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International AUSTRALASIA

Round-up of the European influences on a busy day down under

Group 1 winners for Champs Elysees, Dylan Thomas and Notnowcato Redkirk Warrior: by dual-purpose stallion Notnowcato
Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images
By Martin Stevens 5:47PM, MAR 10 2018

The victory of Aylmerton, a son of Siyouni bred to southern hemisphere time, was only one of many big-race results in Australia and New Zealand on Saturday with deep significance for European breeders.

British-bred sprint sensation

Redkirk Warrior made it back-to-back Group 1 wins with a short-head victory over Brave Smash in the prestigious Newmarket Handicap at Flemington.

The British-bred seven-year-old, successful in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes last month, paid handsome tribute to his breeder Lennie Peacock of Manor House Stud in North Yorkshire, who passed away in recent weeks.

View Saturday's worldwide stakes results

He is the sole top-flight winner by Notnowcato, a three-time Group 1 winner over ten furlongs for Sir Michael Stoute. The sire now stands at Knockhouse Stud in County Kilkenny and is marketed towards jumps breeders.

Redkirk Warrior is out of the unraced Selkirk mare Flag, who has also produced the minor winners Ageebah, Azygous, Liberty Ship, State Gathering and Twosheetstothewind.

He was originally a 22,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling purchase by Jill Lamb and won two races for William Haggas under the name Redkirk before being sold privately to race in Australia.

Harlem shakes up Australian Cup

Another notable British-bred winner on the Flemington card was Harlem, who belied odds of 60-1 to take the scalp of Gailo Chop – a French-bred son of Deportivo – when taking the Australian Cup.

Harlem was bred by Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms from Champs Elysees, the sire of Gold Cup hero Trip To Paris who used to stand at the operation's headquarters at Banstead Manor Stud.

Champs Elysees, a brother to fellow Group 1-producing sires Dansili and Cacique, is, like Notnowcato, now standing mainly as a National Hunt stallion at Coolmore's Castle Hyde Stud in County Cork.

Harlem, who was Group 2-placed in France for Andre Fabre, caused a stir at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale in 2016 when bought by Alastair Donald and Astute Bloodstock for 520,000gns to race in Australia.

He is out of the winning Nayef mare Casual, a half-sister to Listed scorer Rich Coast from the family of high-class performers such as Trade Fair and Ventura.

The dam has a two-year-old filly by Oasis Dream, a yearling colt by Dansili and was covered by Showcasing last year.

Jumps sires in clover

Remarkably, there was a third Australasian Group 1 winner on the day for an Irish-based National Hunt sire as Dylan Thomas provided Ladies First, a nose winner of the Auckland Cup at Ellerslie.

Dylan Thomas was a six-time Group 1 winner who formerly featured on the Flat roster at Coolmore but was switched to a dual-purpose capacity at Castle Hyde Stud in 2014. His fee this year is just €5,000.

The son of Danehill is also responsible for other northern-hemisphere Group 1 winners Blazing Speed, Dylan Mouth, Final Score, Nightflower, Nymphea, Pether's Moon and Tannery.

The five-year-old mare Ladies First was bred by Go Bloodstock New Zealand out of the Group 3-winning Dehere mare Just Polite.

Mastercraftsman makes his mark

Coolmore mainstay Mastercraftsman registered a seventh Group/Grade 1 winner with the victory of son Saint Emilion in the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie.

Mastercraftsman formerly shuttled to Windsor Park Stud in New Zealand and also left top-flight scorers Thee Aud Floozie and Valley Girl there.

Six-year-old Saint Emilion was bred by the late Robyn Horton and races for her estate. He is out of the Pentire mare Roseario, a half-sister to stakes winner Raw Instinct.

Two Group 1s for Teofilo gelding

Happy Clapper, an Australian-bred son of Kildangan Stud resident Teofilo, doubled his Group 1 tally by taking the Canterbury Stakes at Randwick.

In a major cross-card double for the family, Happy Clapper's two-year-old half-brother Not A Single Cent, by Not A Single Doubt, landed the Group 2 Sires' Produce Stakes at Flemington also on Saturday.

The pair were bred by Michael Thomas out of the late Encosta De Lago mare Busking, a half-sister to Group 3-winning and Group 1-placed sprinter Thankgodyou'rehere.

Happy Clapper is one of 14 Group/Grade 1 winners sired by Teofilo, whose fee in Ireland is €40,000 this year. His other southern-hemisphere stars include Humidor, Kermadec, Palentino and Sonntag.

Sword's European edge

Sword Of Osman, a gelding by champion New Zealand sire Savabeel who won the Group 1 Sistema Stakes for juveniles at Ellerslie, has European roots on the distaff side of his pedigree.

He is out of the Irish-bred Distant View mare Bunyah, a half-sister to stakes winners Governor Brown and Hataab and to the dam of Criterium de Saint-Cloud runner-up Hannouma.

Paul Moroney paid just 20,000gns when she came up for auction as part of the Shadwell draft at the Tattersalls December Breeding-Stock Sale in 2004.

Lope De Vega in limelight

Ballylinch Stud flagbearer Lope De Vega notched a 21st Pattern race winner when Australian-bred daughter Spanish Reef took the Group 3 Schweppervescence Trophy at Flemington.

The Ken Keys-trained filly was bred by Nathan Tinkler's defunct Patinack Farm, where Lope De Vega used to shuttle to.

She is out of Lemon Reef, an unraced daughter of Lemon Drop Kid and Irish 1,000 Guineas third Storm Dream bought by Patinack Farm for $85,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2010.


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Saint Emilion Happy Clapper Harlem Spanish Reef