A friend of mine in Newcastle once owned a store called the Bargain Arcade, it was a treasure trove of useful items and proved you don’t have to spend a lot of money to find something of value. De Beers, the subject of this month’s Stallion Profile by David Bay, could very well prove a Bargain Arcade of the breeding industry as he has a race record and pedigree far better than many of his higher priced rivals and he stands at a South Australian stud renowned for developing stallions and producing high-class racehorses.

BREEDERS using Gr.1 winner De Beers on his modest fee of just $5500 will be getting no rough diamond, this fellow is a classic winner with a pedigree of the highest class and looks set to be another stallion success for Lindsay Park, Angaston.

  His sire Quest For Fame (GB) is an English Derby winner who is still doing sterling service for Darley (at Cootamundra). Darley “inherited” the son of Arc winner Rainbow Quest when Sheikh Mohammed purchased the Woodlands thoroughbred empire from the Ingham family. His dam, a Gr.3 placed daughter of supersire Danehill (USA), is a sister to the Gr.1 winner Viking Ruler and stakes winners and Gr.1 placed Kempinsky and Diamond Like and a three-quarter sister to Gr.2 winner and Gr.1 placed Lovetrista (Rock of Gibraltar), while second dam Tristalove, a Gr.1 winner at two and three, is a daughter of champion sire Sir Tristram (IRE) and the Gr.1 winner Diamond Lover, a daughter of the Star Kingdom line speedster Sticks and Stones and the wonderful broodmare Eight Carat (GB).

  But wait, there’s more! Did I mention that De Beers traces to the flying filly Mumtaz Mahal? This is a family whose members include the likes of Nasrullah and Royal Charger and of course Eight Carat has proved a real broodmare gem herself, leaving five Gr.1 winners and an immediate family containing dozens of stakes winners. So Sam Hayes doesn’t need to throw in a set of steak knives to persuade broodmare owners to book in to this classy young sire who retired to stud in 2008, as his pedigree and race record should have breeders queuing up.

  Bred by the Vela brothers at their Pencarrow Stud in NZ and sold to Rob McAnulty for $750,000 at the 2004 Karaka Premier Sale, the handsome bay was trained initially by John Hawkes (for McAnulty’s Golden Rainbow Syndicate) and later by David Hayes (for R.R. & Mrs J.M. McAnulty; I. Bruce; F. Kwok; N.W. Tiley; Mrs L.D. Cooksley; T.Corkhill and Bruce Reid Racing (mgr: D.B. Reid)). Beaten three-quarters of a length first up at two over 1100m at Warwick Farm on March 16, 2005, De Beers made no mistake second time out, beating He’s Canny and Impatient Star over 1200m at Randwick on March 28 as the $3.10 favourite, running 1:10.95 on a slow track. Two unplaced runs followed in Queensland and he was sent for a spell after finishing seventh of 18 in the QTC Sires’ Produce-Gr.1, four lengths behind Virage de Fortune.

  Although runner-up next start, dead-heating with the previous season’s Golden Slipper winner Stratum behind Denmarket in the Roman Consul Stakes-Gr.2 at Randwick, De Beers was far from disgraced as he came home strongly and showed he would be a force to be reckoned with as he stepped up in distance. He was fourth behind Jet Spur in the Heritage Stakes-LR (1200m) next start and then unplaced over 1400m in Melbourne before a third, beaten 2.1 lengths by Flying Pegasus in the Royal Sovereign Stakes-Gr.2 (1200m) at Randwick, again coming from well back in the field. Runner-up was Racing to Win, who beat De Beers by a neck next start in the Hobartville Stakes-Gr.2 (1400m) at Rosehill on March 4, 2006. Flying Pegasus was third and Hotel Grand fourth. It was his first start for David Hayes and the trainer stepped the son of Quest For Fame up to 1600m for his next outing in the Canterbury Guineas-Gr.1 and he was fifth to Hotel Grand.

  The Rosehill Guineas-Gr.1 (2000m) on April 1 saw De Beers break through for a well-deserved stakes win, beating Oh Oklahoma and Primus into the minors in 2:03.57, with Headturner fourth. That horse was to prove his nemesis two weeks later in the AJC Australian Derby-Gr.1 (2400m) at Randwick, beating De Beers by 2.5 lengths into second place and with SA Derby winner Testafiable third. Ironically, the $3.60 favourite Headturner was trained by John Hawkes. Last of nine in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes-Gr.1 behind Eremein next start on April 22, De Beers was sent for a break but failed to recapture his form in three starts in August and September that year and in five subsequent starts in 2007 and was retired, covering his first book of 63 mares in 2008.

