A blueblood stallion by Frankel that cost 1.3million guineas and a 3YO gelding by I Am Immortal that cost $14,000 – what could they possibly have in common other than both winning Group races at Flemington on Saturday.
He looks every inch the classic European blueblood that his pedigree says he is and the Waterhouse Bott trained stallion Sir Delius (IRE) is a firm favourite for the Melbourne Cup after winning a star studded Group I VRC Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at the expensive reigning Australian Horse eof the Year Via Sistina – read about him here.
Considered an outside chance by punters in the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes (1200m), the Emma-Lee and David Browne trained gelding McGaw dented the reputation of a few leading Group I Coolmore Stud Stakes contenders with a fighting win, read about him here.
It was a first stakes win for McGaw, who has won three of five starts including a lucrative victory in the $1million Showdown for Victorian bred 2YO’s last season.
So what could they possibly have in common? That would be international blue hen Eljazzi.
Eljazzi is the third dam of Sir Delius and the fifth dam of McGaw.
A minor winner by Artaius, Eljazzi produced Group I French Oaks winner Rafha as her second foal and would go on to produce 15 foals in total, 13 of them raced and 10 won with Chiang Mai another Group III winner.
She came to Australia at the very end of her stud career at age 21 in foal to Danehill and the result of that mating was stakes-placed Al Anood the dam of Group I winner and Group I winning sire Pride of Dubai.
The Rafha branch of the family has had a profound influence here in Australia as she produced Group I winning sire Invincible Spirit, who has given us champion sire I Am Invincible.
Another stakes-placed daughter of Eljazzi in Fayfa (IRE) also came to Australia to go to stud and it’s this branch that has produced McGaw, who is line bred to Eljazzi 5 x 5 being by I Am Invincible stallion I Am Immortal and has a fascinating pedigree with duplications to champion sires Danzig and Nureyev.
Breednet produce five gen pedigrees for all SW's from the last 14 days for free,
Sir Delius has emerged from a different branch of the family stemming from a non-winning placed daughter of Eljazzi in Wosaita, who is by the staying sire Generous, winner of both Epsom and Irish Derbies.
Eljazzi is popping up in more and more pedigrees thanks to I Am Invincible, Pride of Dubai and also Darley shuttler Pinatubo (IRE), who comes from this famous family too.
Given the success of McGaw, expect to see a lot more hobby breeders dabbling in line breeding to Eljazzi going forward!
