Can Desert Crown do it for Nathaniel? Pedigree pointers for a deep-field Derby

The Derby is the crown jewel of the British Flat season, never more so than in this Platinum Jubilee year, and here we take a look at the pedigrees of the colts who will attempt to write their names into the history books at Epsom on Saturday.

Desert Crown
Nathaniel - Desert Berry (Green Desert)

Desert Crown bids to give Newsells Park Stud stalwart Nathaniel a second Epsom Classic, following in the mighty Enable's hoofprints, while also becoming his first colt to win at the highest level.

The impressive Dante Stakes winner is by a sire who has produced not only Enable but Nassau Stakes scorer Lady Bowthorpe and Prix de Diane heroine Channel among five top-flight winners.

He is out of the Green Desert mare Desert Berry, making him a half-brother to Hong Kong Group 3 scorer Flying Thunder (formerly Archie McKellar). Desert Berry is in turn out of a relation to Binche, the dam of Prince of Wales's Stakes scorer Byword, American Grade 1 scorer Proviso and multiple Group winner Finche.

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Stone Age
Galileo - Bonanza Creek (Anabaa)

The White Birch Farm-bred son of Galileo is out of the mile and a quarter-winning Anabaa mare Bonanza Creek, a sister to Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1-placed Board Meeting and a half-sister to Prix de Diane heroine Bright Sky.

Stone Age demolishes his rivals at LeopardstownCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The trio are in turn out of Bright Moon, a high-class daughter of Alysheba whose four Group successes for Andre Fabre included the Prix de Pomone. Bright Moon is out of the American Graded scorer Bonshamile.

Stone Age, winner of the Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown on his last start, is Bonanza Creek's third foal and a half-brother to French mile scorer Siyoulater.

Nations Pride
Teofilo - Important Time (Oasis Dream)

A progressive and thoroughly likeable son of the dependable Teofilo, Nations Pride is out of the German Listed winner Important Time, an Oasis Dream half-sister to Queen Of Carthage by Cape Cross, the dam of Phoenix Stakes winner and Classic-placed Lucky Vega. They are daughters of Prix de l'Opera winner Satwa Queen, a prolific performer for Jean de Roualle who was bought by John Ferguson for 3,400,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2007.

Satwa Queen is a half-sister to Criterium de Saint-Cloud scorer Spadoun, who also won over hurdles, and the Listed-winning Anbella, the granddam of last season's King Charles II Stakes winner Bellosa.

Galileo - Lady Lara (Excellent Art)

A strong staying son of Galileo, as shown when a wide-margin winner of the Chester Vase on soft going last time, the Ben Sangster-bred Changingoftheguard is out of American Grade 2 scorer Lady Lara.

She is an Excellent Art mare who in turn is out of a winning Selkirk sister to the stakes-winning Edinburgh Knight and a half-sister to Rockingham and Charlotte Fillies' Stakes scorer Nightbird.

It's the family of Classic winners Footstepsinthesand and Power and Group 1 winners Pedro The Great and Curvy, as well as Melbourne Cup and St Leger third, and leading National Hunt sire, Mahler by Galileo.

Ulysses - That Which Is Not (Elusive Quality)

Piz Badile is inbred 3 x 3 to the mighty Lingerie, the dam of That Which Is Not and of Ulysses’ own dam in 2007 Oaks heroine Light Shift.

That Which Is Not was a Listed winner in France over a mile and a quarter and is a half-sister to the dam of recent Prix Hocquart winner L'Astronome (by Frankel) and Flare Of Firelight, the dam of Group 2-winning juvenile Threat.

Piz Badile: Niarchos homebred son of Ulysses is inbred 3 x 3 to the mighty LingerieCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The Niarchos homebred hails from the first crop of Cheveley Park resident and Eclipse and Juddmonte International winner Ulysses and is a half-brother to mile and a half and one-mile-six scorer Dr Yes. He is one of two stakes performers for the son of Galileo.

Galileo - Shermeen (Desert Style)

An example of sending a speed-oriented mare to Coolmore’s late supersire, Star Of India has an exemplary page, being a half-brother to a Phoenix Stakes winner in Sudirman and a brother to last year’s Hampton Court Stakes second Roman Empire.

