Investec Oaks: where did they come from?

[Wandering Eyes]

Nine of this year’s 14 runners in the Oaks are racing for their breeders, with those having been bought at auction including the favourite Pink Dogwood and the most expensive on record, Maqsad, who was bought as a foal for €775,000 from the Wildenstein Stables Dispersal at Goffs.

Anapurna (GB)
Frankel (GB) – Dash To The Top (GB) (Montjeu {Ire})
Launching what could be a big weekend for her owner-breeder Meon Valley Stud, which also has Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {GB}) in the Derby, Anapurna took the Lingfield Oaks Trial in style on her sole start this year. Her sire is still seeking a first domestic Classic winner and her dam was fifth in the Irish Oaks before finishing runner-up in the Yorkshire Oaks.

Blue Gardenia (Ire)
Mastercraftsman (Ire) – Alegra (GB) (Galileo {Ire})
A listed winner over a mile at the back end of the last season, the Sir Robert Ogden homebred is from the family of dual Champion Stakes heroine Alborada (GB) (Alzao {Ire}), tracing back to Alruccaba (GB), whose grand-daughters, the Sadler’s Wells sisters Yesterday (Ire) and Quarter Moon (Ire), were both second in the Oaks. Her 90-rated dam, who won over a mile, was bought as a yearling by Sir Robert for €300,000 from her breeder Kirsten Rausing.

Delphinia (Ire)
Galileo (Ire) – Again (Danehill Dancer {Ire})
A maiden winner last October, Delphinia comes to Epsom after finishing third in the G3 Blue Wind S. She was bred by Orpendale and Chelston from the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Again, who has been mated exclusively with Galileo and is a half-sister to the National Stud stallion Aclaim (Ire) and from the family of Montjeu (Ire).

Fleeting (Ire)
Zoffany (Ire) – Azafata (Spa) (Motivator {GB})
Bred by Spaniard Fernando Bermudez, the G2 May Hill S. winner Fleeting was pinhooked as a foal at Arqana by HSV Agency for €50,000 and resold for €100,000 the following August. Her dam won three races in her native Spain at up to 1m6f.

Frankellina (GB)
Frankel (GB) – Our Obsession (Ire) (Shamardal)
Owner-breeder Anthony Oppenheimer’s colours were carried to glory at Epsom by 2015 Derby winner Golden Horn (GB), whose grandam Nuryana (GB) (Nureyev) features as Frankellina’s third dam, through her daughter, the Cheshire Oaks winner Hidden Hope (GB) (Daylami {Ire}). Frankellina’s dam Our Obsession won the listed Galtres S. on her final start at York, where this filly, her first foal, ran a close second in the Musidora S. before being confirmed for Epsom.

Lavender’s Blue (Ire)
Sea The Stars (Ire) – Beatrice Aurore (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire})
Benny Andersson will be hoping that the winner takes it all when his homebred Lavender’s Blue heads to post this afternoon. She only made her debut for the ABBA star at the Craven meeting, winning her maiden convincingly before being beaten a neck in the listed fillies’ trial at Newbury. Her dam won the listed Height Of Fashion S. and was group-placed on multiple occasions in England, Ireland, Italy, France, Turkey and Norway. Mamma Mia, it will be quite something if her daughter can again finish in the money, money, money.

Manuela De Vega (Ire)
Lope De Vega (Ire) – Roscoff (Ire) (Daylami {Ire})
A €100,000 Goffs Orby purchase for Waverley Racing, Manuela De Vega was bred by Merriebelle Irish Stud Farm, from a mare inherited with its purchase of the Kilfrush Stud and stock. This filly’s sister Isabel De Urbina (Ire) was sixth in the Oaks two years ago and went on to win a pair of listed contests, while brother Hero Look won the G2 Gran Criterium and half-brother Auxerre (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) was the easy winner of the Lincoln this year for Godolphin.

