Three brand new Group I winners on Saturday and all of them very interesting for varying reasons so let’s take a closer look at those pedigrees and have a thought on whether moving G1 races into a G2 time slot is a good thing.
Widden Stud’s champion sire Zoustar has risen to a new level this season, currently leading I Am Invincible on the sires by winners list and he’s also getting his stakes-winners so let’s start with his latest star product.
The $1.5million Group I MRC Thousand Guineas (1600m) was switched from it’s traditional slot earlier in the spring fracturing the fillies division completely to allow a latecomer on the scene like Joliestar to take the prize, read about her here.
She is the 47th stakes-winner for Zoustar and is his seventh G1 winner and is a real blueblood with both her dam and grand-dam Jolie Bay and Legally Bay being Group I placed Group winning sprinters. She is also the 101st stakes-winner for Fastnet Rock as a broodmare sire and his tenth G1 winner in that department.
Zoustar has a growing record of success with daughters of Fastnet Rock producing 34 winners from 43 runners 79.1% winner to runner and five stakes-winners - all fillies – with Joliestar and Zougotcha G1 winners. The SW to runner strike rate for the nick is 11.6%, which is significantly higher than Zoustar's overall SW to runner strike rate of 6.1%.
The $1million Group I MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) was another key earlier spring race that was severely lessened in quality by a change in time slot, and was won by progressive mare Magic Time, read about her here.
Magic Time delivered an important first G1 victory for Hellbent as her sire and Nicconi as her dam-sire. Her dam Time Awaits is a G3 winning grand-daughter of G2 West Australian Oaks winner Mystic Chantry from a female family tracing back to European origins that has produced it’s share of Black Type horses.
Moving these two historically great G1 races out of their traditional slot has undoubtedly lessened the class of the fields that lined up, history will judge the winners as to whether they are up to the mark, but how is it that you can move a G1 race into a G2 time slot and still expect to keep G1 status long term? That’s a question for the pattern committee to look at.
The Group I New Zealand Thousand Guineas (1600m) was won by Molly Bloom, read about her here.
She is the first stakes-winner and first G1 winner for Australian bred High Chaparral sire Ace High, whose oldest progeny are just three year-olds. Winner of the Victoria Derby and Spring Champion Stakes, Ace High is from the female family of Danehill and his first two dams are by Redoute’s Choice and Sunday Silence so on the pedigree and performance front he always had a lot to offer.
High Chaparral has a great record as a sire of sires – So You Think, Dundeel and Toronado just for starters – so to see Ace High get a G1 winner in his first crop certainly fits the profile.
Molly Bloom comes from a tough old Kiwi family most famous for producing the mighty champion Rough Habit and is the 32nd stakes-winner for Iffraaj as a broodmare sire with his other G1 winner being NZ Horse of the Year Melody Belle.
A look at her extended seven generation tabulated pedigree shows a high concentration of breed shaping matriarch Natalma – 5 lines top and bottom - which will no doubt excite pedigree geeks looking for the holy grail of bloodlines!
