PEDIGREE INSIGHT BY ANDREW CAUFIELD
MANHATTAN H.-GI, 1 1/4M BELMONT PARK,
Winner -CACIQUE (IRE), 120, h, 5, by Danehill
1st Dam: Hasili (Ire) (SW-Fr), by Kahyasi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Kerali (GB), by High Line (GB)
3rd Dam: Sookera, by Roberto
Owner/Breeder - Juddmonte Farms (IRE);
Trainer - Robert J Frankel;
Jockey - Edgar S Prado
Lifetime Record: MGSW & MG1SP-Fr, 14-6-3-1, $811,949. *Full
to Dansili (GB), Hwt.
Older Horse-Fr at 7-9.5f, Co-Hwt. OlderHorse-GB at 7-9.5f, MGSW
& MG1SP-Fr, G1SP-Eng,GISP-US, $552,023; Banks Hill (GB), Ch.
Turf Mare-US, Ch. 3yo Filly-Eur, Hwt. 3yo-Fr at 9.5-11f, Hwt.3yo
Filly-Eng at 7-9.5f, Hwt. Older Mare-Fr at 7-9.5f, Hwt. Older
Mare-Eng at 9.5-11f, G1SW-Fr & Eng, GISW-US, $1,937,416;
Intercontinental (GB), Ch. Turf Mare-US, MGISW-US, SW &
G1SP-Fr, G1SP-GB,$2,052,382; & 3/4 to Heat Haze (GB) (Green
Desert),MGISW-US, SW-Fr, $1,183,620.
After a weekend which featured races as important as the Belmont
S. and French Oaks, I run the risk of accusations of bias, in view
of my links to Juddmonte, in selecting Cacique’s victory in the GI
Manhattan H. for today’s column. In mitigation, I wrote about
Seeking the Gold’s success with Deputy Minister mares after Bob and
John and Jazil took first and second in the Wood Memorial, and I
reviewed Singspiel and Confidential Lady after the filly’s Group3
victory last August.
Anyway, how could I possibly not pay tribute to Cacique’s
extraordinary dam, Hasili, after Cacique became her fourth
consecutive Grade I winner, following Banks Hill, Heat Haze and
Intercontinental. Hasili’s record ought to stand at a perfect five
from her first five foals, as her first foal,
Dansili, was
very unlucky not to gain the accolade of Group 1 winner.
Dansili was second
or third in no fewer than six Group 1 contests, once being beaten
less than a length when second to the formidable Giant’s Causeway
in the Sussex S., and he later paid the penalty for pilot error
when a very fast-finishing third, beaten a neck and a nose, in War
Chant’s Breeders’ Cup Mile. “I had to wait and wait and wait,” was
John Velazquez’s summary. “He finished unbelievable and if I could
have gotten out just a little bit sooner, I would have won.” The
Equibase chart noted that Dansili “finished full of run.”
With any luck, Hasili’s record will continue to improve. Her
sixth foal, Champs Elysees, created such a favourable impression in
winning at Longchamp in May that he was given his chance in the G1
French Derby, in which he was beaten less than six lengths. With
Danehill dying during the 2003 covering season, Hasili had to be
switched to his son Rock of Gibraltar, but without success.
However, she produced a colt by Sadler’s Wells in 2005 and has been
tested in foal to Storm Cat this year.
Her three Grade I-winning daughters can also be expected to add
to her remarkable story. Banks Hill started her broodmare career by
producing two imposing colts to Kingmambo, with the elder of the
two scheduled to join the Andre Fabre team later in the year. Banks
Hill produced a good filly by Empire Maker this year, as did her
three-parts sister Heat Haze, and Intercontinental has also been
entrusted to Empire Maker in her first season.
Dansili is also
playing his part in adding to the family fortunes. But for the
intervention of the Longchamp stewards, I would have been able to
describe him as a Classic sire, as his daughter Price Tag came out
on top in the French 1000 Guineas. Unfortunately, she was demoted
to third for having prevented the third-placed filly from finishing
second. A prolific winner-getter, Dansili had three winners over
the weekend in Britainand Ireland, and his good son Home Affairs is
heading for the G1 Queen Anne S. following his desperatelyunlucky
third in the G3 Diomed S. Price Tag also has a Group 1 target--the
Coronation S.--at Royal Ascot.
Juddmonte is fortunate to have several other fillies from the
Hasili-Kerali family, including Hasili’s very talented sister
Arrive. Promising Lead, the first living foal of this good stayer,
is by Danehill and this two-year-old is therefore a sister-in-blood
to Dansili, Banks
Hill, Intercontinental and Cacique. Since Danehill’s death, Arrive
has been visiting Juddmonte’s spectacularly speedy Oasis Dream,
whose sire, Green Desert, got the excellent Heat Haze from Hasili.
Arrive has a yearling filly by Oasis Dream and is again in foal to
this dual champion.
Oasis Dream is also the sire of a good colt foal out of Hasili’s
winning half-sister Kid Gloves, who also has a very likeable
yearling filly by Green Desert’s son Cape Cross. Cape Cross was
also chosen this year as the first mate for Hasili’s unraced sister
Kalima. Cacique is also well qualified to add to Hasili’s impact on
the breed. A triple group winner in Europe, where he failed by only
half a length to account for the future Arc winner Bago in
the G1 Grand Prix de Paris, this sound horse has adapted very well
to American conditions.
His victory in the Manhattan made him no less than Danehill’s
12th graded winner on American turftracks. He follows in the
footsteps of Landseer, Banks Hill, Intercontinental, Dress To
Thrill, Danish, Light Jig, Luas Line, Simple Exchange, Spring Star,
Chiming and Desert Lady. With the notable exception of Frank
Stronach, who is standing Danehill’s Derby-winning son North Light
at Adena Springs, North American breeders with their recent
distrust of turf performers have no doubt been indifferent to
Danehill’s increasingly impressive achievements.
But is the imminent proliferation of Polytrack courses going to
force them to give Danehill the consideration he is long overdue?
Only two stallions have more individual winners this year on
Britain’s all-weather tracks than Dansili’s total of 10, and Danehill isn’t
far behind with eight. Danehill and his sons Danehill Dancer,
Danetime and Dansili
all currently rank among the top 25 stallions in Britain and
Ireland, while the Australian leading sires’ list is being heavily
dominated by sons of Danehill (there were six of them in the top 11
through April).
This is a fabulously talented male line, so why should America
be immune to its many charms when breeders have both Polytrack and
turf courses to aim for?
Date:
14 June 2006