Exciting day of racing at Randwick on Saturday with three first time Group I winners and the first two juvenile stakes races, so we’re taking a closer look at the pedigrees which all hold interest for varying reasons.
The $1.5million Group I ATC Epsom Handicap was won by four year-old gelding Rediener, who comes from the very last crop of 23 foals sired by the legendary champion sire Redoute’s Choice, read about him here.
Rediener is the 40th Group I winner for Redoute’s Choice and is a three-quarter brother-in-blood to champion sire Snitzel as his mother Wiener is a half-sister by More Than Ready (USA) to Snitzel, who is by Redoute’s Choice. He is also the 21st Group I winner for More Than Ready as a broodmare sire.
Redoute’s Choice has a great record with mares by More Than Ready, the nick producing 23 winners from 26 runners (88.5% winner to runner) and six stakes-winners at 23% SW to runner with Rediener the second G1 winner following Celebrity Queen
The $750,000 Group I ATC Flight Stakes (1600m) was won by up and coming filly Tropical Squall and it was her first stakes win, read about her here.
She is the first stakes-winner for her sire Prized Icon, whose oldest progeny are just three year-olds. A versatile dual G1 winner (Champagne Stakes and Victoria Derby) by More Than Ready (USA), Prized Icon lacks for nothing in blood with his first two dams by champion sires Danehill and Bletchingly, so nobody should be surprised that he’s s thrown a G1 winner in his first crop. The emergence of Tropical Squall will no doubt spark renewed interest in Prized Icon, who covered 56 mares at Kooringal stud last year.
Tropical Squall is the 15th Group I winner for Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus as a broodmare sire and comes from a family that has produced a couple of other high class female milers in Thousand Guineas winner Flit and Doncaster winner My Gold Hope.
The $750,000 Group I ATC The Metropolitan (2400m) was won by imported stayer Just Fine (IRE), read about him here.
Just Fine was the first of two Group I winners on Saturday for the Aga Khan Studs based Sea the Stars, who also sired strong staying mare Sea Silk Road to win the Group I Prix de Royalieu (2800m) at Longchamp. They are the 20th and 21st Group I winners for Sea the Stars, who stands at a fee of €180,000.
Just Fine comes from a top class female family as his dam is a half-sister to G1 winner Master of the Seas and G3 winenr Falls of Lora, the dam of Godolphin’s Australian star G1 horse Cascadian, a winner of over $8million!
The $250,000 Group III ATC Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) was won by Manaal, who credited her sire Newgate Farm based sire Tassort with a stakes-winner from his first runner, read about her here.
Most stallions that stand at a fee of $11,000 don’t get to cover mares like the dam of Manaal, but with the support of Emirates Park, Tassort will not die wondering and has done a great job with this filly. Red Lodge was a stakes-winner at two in the US and was bought by Emirates Park for US$500,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
Her first foal in the US was a winner and since coming here she’s been to Snitzel, then Tassort followed by I Am Invincible and Zoustar which gives you an indication as to the regard in which she is held.
The $250,000 Group III ATC Breeders Plate (1000m) was won by expensive Zoustar colt Espionage, click here to read about him.
Espionage is the 42nd stakes-winner for Widden Stud’s champion sire Zoustar and is his first from a daughter of outstanding sire Street Cry, whose daughters have produced nine winners from 13 runners by Zoustar. Street Cry brings a bit of international class and stamina to a pedigree laden with speed as his next three dams are by General Nediym and Golden Slipper winners Flying Spur and Marauding.
