There were six Group 1 races contested in Australasia on Saturday producing some interesting winners, two with a double cross of Danehill, two line bred to the legendary Eight Carat and one with a Kiwi suffix that’s very much an Aussie bred.
We’ll start with Verry Elleegant (NZ), who won the Group I ATC Chipping Norton Stakes for the second time taking her overall G1 haul to 11 wins at the highest level, click here to read about her.
For those who need reminding her pedigree is an interesting one with a double cross of not only Danehill 3 x 3, but also Eight Carat’s influential daughter Cotehele House 4 x 4.
She was not the only Group I winner on Saturday to have the double up of Eight Carat with Blue Diamond winner Daumier also bred this way, read about him here.
Daumier is 4 x 5 to Eight Carat as he combines the blood of Commands and Lonhro’s sire Octagonal, two stallions from this female family. He is the third Group I winner for Epaulette, but is his first in Australia and is the 18th Group I winner for Street Cry as a broodmare sire.
She is the eighth Group I winner from a daughter of Tiger Hill, who was a very tough German bred staying son of Danehill, so her pedigree is a mix of speed and staying blood with her fourth dam the 1977 G1 Thousand Guineas winner Princess Talaria.
Mascarpone (NZ) might carry the NZ suffix, but his pedigree is all about Aussie speed, click here to read about him.
He is the first Group I winner for Shooting to Win and the 13th for Flying Spur as a broodmare sire.
Surround Stakes winner Hinged is the other Group I winner with a double cross of Danehill 4 x 4 , read about her here.
She’s the first Group I winner for her sire Worthy Cause and her dam sire Tycoon Ruler with her female family tracing back to fourth dam French stakes-winner Pink Valley, the family packed with elite European Black Type.
Claiming her second G1 in the Futurity, Sierra Sue (NZ) is the quintessential Kiwi sprinter miler, read about her here.
She is one of 12 Group I winners for Darci Brahma and one of 27 for Centaine as a broodmare sire.