Camelot lands seventh Group 1 winner as Sunny Queen reigns in Munich

Camelot recorded his seventh elite winner on Sunday when the three-year-old filly Sunny Queen claimed the Grosser Preis von Bayern, the final Group 1 of the European campaign.

The filly, trained by Henk Grewe, still had plenty of ground to make up as the 11-strong field rounded the home turn in Munich, but she stayed on resolutely to claim the lead close home before sticking her neck out to deny the Adlerflug-sired pair of Torquator Tasso and Dicaprio, with the runner-up a neck away and the third a further two lengths back.

Bred by Anahita Stables, Sunny Queen was bought by her original owner Stefan Hahne at the 2018 BBAG Yearling Sale, where she fetched €35,000. She was acquired privately by Cayton Park Stud in the week before her Group 1 breakthrough.

She is out of Suivi, a four-time winner by Darshaan who has bred five winners, including Baron von Ullmann's Listed scorer Suestado.

In turn, Suivi is out of Suivez, dam of four black-type getters, namely the Group 2-winning Simoun and the Listed scorers Shining, Soudaine and Soignee, the last of whom found fame as the dam of globetrotting six-time Group/Grade 1 winner Stacelita.

CAMELOT'S GROUP 1 WINNERS

HorseDamsire (Group 1s won)

AthenaGreen Desert (Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes)
Even SoDanehill (Irish Oaks)
LatrobeShamardal (Irish Derby)
Russian CamelotCape Cross (South Australian Derby, Underwood Stakes)
Sir DragonetOasis Dream (Cox Plate)
Sunny QueenDarshaan (Grosser Preis von Bayern)
WondermentKonigstiger (Criterium de Saint-Cloud)

It is not only through her own racecourse exploits that Stacelita has etched her name into the racing and breeding history books, as her daughter Soul Stirring, bred by Shadai Farm, provided none other than Frankel with his first top-level winner when landing the Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December 2016.

Soul Stirring also became Frankel's first Classic winner when striking in the Japanese Oaks the following year.

Sunny Queen was already among Camelot's 62 stakes performers, a list now comprising 22 Group winners and 11 Listed scorers, after her victory in a Hanover Listed contest earlier this year.

She becomes Camelot's fourth new Group 1 winner in 2020, following on from Even So (Irish Oaks), Russian Camelot (South Australian Derby and Underwood Stakes) and Sir Dragonet (Cox Plate).

Sunny Queen's triumph capped a productive weekend for Camelot, who saw a new Classic contender emerge when his son Cleveland, out of the Group 3-winning and Group 1-placed Venus De Milo, broke his maiden by four lengths at the Curragh for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners.

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