The trio are out of the Desert Style mare Shermeen, a multiple winner over the minimum trip in Britain and later a stakes winner in America over a mile.

Dubawi - Sound Reflection (Street Cry)

A beautifully bred Godolphin homebred, being out of the Street Cry mare Sound Reflection, who was Listed-placed behind 2014 Oaks heroine Taghrooda in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket.

Sound Reflection, a half-sister to Meydan Group 3 scorer Whispering Gallery, is a daughter of Echoes In Eternity, the winner of the Sun Chariot and Park Hill Stakes and a daughter of the mighty Magnificient Style.

Walk Of Stars: from the family of NathanielCredit: Edward Whitaker

Magnificient Style needs little introduction, being the dam of Eclipse and King George hero Nathaniel as well as Irish Oaks winner Great Heavens, Yorkshire Cup scorer Percussionist, Fillies' Mile and Lancashire Oaks victress Playful Act, and dual American Graded scorer Changing Skies.

Frankel - Final Stage (Street Cry)

A tough and progressive son of Frankel and out of a Street Cry mare who won over a mile and a half in France, stamina should not pose any problems for the Blue Riband Trial winner.

His dam Final Stage is a half-sister to St Leger and Hong Kong Vase hero Mastery, Gran Criterium winner Kirklees and Magic Tree, the dam of Eclipse hero and sire Mukhadram and Musidora Stakes third Woodland Aria.

It is also the family of Frankel's 2021 Natalma Stakes winner Wild Beauty.

Frankel - Mirabilis (Lear Fan)

The product of Juddmonte's champion sire and out of the well-related Lear Fan mare Mirabilis, Westover is a half-brother to Darley Stakes and Wolferton Stakes winner Monarchs Glen, as well as the multiple-winning Fabilis. The Classic Trial scorer is also related to three further minor winners.

Westover: Juddmonte homebred son of Frankel is a brother to Monarchs GlenCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Mirabilis was a Listed winner and Group 1-placed in France for Andre Fabre before a Grade 3 success in America for Bobby Frankel. The daughter of Lear Fan is out of the Grade 2-winning Lycius mare Media Nox, making her a half-sister to French Oaks and Prix du Moulin heroine Nebraska Tornado, as well as Hampton Court Stakes and Prix Eugene Adam winner Burning Sun

Wootton Bassett - Shaloushka (Dalakhani)

A son of Coolmore’s fast-rising sire sensation in Wootton Bassett, last year’s Royal Lodge Stakes winner is bred to thrive over middle distances being out of Shaloushka, a winning Dalakhani close relation to Irish Derby third Shalapour.

Shaloushka and Shalapour are in turn out of a Kahyasi three-parts sister to Derby and Irish Derby winner Shahrastani and a half-sister to the unraced Sharata, dam of Group 2 winners Crimson Tide and Pharatta and second dam of Technician, successful in the Prix Royal-Oak.

Teofilo - West Wind (Machiavellian)

Taking the step up from novice company to Group 1 level is never the most straightforward, although Godolphin’s homebred son of Teofilo showed a lot of promise when easily winning at Nottingham.

A half-brother to the Group 3-placed Setting Sail, the pair are out of Prix de Diane heroine West Wind, a half-sister to the dam of dual Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow, May Hill Stakes winner and 1,000 Guineas third Ihtimal, stakes winner and Sun Chariot Stakes second Always Smile, this season's Meydan Group 3 winner Eastern World, Meydan 1,000 Guineas scorer Winter Lightning and First Victory, dam of this year's 2,000 Guineas hero Coroebus.

Second dam Red Slippers won the Sun Chariot Stakes and is a half-sister to Oaks and Irish Derby heroine Balanchine.

Lawman - Stars In Your Eyes (Galileo)

Dee Stakes third Sonny Liston, a 60,000gns purchase by Charlie Gordon-Watson from Tattersalls October Book 2, is the fifth foal out of Stars In Your Eyes, making him a half-brother to the high-class Dame Malliot, the winner of the Princess of Wales's Stakes and Prix de Pomone, and second in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, as well as three further useful winners including brother Banksea.

