WOOTTON BASSETT (GB)

Amo Racing’s fine run continued on Thursday when their pricey yearling purchase Great Max (2c Wootton Bassett - Teeslemee, by Youmzain) made a winning debut at Newbury.

Racing prominently throughout the six and a half furlong contest, the Michael Bell-trained colt showed a smart turn of foot in the final furlong to lead close home under Jack Mitchell. The winning margin was three parts of a length, with another two lengths back to the third.

Bred by Ennistown Stud, Great Max cost €72,000 as a foal and was resold to Robson Aguiar as a yearling for 260,000gns. The son of Wootton Bassett is the first foal out of Teeslemee, herself an own-sister to Chesham Stakes winner Suits You.

Outstanding sire Wootton Bassett featured overnight siring his fourth Group I winner when exciting filly Incarville (3f Wootton Bassett x Ilhabela, by Azamour) charged home for victory in the Group I Prix Saint-Alary (1m2f) at Longchamp.

Trained by David Smaga and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Incarville unleashed a brilliant finish from back in the field to score a head win running away.

It was the first Black Type win for Incarville, who has been twice placed in Group III races and has the overall record of three wins and three placings from seven starts.

“I'm so happy, it's been a long time since I won a Group I and I want to thank Gerard Augustin-Normand for his support,” said David Smaga.

“Besides her first run when she was unplaced, this filly has never run a bad race. Christophe Soumillon gave her a great ride and we will be back in four weeks' time for the Prix de Diane.”

Owned by Gerard Augustin-Normand and bred by Naji Nahas, Incarville is the best of four winners from Ilhabela, a winning half-sister by Azamour to Champion 3YO French Miler Vahorimix and stakes-winner Vadalix.

The extended family features a plethora of Group I stars including Val Royal, Valixir, Vadamos as well as Vazira and Vadawina, who both won the Prix Saint-Alary.

Incarville is the 18th stakes-winner for Wootton Bassett and is his fourth Group I winner joining Almanzor, Audarya and Wooded.

She comes from his sixth crop, conceived at Haras d’Etreham after his fee was raised to 20,000 euros in 2017, which was up substantially from a modest 6,000 euros the year before.

He now stands at Coolmore Ireland at a fee of 100,000 euros and will visit Australia for the first time this spring at a fee of $71,500.

At the Inglis Chairman’s Sale on Friday night in Sydney, Coolmore’s Tom Magnier was the leading buyer securing three of the top five lots with all three mares destined to covered by exciting new sire Wootton Bassett his spring.

New to Australia, Wootton Bassett is one of the most exciting young sires in Europe where he has sired 17 stakes-winners highlighted by three Group I winners including his Champion 3YO Almanzor.

Priced at $71,500 this spring in Australia, Wootton Bassett will cover a stellar book of mares that will include Group I winner Celebrity Queen, bought for $2.5million, Group I winner El Dorado Dreaming bought for $1.35million and Group II winner Savanna Amour bought for $1.25 million.

Savanna Amour is the only one of the trio that has been to stud and was offered in foal to Champion sire Fastnet Rock after producing a lovely filly by him last year as her first foal.

A homebred for renowned West Australian breeders Bob and Sandra Peters, Redoute’s Choice mare Celebrity Queen topped the Chairman’s Sale this year.

Magnier described Celebrity Queen as “a standout’’.

“We thought she was a queen, we’re very lucky to have her,’’ Magnier said.

“She’s just real quality, a lovely physical.

“Bob Peters is an unbelievable breeder and anything Bob Peters is associated with is always of a very high calibre so we’re just delighted to get her.

“When those kinds of blue hens come into the ring, you know you’re going to have to pay to get them.

“We’ve had the plan for a long time to acquire mares like this for our stallions, we’ll keep going and support these stallions and try and get the best mares possible along the way.’’