Maqsad (Fr)
Siyouni (Fr) – Amerique (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Bought as a foal from the Wildenstein Stables Dispersal for €775,000 (at which her dam was bought by Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm for €975,000), Maqsad’s grandam Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill) won the Prix de Diane, the Vermeille and the Ganay among her seven victories. She is unbeaten so far this season, both starts coming at Newmarket, where she won the listed Pretty Polly S., the same trial won by Sheikh Hamdan’s previous Oaks winner Taghrooda (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Mehdaayih (GB)
Frankel (GB) – Sayyedati Symphony (Gone West)
Supplemented for the Oaks after winning her last three starts, including the Cheshire Oaks, Mehdaayih was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock. She has not been sold publicly but races for fellow Dubaian Nasser Lootah’s Australian-based Emirates Park Stud. Her outstanding grandam Sayyedati (GB) (Shadeed) was a five-time Group 1 winner, her victories including the 1000 Guineas, and Mehdaayih’s dam was sold last year by Godolphin at Goffs for €8,000 to Anthony Mithen of Rosemont Stud. She was not in foal at the time and has produced no live foal since this filly.

Peach Tree (Ire)
Galileo (Ire) – Pikaboo (GB) (Pivotal {GB})
Bred by the Pikaboo Syndicate on the cross responsible for two of last weekend’s Group 1 winners at the Curragh, Peach Tree is a sister to Flattering (Ire), who was fifth in last year’s Oaks, and a half-sister to the G2 Lowther S. winner Lucky Kristale (GB) (Lucky Story). A listed winner last year over a mile, she wasn’t far off the winner when fourth in the G3 Blue Wind S. on her sole start this season.

Pink Dogwood (Ire)
Camelot (GB) – Question Times (GB) (Shamardal)
Many people’s idea of the Oaks winner since landing the listed Salsabil S. on her only start this year, Pink Dogwood was bred by Sweetmans Bloodstock and initially fetched €115,000 as a foal when bought by Mags O’Toole, before being resold through Lynn Lodge Stud for €380,000 at the Orby Sale to the Coolmore partners. Her brother Latrobe (Ire) won last year’s Irish Derby and her dam is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Sunday Times (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), the dam of G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

Sh Boom (GB)
War Command – Nouvelle Lune (GB) (Fantastic Light)
A novice winner at Newmarket last September, Sh Boom’s sole start this year saw her take sixth in the listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial at Newbury. Bred by her owners J G Davis and Star Pointe Ltd, she was bought back as a yearling for 52,000gns and is a half-sister to the Grade 2-placed hurdler Pleasure Dome (GB) (Makfi {GB}), who was 86-rated on the Flat. Her dam was unraced but she shares her grandam Sarah Georgina (GB) (Persian Bold {GB}) with 2014 Derby runner-up and St Leger winner Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).

Tarnawa (Ire)
Shamardal – Tarana (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire})
Thirty years after Aliysa (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) was disqualified after finishing first past the post in the Oaks, Tarnawa bids to give her owner-breeder HH the Aga Khan his first win in the race. Third to Pink Dogwood in April, she then won the G3 Blue Wind S., and she is the first foal of her dam, who won two listed races over the Oaks distance. The same owner and trainer won the Derby in 2016 with Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Tauteke (GB)
Sea The Stars (Ire) – Tamarind (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells)
Produced on the same cross as the 2014 Oaks winner Taghrooda (Ire), Tauteke was bred by her owner Nurlan Bizakov at his Hesmonds Stud. Her dam hails from the family of Derby winner Shahrastani (Nijinsky) and raced for Coolmore, winning a Group 3 over 12 furlongs and finishing fifth in the Yorkshire Oaks. A novice winner last November on her second start and then runner-up to Anapurna in the Lingfield Oaks Trial, Tauteke was the only runner in the Oaks or the Derby to take up the opportunity of a spin round Epsom at Breakfast With The Stars last week.

 

 

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