lake), who was a stakes-placed dual winner, six of her nine siblings were successful, one was listed placed, and several of them scored at least four times.

One of that latter group was Compradore (by Mujtahid), who won four times in England from five to seven furlongs, and she is the dam of the 106-rated sprinter Beyond Desire (by Invincible Spirit) who won a listed contest over six furlongs at Haydock, another over five at Bath, and the Group 3 Prix de Saint-George at Longchamp, also over five furlongs.

She was runner-up in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes on her second outing as a juvenile, second also in the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown and in the Group 3 Coral Charge at Sandown, and on her penultimate start, as a five-year-old, was only beaten by three lengths when fifth of 19 in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York, which was won by Ortensia.

Beyond Desire's first two foals are a first-crop Frankel (by Galileo) filly and a yearling daughter of Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium).

The third dam of Beautiful Romance is the triple winner Reves Celestes (by Lyphard). She produced six winners from nine foals, all of whom raced, and although they include Matahif (by Wassl), a juvenile stakes winner in England who went on to become a top-class performer in Scandinavia, her lasting contribution is through the success of her daughters.

Only the afore mentioned Keswa earned blacktype, but one-time winner Rafif (by Riverman) became the dam of Pressing, and the progeny of dual winner Starlight Dreams (by Black Tie Affair) feature four-times Group 1 winner and Group 1 sire Mastercraftsman.

Pressing (by Soviet Star) won 13 times, including the Group 1 Premio Roma and the Group 1 Grosser Dallmayr Bayerisches Zuchtrennen, he was multiple Group 1-placed and he went to stud in Turkey where his oldest progeny are four years old.

Mastercraftsman (by Danehill Dancer) got his Group 1 wins in the Irish 2000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes, National Stakes and Phoenix Stakes, his Group 1 placings came in the Juddmonte International Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes, and the most recent of his four Group 1-winning progeny is Valley Girl who took the Herbie Dyke Stakes over 10 furlongs at Te Rapa, in New Zealand, in February.

The other three – Amazing Maria, Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby – have notched up six Group 1 wins between them, including two classics, and they represent his first crop.

Mastercraftsman's half-sister Genuine Devotion (by Rock Of Gibraltar) won a Grade 3 handicap in the USA and is the dam of the stakes-placed filly Genuine Quality (by Elusive Quality).

These first three generations of the pedigree are more than enough to show why Beautiful Romance always had the potential, on breeding, to become a high-class racehorse, and the amount of success contained within them also suggests that she could have a notable broodmare career ahead of her whenever her racing days come to an end.

If you go back to the fourth generation of the family then you will find a plethora of other notable individuals as her fourth dam is the Group 3-placed Tobira Celeste (by Ribot), which makes Reves Celestes a half-sister to classic-placed Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes winner Celestial Storm (by Roberto) and to Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes scorer Thawakib (by Sadler's Wells).

The latter is the dam of runaway Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Sakhee (by Bahri), the Derby, Breeders' Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup-placed horse whose wins also included the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes.

He has not been as successful a stallion as one might have hoped of such an outstanding racehorse, but as his progeny include the Group 1-winning sprinter and successful sire Sakhee's Secret, ill-fated Dubai and Hong Kong Group 1 scorer and multimillionaire Presvis, and Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) winner Tin Horse, among various others of note, he has achieved better results than most, and the Nunnery Stud resident, now aged 19, has had his fee listed as private for the past few years.

Sakhee's half-sister Alharir (by Zafonic) has done her part for the family by becoming the grandam of the Group 3 Prix Messidor winner and Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes runner-up Alnadana (by Danehill Dancer).

Tobira Celeste's progeny also included Le Vague A L'Ame (by Vaguely Noble), a thrice-placed mare whose star daughter River Memories (by Riverman) won the Grade 1 Rothman's International Stakes and the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Handicap, and whose descendants include Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Misterah (by Alhaarth) and Grade 1-placed Grade 3 Bay Meadows Derby scorer Blue Steller (by Barathea).

Tobira Celeste's siblings included the classic-placed French pattern winner A Thousand Stars (by Hoist The Flag) and her dam was the 1959 Matron Stakes winner Heavenly Body (by Dark Star), a full-sister to the 1959 Kentucky Oaks heroine Hidden Talent.

Although many notable horses appear in the branches leading from the fifth and sixth generations of Beautiful Romance's pedigree, their connection to her is too remote to represent anything more than academic interest.

​She was rated 112 before this latest success, she holds entries in next month's Group 1 Investec Coronation Cup and Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, and she has the potential to play a leading role in the best filly and mare events of the year.