Earlier this week I read a great article in the TDN where MV Magnier was interviewed and the title was ‘Without Classic Stallions, How Can You Breed the Next Classic Winner?’ and it stuck in my mind after the stakes racing finished in Australia on Saturday and if you read this story you will soon see why.
With three Group I races in Sydney and Melbourne, plus the first round of official Golden Slipper lead up races there is plenty to look at from a pedigree perspective and the following four horses make you realise why speed on speed will only take you so far.
Rivellino and Within the Law were both Restricted Listed winners coming into Saturday having won Inglis incentive races, but they are both now legitimate Group II winners.
The Group II ATC Skyline Stakes (1200m) went the way of unbeaten colt Rivellino, read about him here.
Rivellino is one of 10 SW’s in Australia this season for Dubawi shuttler Too Darn Hot (GB), who seems to have just the right mix of speed and stamina to be effective in Australia and he’s certainly upgraded this pedigree. You have to go back to the fourth dam to find any stakes-winners, although it should be noted his grand-dam Vecchia Roma was certainly good enough to be a SW as a multiple Group placed mare.
Rivellino is the eighth SW for the mighty So You Think as a broodmare sire and this champion son of Epsom Derby winning sire High Chaparral has already sired the dam of a Golden Slipper winner in Fireburn.
The Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) was won by tenacious filly Within the Law, read about her here.
Bred and sold by Yulong, she is the first stakes-winner for their first season sire Lucky Vega (IRE), a Group I winning juvenile by French Derby winning sire Lope de Vega, a son of another French Derby winner in Shamardal. She is also the first foal of her dam Contact Signed, who placed four times, but failed to win in 11 starts, but traces back to an outstanding female family.
The third dam of Within the Law is classy G2 winner So Gorgeous, who won a VRC Ascot Vale Stakes and Edward Manifold Stakes at 1200 and 1600m, and she traces back through the Joy and Fun branch to legendary matriarch Denise’s Joy, who won both the VRC Oaks and Queensland Oaks.
Within the Law is the third stakes-winner as a broodmare sire for Champion 3YO and Australian Derby hero Dundeel, who is like So You Think, a son of High Chaparral.
The Group I VRC Australian Guineas (1600m) was won by Kiwi bred gelding Feroce, who atoned for his close second in the Caulfield Guineas last spring, read about him here.
Feroce is the first G1 winner among six stakes-winners for his Caulfield Guineas winning sire Super Seth, who is one of the first sons of Dundeel to go to stud. A half-brother to stakes-winner Siracusa, he is the latest G1 winner from the iconic Eight Carat (GB) family. His dam Corinthia is a grand-daughter of multiple G1 winner Tristalove, who is in turn a grand-daughter of Eight Carat.
He is the 31st G1 winner for O’Reilly as a broodmare sire and his daughters have produced four winners by Super Seth from 11 runners that include another stakes-winner Super Photon.
The Group I ATC Surround Stakes was won in race record time by Lady Shenandoah over the Golden Slipper winner Lady of Camelot, with that pair of fillies clearly ahead of their rivals, read about them here.
It was a second G1 win for Lady Shenandoah adding to her Flight Stakes romp last spring and this one won’t be her last either. She is a three-quarter sister to HK Group I winner Stronger and is the fifth foal from Star Pupil, a modest 1400m winning half-sister to three stakes-winners from G1 placed stakes-winner Ain’t Seen Nothin’.
Her first two dams are by Derby winning sires Starcraft and Nothin’ Leica Dane and she traces back to an influential Kiwi mare in Gold Vink, who is also the grand-dam of Oaks winner and blue hen Circles of Gold, the dam of champions Elvstroem and Haradasun.
Lady Shenandoah is one of 21 G1 winners in total for Snitzel and is his only female G1 winner to win more than one G1. She is also the best of 19 SW’s including four G1 winners for Starcraft as a broodmare sire.
The Snitzel x Starcraft nick has produced 11 winners from 12 starters with Lady Shenandoah the best of four SW’s bred this way, although Makarena is also in the group and she’s a very solid G2 winner.
Footnote: Coolmore have added two new Epsom Derby winners to their roster in Ireland in 2025 in City of Troy and Auguste Rodin and you can read the story with MV Magnier here.
