There were four Group I races contested in Australia and New Zealand on Saturday that included a first time G1 winner who is the first elite winner for both his sire and his dam sire, plus we found a candidate well on her way to a G1 win.
That horse is three year-old gelding Communist, who won the Group I ATC Randwick Guineas (1600m) to post his first Black type win, read about him here.
He is the sixth stakes-winner and first Group I winner for Russian Revolution, whose oldest progeny are three year-olds and is also the first Group I winner for ill-fated Northern Meteor as a broodmare sire.
Given his success as a sire of sires (think Zoustar and Deep Field), it’s not hard to think Northern Meteor will also be influential as a broodmare sire despite the fact he only ever had four crops of foals and of those, just 182 were fillies that raced.
His daughters have so far produced 132 winners and nine of them are stakes-winners with Communist the best.
The Group I VRC Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington produced a historic winner in Legarto (NZ), the first Kiwi trained winner of this race and also the first Australian G1 winner for her sire Proisir, read about her here.
Already a G1 winner of the NZ Thousand Guineas, Legarto is one of four G1 winners this season for Proisir, whose stocks have been on a meteoric rise. Australian buyers were keen to invest in his progeny at Karaka this year and Legarto is likely to be the first of many Aussie G1 winners for the son of Choisir.
Interesting bit of trivia on Proisir, who went to stud without a Group I win unlike his brother Divine Prophet, who won the Caulfield Guineas.
Few would argue which has emerged as the better sire and the same scenario played out with Deep Field and his Caulfield Guineas winning brother Shooting to Win.
Sometimes winning the G1 does not necessarily make you the better stallion prospect in the case of full brothers it would seem.
Legarto is also the first G1 winner for her broodmare sire Towkay, a blue-blood Last Tycoon stallion that won at G3 level here in Australia and then carved out quite a successful career at stud in New Zealand leaving 14 SW’s, three of them G1 winners.
The Group I ATC Canterbury Stakes (1300m) marked a return to the winner’s circle for enigmatic entire Artorius, read about him here.
Already a G1 winner, he was the first G1 winner for his sire Flying Artie when winning the 2021 Blue Diamond and remains his only G1 winner and is from a daughter of champion sire Redoute’s Choice with his next dam by another champion sire More Than Ready.
His international female family is top class tracing back directly along the tail female line to Priceless Gem, who found fame and fortune as the dam of US bred Champion European Mare Allez France and also an unremarkable unraced colt called Noble Bijou (USA), who found his way to stud in New Zealand in the seventies.
Noble Bijou proved an unlikely resounding success leaving 65 stakes-winners including 10 G1 winners, eight of them winning at that level in Australia and for those old enough, names like Alibhai, The Phantom Chance, Our Sophia and Allez Bijou will ring some bells.
The Group I New Zealand Derby (2400m) delivered a second career G1 win for Sharp ‘n’ Smart (NZ), who now heads back to Australia, read about him here.
He is the second Group I winner for High Chaparral stallion Redwood (GB) joining Rock on Wood and is the first G1 winner for Swiss Ace as a broodmare sire among five stakes-winners.
The Group II ATC Challenge Stakes (1000m) drew a hot field of sprinters with progressive young mare Passive Aggressive matching motors with seasoned sprint stars Eduardo and Giga Kick , read about her here.
Passive Aggressive is one of 192 stakes-winners worldwide for champion sire Fastnet Rock and is from a very fast female family, her dam Miss Judgement a Group III winning grand-daughter of dual Group I winner Lady Jakeo with Oakleigh Plate winner Mrs Onassis also on the page.
She is one of 24 stakes-winners as a broodmare sire for Strategic and four of them are G1 winners Le Romain, Holler, Griante and Sonntag…. Tipping she can become number five!