  De Beers is among the more than 500 winners of $41.7m sired by Quest For Fame (Rainbow Quest-Aryenne by Green Dancer), a sire with a winners-to-runners record of 64.2%. His 42 stakes winners (5.3%) include eight Gr.1 winners led by Viscount (ex Antwerp by Sir Tristram), a three-quarter brother in blood to De Beers as his dam is a stakeswinning sister to Tristalove. Viscount counted the George Main Stakes-Gr.1 at three (Champion 3YO) and the AJC Sires’ Produce-Gr.1 and Champagne Stakes-Gr.1 at two (Champion 2YO) among his six wins and is building a solid record as a sire, now being based in WA after starting his career at Woodlands in NSW. Viscount has 142 winners of $9.1m and his six stakes winners include Gr.1 winner Neroli (dam by Canny Lad) and the Gr.2 winners Tarleton (Rory’s Jester) and Kidnapped (Dehere).

  Quest For Fame’s other Gr.1 winners include the Flight Stakes heroine Unworldly (dam by Danehill), the triple Gr.1 winner and Queensland-based sire Dracula (Kaoru Star), Sarrera (Zabeel), Masked (Whiskey Road), Tributes (Dalmacia) and the US Gr.1 winner Famous Digger (Mr. Prospector). Quest For Fame has also produced Gr.2 winners out of mares by Handy Proverb, Luskin Star, Roberto, Zabeel, Danehill, Kingdom Bay, Red Anchor and In Reality and Gr.3 winners from mares by Taufan, Nureyev, Galleon, Parkrangle and Deposit Ticket.

  Quest For Fame’s daughters have produced 266 winners of $17m with 16 stakes winners including Gr.1 winners African Rose (Observatory) and Tavistock (Montjeu), Gr.2 winner Deferential (by Royal Academy - giving a double of Nijinsky) and Gr.3 winners by Dansili, Centaine, Sahm, Strategic, Pins and Choctaw Ridge (in Brazil). Other stakes winners are by Colony Light, Redoute’s Choice, Commands and his brother Danewin (both members of the Eight Carat clan), Canny Lad and Thorn Park (grandam by Canny Lad’s sire Bletchingly).

  Quest For Fame is royally bred, being by the Coronation Cup-Gr.1 winner Rainbow Quest (Blushing Groom-I Will Follow by Herbager), who also won the Arc de Triomphe (on the disqualification of Sagace). England’s leading sire for many years when standing for Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms at Banstead Manor Farm, Newmarket, he left more than 500 winners (although his book never topped 75 mares a year) and his 103 stakes winners (10.5%) included an Arc winner in Saumarez (at stud in France and then South Africa), St Leger winners Sunshack (France), Nedawi and Millenary, along with Raintrap, Fiji, 1996 Japanese Horse of the Year Sakura Laurel, Croco Rouge, Urgent Request (IRE), Spectrum (IRE), Knight’s Baroness and Quest For Fame.

  A leading broodmare sire in England (710 winners of $96m), his daughters have produced 100 stakes winners including English Derby winners North Light (Danehill) and Kris Kin, along with Coronation Cup and Prix Royal Oak winner Ask, Powerscourt, Meteor Storm, Polish Summer, Footstepsinthesand (USA) (inbred to Blushing Groom via the similarly bred Rahy and Rainbow Quest) and multiple Gr.1 winner and shuttler Rakti (GB) among 16 Gr.1 winners. Breeders wishing to duplicate Blushing Groom using the Rahy/Rainbow Quest cross should look for mares by former shuttler Giant’s Causeway (dam by Rahy) or his young son Shamardal (USA) to put to De Beers. Daughters of the Victorian-based Arazi (USA) (Blushing Groom) could also prove interesting mates as could mares by Arena (a horse bred on the Danehill/Blushing Groom cross).

  By Champion Two and Three Year Old and sire Blushing Groom (a grandson of Nasrullah), Rainbow Quest was one of three winners from the Gr.3 winner I Will Follow (Herbager), a half-sister to Gr.3 winner and producer Slightly Dangerous (Roberto; dam of Gr.1 winner Warning and English Derby winner Commander in Chief) and to unraced Idyllic (dam of Gr.1 winner and sire Scenic (IRE)), and the latter’s daughters should prove ideal mates for De Beers (and Viscount).

