DAM OF ROYAL ASCOT GROUP 1 WINNER SOLD FOR $1000 - AND WHAT THE RELLIES ARE UP TO

European horses this week have been again vanquished by the southern hemisphere breed in the run for sprint glory in the King’s Stand Stakes (five furlongs), one of three Group 1 races on the opening day of the Royal Ascot carnival. A difference this time is that, instead of the winner being a visitor from Australia, it has been taken out by a Hong Kong sprint star bred in New Zealand.

Earlier winner of nine of 19 starts, all in Hong Kong and including two each at Group 2 and 3, he is Little Bridge, a 6-year-old by Faltaat, an American bred son of Mr. Prospector who won 13 races and champion sprinter honours in Dubai. He stands at Westbury Stud, Karaka.

Ridden at Ascot by Hong Kong based Australian Zac Purton, Little Bridge is the only runner from the four living foals out of Golden Rose, a winner at 1200m at Wellington New Zealand who changed hands at a sale in 2008 for $1,000.

Although New Zealand bred, Golden Rose has some Australian bloodlines. She is by the prematurely deceased Gold Brose, a dashing performer bred by Anne Raymond at her Sledmere Stud, Scone, and from Enrichment, a Straight Strike winner from Concord, a Victorian produced daughter of Century and Grable, a Showdown winner of one race, a 1000m event in Melbourne at two.

Grable supplied 15 foals for 13 winners, all her runners, and Lady Grable, the unraced third dam of the flying filly Karuta Queen. Karuta Queen’s sire Not a Single Doubt has a lot of the same genes as Bated Breath, the runner up in the 2012 running of 22 starter King’s Stand Stakes.

A 5-year-old England bred colt, Bated Breath is by one of the best Danehill sires in Dansili and from Tantima, a grandaughter of Didicoy, a Danzig product of Monroe, a sister to Show Lady, the third dam of Not a Single Doubt’s sire Redoute’s Choice.

Two sons of Dansili available at stud in Australia in the 2012 season are Champion’s Gallery (GB) (third season), a winner in England (Ascot) and Hong Kong and Hong Kong Derby third at Neville Bell’s Kilto Park Stud, Caboolture, Qld, and Coolmore, Hunter Valley new shuttler Zoffany (Ire).

Zoffany was one of Europe’s leading juveniles in 2010 and a three-quarter length second to Frankel in the St James’s Palace Stakes at last year’s Royal Ascot carnival.

Australian tourists thrilling at being at the Chantilly racecourse for the French Oaks last Sunday are unlikely to have noted that the winner of this fillies’ Classic over 2100m, the Aga Khan bred and raced Valyra, is close to being a cousin to Valixir, the world rated European performer resident with the good Danehill source of winners Arena at Fred Peisah’s Lomar Park stud at Werombi near Sydney whose first crop are three.

On the sire side, Valyra, the seventh French Oaks winner for the Aga Khan, is by Azamour, a multiple Group 1 winner and a European champion at four by the Northern Dancer sire Night Shift standing at his studs in Ireland. Briefly shuttled to the Woodlands Stud, Hunter Valley, Night Shift is also the sire of Intrigues, the dam of Sheikh Mohammed’s exciting Lonhro 3-year-old gelding Mental.

A half-sister to Group 3 winner and 2010 French Oaks seventh Valasyra, Valiyra is from Valima, a Listed three-quarter sister-in-blood to Vadlamixa, dam of Valixir. Both Valima and Vadlamixa are by French Two Thousand Guineas winner Linamix and from half-sisters.

A talented performer in France at two and three, a year six appearances included three stakes wins and two Group 1 thirds, one of them in the French Derby, Valixir blossomed into an outstanding miler at four. This was confirmed by his being ranked in 2005 Europe’s Best 4YO Miler, Second Best Older Miler and Equal Sixth Best Older Northern Hemisphere Miler

He put his ability at a mile on show for world audience at that year’s Royal Ascot carnival in taking the Group 1 Queen Anne, a premier event won this week by the awesome Frankel. Valixir won in such fine style, he earned the approbation, “Some horse he was indeed in 2005, a match for the very best that could be mustered at around a mile.“

A son of the Native Dancer line sire record breaking Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Trempolino (by Danehill Dancer’s maternal grandsire Sharpen Up), Valixir and this year’s French Oaks winner Valyra are but two of a long list of superior performers from the family. There are six stakes winners under Valixir’s dam and she is one of four stakes winners from stakes placed Vadlava.

The bottom line of the pedigrees of this year’s French Oaks winner Valyra and Valixir traces back to Cypriote, ancestress of earlier French Oaks winners Fairy Legend, Mary Legend and Feerie and a sister to Tagale, the dam of Tagalie, the last filly to win the English Derby.