Galileo and Danehill cross flourishes again through Mogul and Search For A Song

Newsells Park Stud’s Shastye elevated herself to the ranks of the all-time great broodmares as Mogul followed in the hoof-prints of his full-brother Japan in winning the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris.

The siblings have followed similar paths with Aidan O’Brien to date, notching Group 2 wins over a mile as juveniles, falling a little short on the Classic trail and making up for lost time later in the season.

While Japan took the famous middle-distance prize by a comfortable half-length in its traditional position in mid-July, Mogul had to wait another two months before he could make his own top-level breakthrough by a decisive two and a half lengths.

The combination of Danehill mare Shastye with Galileo has proved irresistible since she produced Newsells Park’s dual Oaks runner-up Secret Gesture back in 2010. Subsequent visits to the Coolmore titan have realised 3,600,000gns at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales for the durable Sir Isaac Newton, 1,300,000gns for Japan and 3,400,000gns for Mogul.

Galileo added another four Group 1 wins to his haul over the weekendCredit: Patrick McCann

Her latest Galileo yearling filly - recently described in these pages by Newsells Park’s manager Julian Dollar as "an absolute queen" - is already worth a king’s ransom but this latest triumph is hardly going to diminish her value.

Shastye, a half-sister to Arc winner Sagamix who won a couple of minor events for John Gosden, has managed an achievement which can bear direct comparison with that of Gestut Rottgen’s Wellenspiel, who delivered half-brothers Windstoss and Weltstar to land consecutive renewals of the German Derby in 2017 and 2018.

Urban Sea, the modern-day paragon of broodmares, famously produced Galileo himself as well as fellow Derby-winning half-brother Sea The Stars while one of the most notable achievements of another blue hen, Hasili, was when Intercontinental took the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, four years after her Danehill sister Banks Hill collected the same race.

Shale adds to Galileo's weekend haul

Galileo strode ahead of his former studmate Danehill’s world record mark of 84 individual worldwide Group 1 winners back in mid June, and Mogul was not the only one of his progeny helping to propel him further into the distance on what was an astonishing weekend even by his own sure standards.

Shale is one of Coolmore’s many home products, being the fourth foal of their 2012 runaway 1,000 Guineas heroine Homecoming Queen.

She too has been exclusively mated with Galileo, to only modest returns until the arrival of this Donnacha O’Brien-trained filly, who had taken the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown last month. Shale has already developed quite a rivalry with Pretty Gorgeous, trained by Donnacha’s brother Joseph, getting on top by three-quarters of a length in the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

She was an astonishing sixth winner in the Irish juvenile fillies’ race for her sire, who has now had 12 Group 1 wins in 2020 headed by three from Love, who landed this event 12 months ago.

Dermot Weld provided Group 1 wins in two countries on SundayCredit: Patrick McCann

Four of them came across this weekend, with Magical’s memorable performance in the Irish Champion Stakes being supplemented by the brilliant effort from Dermot Weld’s Search For A Song to clinch back-to-back Comer Group International Irish St Legers.

Another cross with a Danehill mare [Polished Gem], she is from the cherished Moyglare family going back to Trusted Partner.

Search For A Song’s very smart siblings include Free Eagle, Custom Cut and Sapphire while her three-year-old sister Amma Grace nearly added to the party with a sound second to Cayenne Pepper in the Moyglare ''Jewels'' Blandford Stakes.

Not that Weld would be complaining, having also handed a 26th Group 1 winner for the late Shamardal in the Prix Vermeille. Tarnawa is a typically late-developing type from an Aga Khan line which has been developed in Ireland by both Weld and John Oxx.

"It’s a team effort," Weld told Racing TV. "Moyglare are very major to me, Tarnawa came back from Gilltown Stud looking superb, I have to compliment [manager] Pat Downes for that.

"It's very much a team that I happen to be head of. Competition is so keen in Ireland, people don’t realise the standard you have to be. We have to be better than we have been to compete."

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