ENGLISH VERSION due to go through the ring at Park Paddocks in Newmarket, both were eventually absent … The rest is history. Now let us leap forward in time. After several years crowned with black-type success, the family nevertheless had no Group 1 winner. Bow Echo, by Night of Thunder, has already secured his place at stud. Especially as last February, another relative, Royal Champion, distinguished himself at the highest level in the Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh, also carrying Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’ s silks. At the time of writing, only 18 foals in the world exist with inbreeding to Zomaradah. Among them are Bow Echo, but also Power Blue, winner of last year’ s Phoenix Stakes and an honorable seventh in the 2,000 Guineas. Space Blues, another Group 1 winner, is himself inbred to Sunbittern.
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GRAND STEEPLECHASE REVIEW
BY JACOB PRITCHARD-WEBB
It has been a few years since I was able to go out to Auteuil for the big 48 hours of what I consider some of the best jumps racing in the world. I covered the meeting last year from the studio at sky sports which was and always will be a career highlight but nothing beats being under the shadow of the Eiffel tower in the heart of Paris. The last time I was there in person was three years ago where I witness a moment that I don’ t think will ever be topped for me personally. I got to see my good friend Felix de Giles ride his first group one winner on Juntos Ganamos in the four-yearold group one over fences the prix Ferdinand Dufraure in what felt like the first real big days racing since Covid with an electric atmosphere to match the day.
This trip began slightly differently however with my trip beginning on the Friday in Maison lafette for the inaugural AKTEM Grand steeple de Paris sale held at the town’ s racecourse. It was already hyped up due to the catalogued 2-year-old full sister to 11-time group one winner and 2026 champion hurdler Lossiemouth. Her reputation was large as you’ d have imagined as was the price that she made during her time in the sales ring. 440,000 to mags O’ Toole and Robcour was who the hammer dropped down too, and it was a statement sale for bother the company and the rest of France that if you bring the pedigree and physical to AKTEM, they will deliver. This was also confirmed when gala Marceau halfbrother by Saint des saint was knocked down to Dan Astbury for 100,000 euros with the plan to keep him as a colt and attempt the traditionally French ideology of making him a stallion but from the heart of southwest Wales with trainer Micky Bowen. Further notable prices were Titi de Paris halfbrother by Goliath du Berlais selling to Alain Jatherie for 200,000 euros who for me was the pick of the 2yr od stores on physicals and of course the top lot Mahadevi. By one of the leading and most exciting young sires in France Nirvana dur berlais, Mahadevi is a sister to two grade one winners in Kalif du Berlais of Paul Nichols stable and Kivala du berlais of David Cottin. Pedigrees like this don’ t come on the market very often let alone ones with decent form like her. A 2 nd at Compiegne only tells the half of it as I believed it was a very eye-catching run with plenty of positives to take from it suggesting she has a bright future on the racetrack before the breeding shed beckons. She will remain in France to the delights of the public and pmu fans as she moves from the western coast of Royan to the idyllic center of Avilly where the ever-growing Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm team live. Their ability was show cased two days later by bagging another group one to add to their growing tally in the prix Ferdinand Dufaure with Metronomique. Mahadevi however will run for Coolmara stables who have already tasted black type success and will be hoping that this time next year they too will be basking
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