  Quest For Fame’s dam Aryenne was equally talented on the track, winning the French 1000 Guineas-Gr.1 and Criterium des Pouliches-Gr.1 and finishing second in the French Oaks, while her sire Green Dancer (a son of Nijinsky) won the French 2000 Guineas-Gr.1 and is also the broodmare sire of Jeune (GB), another whose daughters should suit De Beers. Aryenne’s dam Americaine (Cabremont) is a half-sister to French 2000 Guineas winner Adamastor, a sire in Australia.

  Quest For Fame won the English Derby-Gr.1 (2400m) and was runner-up in the Juddmonte International-Gr.1 (2000m) in the UK and raced in the US as a four and five year-old where his best win came in the Hollywood Turf Handicap-Gr.1 (12f) and he was twice placed in the Breeders’ Cup Turf-Gr.1 (2400m) before entering stud in the US and Australia in 1993, shuttling for a short time before becoming a permanent resident for Woodlands and now Darley.

  There has already been plenty written about the female line of De Beers who carries the three-quarter siblings Nasrullah (Nearco-Mumtaz Begum by Blenheim) and Tessa Gillian (Nearco-Sun Princess by Solario) 5×7 at the very top and bottom of his pedigree. Mumtaz Mahal (The Tetrarch-Lady Josephine by Sundridge) is acknowledged as one of the fastest fillies of all time and she is the dam of Mumtaz Begum and grandam of Sun Princess. Tessa Gillian is also a sister to another influential sire in Royal Charger.

   Tessa Gillian’s grandaughter Klairessa (Klairon-Courtessa by Supreme Court) produced the outstanding sprinter Habibti (Habitat), a multiple Gr.1 winner and also Eight Carat (GB). By the outstanding racehorse and modest sire Pieces of Eight (Relic-Baby Doll by Dante), Eight Carat was unplaced in five starts and was exported to the “colonies” where her stakes placed half-sister Great Klaire (GB) had raced (she was a Gr.2 runner-up). Great Klaire’s stakeswinning daughter St Klaire (Bletchingly) would make her name as a broodmare here too, leaving the Gr.1 winners Telesto (NZ), Bonanova and Fraternity (all by Star Way). Telesto daughters would make ideal mates for De Beers.

  Eight Carat managed to out-produce all her sisters though, and became one of the truly outstanding mares in Australasian breeding history by leaving five Gr.1 winners led by Australian Horse of the Year Octagonal (Zabeel), the winner of 10 Gr.1 events and $5.89m and a successful sire whose runners include another Horse of the Year and successful sire, the 11-times Gr.1 winner Lonhro. Eight Carat’s other Gr.1 winners were Mouawad (Zabeel), Kaapstad (Sir Tristram), Our Marquise (Gold and Ivory) and Diamond Lover (third dam of De Beers). Cotelehe House (GB) (by the Petition horse My Swanee), an unraced daughter of Eight Carat, also made the journey out to Australia and she is best known as the dam of the talented brothers Danewin and Commands, both sons of Danehill and now successful sires.

  Diamond Lover also became a multiple Gr.1 producer with her offspring including the AJC Derby-Gr.1 hero Don Eduardo (Zabeel), now making a name as a sire in NZ, and Tristalove, the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes-Gr.1 and Australasian Oaks-Gr.1 winner whose eight foals are all winners and include Spring Champion Stakes-Gr.1 winner Viking Ruler (Danehill), a brother to stakes placed Chimeara, dam of De Beers. Tristalove is also dam of the stakes winners and Gr.1 placed Lovetrista (by Danehill’s son Rock of Gibraltar), Kempinsky (Danehill) and Diamond Like (Danehill).

  So you can see De Beers really does belong to Australasian thoroughbred royalty and has a great chance to succeed at stud and follow in the footsteps of so many of his close male relations. The family has shown a liking for the blood of Mr. Prospector and Star Kingdom, and mares from the Nasrullah male line (such as Rory’s Jester) or those tracing to Royal Charger (particularly via Halo) also appeal. As mentioned earlier doubling Blushing Groom (or his sire Red God) is also a positive option, while mares by the SA-based sire Blevic (a son of Scenic and from a mare by Biscay) should also suit. Another Sadler’s Wells-line sire whose daughters look tailor made for De Beers is Savoire Vivre as this young sire also traces to Mumtaz Mahal, while the Vinery-based sire Mossman is another from this 9c family whose daughters should also nick well with De Beers.

  Good value at his modest fee, De Beers, named after a famous diamond company, could end up proving a real gem for the South Australian breeding industry, and breeders should snap up a bargain now - while they still have the chance.

Tags: Group I, Lyndsay Park Stud
Permalink| Mar 10, 2010

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