Five absorbing angles behind the breeding and buying of Latrobe

Latrobe's victory in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Saturday will live long in the memory, as Joseph O'Brien as trainer and his brother Donnacha in the saddle defeated colts sent out by father Aidan.

The family affair was made all the more fascinating by the fact it was Joseph's first Classic success in his second career, and it was achieved with a colt who came into the race on the back of a win – albeit a very easy one – in an ordinary maiden at the Curragh earlier in the month.

The result was also brimming with significance in the bloodstock world.

That is because we are so accustomed in recent years to middle-distance Classics in Britain and Ireland falling to sons of Galileo or his kin, more often than not homebreds representing huge conglomerates, and Latrobe offers something a little different.

Camelot becoming a legend

First and foremost, Latrobe reinforces the impression that Camelot might just be a truly great middle-distance influence and almost certainly will be the most effective conduit for the continuation of the Montjeu sire-line in Europe.

Latrobe is the debut Group 1 scorer by Camelot, whose first crop of three-year-olds has also yielded Pattern winners Fighting Irish, Hunting Horn, Pollara and Wait Forever, as well as Alounak and Naturally High, who have struck at Listed level.

Camelot's second crop, this year's juveniles, contains just one winner but that one happens to be Arthur Kitt, who took the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

It will not have escaped breeders' attention that Latrobe is out of Question Times, a winner over 6f and Listed-placed over that distance at two, while Arthur Kitt is out of Queen Mary Stakes heroine Ceiling Kitty.

Vitamin, a Camelot filly who ran down the field in the 1,000 Guineas but landed a Newmarket handicap in good style on Saturday, is out of 6f winner True Verdict, who was also runner-up in the Grangecon Stud Stakes over the trip at two.

It would be no surprise if breeders piled into Camelot with sharper mares in future, in a bid to emulate that pattern – a path that has been well trodden with Galileo, of course.

Good Times in the maternal family

Latrobe was bred by Grange Stud in County Cork – better known for standing elite jumps sires such as Getaway and Walk In The Park – under the Sweetmans Bloodstock banner, with Question Times having been bought as a three-year-old by BBA Ireland at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale for 50,000gns.

But the Irish Derby paid handsome tribute to Allan Belshaw, whose Times Of Wigan operation bred and owned Question Times and who has nurtured the family, many of whose members carry the Times insignia, for generations.

Question Times, who has also produced last year's Gladness Stakes winner Diamond Fields, is a half-sister to Sunday Times, winner of the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes and runner-up in the Cheveley Park Stakes and dam of Classical Times, who won the Listed Cecil Frail Stakes in May and was third in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes on Saturday.

Question Times is also a half-sister to Richard Guest's useful handicapper Udontdodou – by Fastnet Rock, who is also responsible for Diamond Fields.

Her dam Forever Times, a daughter of So Factual, won six races and was a decent sprint handicapper, posting one of her highest Racing Post Ratings when fifth in the Ayr Gold Cup.

Forever Times was a half-sister to Welsh Emperor, sold as a yearling by Times of Wigan to Tom Tate for just 8,500gns but a force to be reckoned with when he got his favoured soft ground over six, preferably seven, furlongs – winning 13 races including the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes and twice running second in the Prix de la Foret.

Forever Times and Welsh Emperor were among ten winners produced by Times of Wigan's foundation mare Simply Times, a daughter of the Mr Prospector stallion Dodge bought in the US on the advice of Bill O'Gorman – who had trained the owners' Timeless Times to win a record-equalling 16 races at two.

Shamardal daughters dazzling

Question Times is by Shamardal, who is assembling an excellent record as a broodmare sire. The son of Giant's Causeway now has 20 black-type winners to his name in this department and three at the highest level after Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Awtaad and South African scorer Mighty High.

By way of comparison, daughters of Shamardal's fellow Darley sire Dubawi – whose two-year-olds also hit the track in 2009 and also shuttled to Australia for several seasons – have produced the likes of Blair House, Hey Gaman, Mildenberger and Key Victory, but only nine stakes winners in total.

Shamardal: developing into a fine broodmare sireCredit: Darley

Lucky breeders in the possession of Shamardal mares might now consider sending them to Camelot.

But they might also note the affinity between Oasis Dream and Shamardal, with three winners from three runners on that cross – including Listed-placed Rathaath and last month's close Albany Stakes fifth Pretty Pollyanna – and five winners from five runners by sons of Oasis Dream out of Shamardal mares, among them Roses Stakes scorer Shadow Hunter and smart handicapper Rusumaat, both by Arcano, and Listed winner Fashion Queen, a daughter of Aqlaam.

It could be back-to-back European Derby winners for maternal grandsons of Shamardal as Royal Youmzain, by Youmzain out of his daughter Spasha, will likely start a short-priced favourite for the Deutsches Derby next Sunday.

Lynn Lodge pinhook pays off

Eddie O'Leary may be best known to many in racing as manager of his brother Michael's Gigginstown House Stud racing operation, seen welcoming their numerous stars into the winner's enclosure in the jumps season.

However, in bloodstock circles he is better known as a respected breeder and pinhooker through his Lynn Lodge Stud business.

Eddie O'Leary: the master of Lynn Lodge Stud, vendor of LatrobeCredit: Lorraineosullivan

Lynn Lodge Stud bred and sold stakes winners Arnold Lane, Balty Boys, Bunker and Come To Heel and pinhooked the top-class runners Beckford, Gronkowski, Hellvelyn and The Wow Signal – many of the original purchases having been signed for by agent Mags O'Toole.

Latrobe enhances O'Leary's reputation as a shrewd talent scout if not his bank balance, as he was an €88,000 Goffs November foal purchase and was resold to Joseph O'Brien for 65,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Williams in pole position

It's not for nothing that Lloyd Williams has owned or part-owned six Melbourne Cup winners; he is clearly pretty accurate when it comes to nailing his colours to the mast.

The Australian businessman looks like being an important ally in Joseph O'Brien's nascent training career, which hit an early high when he sent out Williams' High Chaparral colt Rekindling to win the race that stops a nation last November.

Williams is also betting the bank on Camelot. All three of his runners in Ireland this year are O'Brien-trained sons of Camelot and they also include the two-year-old Crockford, a promising third on debut at Gowran Park last month.

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