Irish Derby winner, Cape Blanco has an interesting female family. Parts of this article appeared in The Sportsman.
Cape Blanco is out of a rather unusually bred mare in Laurel Delight. She is by Presidium, a son of General Assembly by Secretariat. Interestingly Presidium is a half brother to the stallions Kris and Diesis. He won five of his twenty starts, including the City Of York Stakes in course record time over seven furlongs. Presidium was actually rated higher than Kris according to Timeform as a 2yo. Laurel Interest had, earlier in her career, produced the multiple stakes winning Mr O’brien, by Mukaddamah who was sent to the US to race as a 2yo. She was out of a mare called Foudroyer, by Artaius, a US bred son of Round Table. Foudroyer was best known as the dam of Paris House, by Petong, who had won nine races in a career that included four stakes races with the best being his victories in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes and also the Temple Stakes at the same level. Paris House shuttled to New Zealand for a brief time in the 1990’s where he sired the Doomben Classic winner, Tobruk.
The female family must surely rank as among the finest of the stud book, even if it is not the most well known branch. The French bred Lawman by shuttle stallion Invincible Spirit who won the 2007 French Derby is another horse to share this female family, as are that colt’s stakes winning siblings, Latice and Satri. Delving a little further into the family, we see that it contains a mare called Fairy Footsteps, by Mill Reef, who won the Group 1 1000 Guineas. She was a half sister to the Group 1 St Leger winning stallion, Light Cavalry who was sent to Argentina during the late 1980’s where he had some success. Fairy Footsteps though was to go on to become the grand dam of the stallion, Desert Prince by Green Desert. Desert Prince won three Group 1 races in Europe over a mile and shuttled to Australia from 1999 to 2004. Among his most successful progeny are the Blue Diamond winner, Kusi, the West Australian galloper, Tarzi, and Queensland based sire, Outback Prince. Another notable stallion that owes his heritage to this wonderful family is Selhurst. Selhurst, by Charlottesville, a son of Prince Chevalier, was out of Crystal Palace, and had won the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes. He came to Australia where his success was moderate but he did produce the Group 1 winner, Seltrice, and her full brother, multiple stakes winner, Tolhurst. Tolhurst also stood at stud where he too had limited success. Nevertheless, both stallions continue to play a role in our modern thoroughbred and appear in the pedigrees of horses like Rain Gauge, Bohemiath, Allez Wonder, and Spice Doll.
The French bred Welsh Pageant, by Tudor Melody from Picture Light was one of the true champions of his era. He won 10 Group races until the early 1970’s including races such as the Queen Anne Stakes, the Lockinge Stakes twice, and the Totaliser Free Stakes. At stud, he produced horses like Ascot Gold Cup winner, Longboat, Arlington Millions winner, Teleprompter, and Italian Derby winner, Welnor. In Australia he may well be best known as the second dam sire of the very good galloper Adventurous by Fairy King who also stands at stud in Queensland.
The family has had considerable success in Australia. We can go back to one of the best gallopers of the late 1980’s in Stylish Century who eight stakes races including the 2yo Illawarra Classic, the VRC Derby and the Spring Champion Stakes and AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes. At stud in New Zealand, Stylish Century was to not match his racetrack success, although he did produce the Sandown Stakes winner, Buster Jones.
Rembetica, who won the Tramway Handicap was a son of the French bred Noalcoholic out of the imported British mare, Crystal Dancer who was a granddaughter of Crystal Palace. The gelding was to have over 100 starts in a long career and won a total of 14 races, retiring with almost half a million dollars in prize money. More recently we saw the More Than Ready filly, Blizzardly win the Listed Keith Mackay Quality and is another filly who traces to this wonderful family. More significantly, Miss Finland, who is undoubtedly one of the best fillies in recent times having won over $4.5 million in stakes, is yet another example of the quality that this family can produce. She won ten stakes races including the Golden Slipper, VRC Oaks, One Thousand and Australian Guineas, and the Arrowfield Stud Stakes all at Group 1 level.
Given the exceptional nature of the family, it probably comes as a surprise to many that this is not regarded as the strongest branch of the family. The wonderful broodmare, Inchbonny represents another branch of the family entirely, and another that has impacted the global thoroughbred. That however is a story for another day.
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