Sonny Liston: Lawman half-brother to the high-class Dame MalliotCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Stars In Your Eyes, who was a winner on the track for John Gosden, was a 210,000gns purchase by the trainer from Hascombe & Valiant Studs at Book 1 in 2009. The 14-year-old is a close relation to Dante Stakes third Victor Delight and a half-sister to Silver Tankard Stakes winner Golden Sun I.

El Kabeir - Lady's Purse (Doyen)

Another son of a second-season sire bidding for Classic success, the smart Masekela was bred by Coolawn Stud and sold to BDS UK for €35,000 as a foal from Goffs, before making 30,000gns to Andrew Balding from New England Stud at Book 2.

The son of Yeomanstown Stud resident El Kabeir is the fifth foal out of Prix de Royaumont winner Lady's Purse, a daughter of Doyen and a half-sister to the stakes-placed Dazilyn Lady.

The colt is therefore a half-brother to the useful Dubawi mare Asoof, a triple winner and second in the Cape Verdi for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, and another multiple winner in Fashion Theory.

Churchill - Endless Love (Dubai Destination)

Susan Roy's son of Coolmore's dual Guineas hero Churchill is the ninth foal out of the productive Endless Love, an unraced daughter of Dubai Destination who is a half-sister to Imperial Cup winner Baltimore Rock and is out of Listed-winning juvenile La Vita E Bella, a half-sister to the dam of Listed scorer Method and smart jumper For Pleasure.

Grand Alliance (right): ran well in defeat behind Nahanni at EpsomCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Grand Alliance is himself a half-brother to Lennox and Acomb Stakes scorer Dutch Connection, a son of Dutch Art who was also second in the National Stakes to Gleneagles and runner-up to Territories in the Prix Jean Prat, and the winner and stakes-placed Dutch Romance.

Cotai Glory - Pioneer Alexander (Rip Van Winkle)

This colt, who was bred by Mountarmstrong Stud and sold to Andy Oliver for just £3,000 from the Goffs Sportsman's Sale, is by a second-season sire who is not typically associated with middle-distance runners, with Cotai Glory a dual Group 3 winner over five furlongs and a neck second in the King's Stand Stakes to Profitable.

He is, however, out of the Rip Van Winkle mare Pioneer Alexander, who has already produced a mile and a half winner in Kodiac mare Rita Levi.

Pioneer Alexander was unplaced in three starts over a mile for Jim Bolger but is a half-sister to Rockingham Stakes winner and Richmond Stakes second Bannock. They are out of UAE Oaks winner Laoub, a Red Ransom half-sister to American Grade 1 heroine Never Retreat.

Hoo Ya Mal
Territories - Sensationally (Montjeu)

The son of Dalham Hall Stud resident Territories was bred by Meon Valley Stud and sold to Ahmad Al Shaikh for 40,000gns at Book 1 in 2020.

A half-brother to five winners, including the useful Greatest Journey and the Grade 3-winning chaser Really Super, Hoo Ya Mal is out of the winning Montjeu mare Sensationally, a half-sister to San Diego Handicap scorer Sun Boat and to the dam of D C Lavarack & Lanwades Stud Fillies Stakes winner Four White Socks.

Hoo Ya Mal: from the family of the top-class One So WonderfulCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Meon Valley homebred Sensationally is in turn out of One So Wonderful, a daughter of Nashwan who won the Juddmonte International and Sun Chariot Stakes for Luca Cumani. One So Wonderful is a half-sister to Dante and Craven Stakes victor Alnasr Alwasheek and Rockfel Stakes heroine Relatively Special.

Al Rifai - Los Ojitos (Mr Greeley)

Khalid Abdul Rahim's homebred is a son of his own stallion, the once-raced winner Al Rifai, who is by Galileo and out of Lahaleeb, a high-class mare who won the E P Taylor Stakes and Rockfel Stakes.

The 16-year-old Lahaleeb was a 1,000,000gns purchase by John Egan from the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2009, and is a Redback half-sister to three winners, including Listed winner Precocious Star. Lahaleeb is out of the Blushing Flame mare Flames, a half-sister to stakes winner Dance Partner.

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