Group 1 breakthrough for Bungle Inthejungle as Winter Power runs hot at York

Bungle Inthejungle has quickly established himself as the kind of stallion well capable of upgrading his mares, but breeders may begin to see the Rathasker Stud stallion in an altogether more favourable light after his daughter Winter Power ran out a decisive winner of the Group 1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Friday.

The three-year-old filly catapults to the head of her sire's stud record, which already boasts the Group 2-winning Lowther Stakes scorer Living In The Past and the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes winner Rumble Inthejungle.

This trio, hailing from the third, second and first crops of Bungle Inthejungle respectively, were all bred while their sire stood at just €5,000.

Moreover, Winter Power is one of just 15 foals bred by her sire in 2018, the year Bungle Inthejungle's debut two-year-olds hit the track.

That first-season group yielded 16 British and Irish winners at a strike-rate close to 40 per cent, and he subsequently covered more sizeable books in 2019 and 2020 at a fee of €12,000. He stood 2021 at €8,000.

Bungle Inthejungle on parade at Rathasker StudCredit: Patrick McCann

Winter Power was bred by Newlands House Stud, the operation run by Patrick Burns, whose brother Maurice heads up Rathasker Stud. She is the sixth foal out Titian Saga, another bred by Newlands House from a Rathasker stallion as the dam is a daughter of Titus Livius.

Although Titian Saga won a Newmarket maiden on her second outing at two, she failed to add to that tally and retired to the broodmare band with a solitary win from 21 starts. However, she has proved a more than adept producer, with Winter Power one of five winning offspring, three of whom have gained black type.

Her second foal, the Camacho filly Hay Chewed, won the Listed Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes, while her fifth is Flying Sparkle, who finished runner-up in the Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy in 2017.

However, Winter Power was already the best the mare has produced by at least 15lb on Racing Post Ratings prior to her Nunthorpe Stakes demolition, and excitingly for Newlands House Stud the operation has a brother to Winter Power catalogued as lot 294 on day two of the upcoming Goffs Orby Sale.

Winter Power: Group 1-winning filly was a €90,000 yearlingCredit: Edward Whitaker

It was at the 2019 edition of Ireland's flagship yearling auction that SackvilleDonald secured Winter Power on a bid of €90,000, a price that is testament to the filly's physical prowess, especially considering her sire's median public auction price that year was only £20,895.

Interestingly Winter Power is yet another Group 1 winner in 2021 whose pedigree bears the fingerprints of Jim Bolger, as Titian Saga is out of Nordic Living, a daughter of Nordico who was bred and trained by the master of Coolcullen.

Bolger sold Nordic Living to Newlands House Stud for just Ir£1,200 at Goffs in February 1995. Nordic Living also went on to produce Nova Tor, who in turn is the dam of Godolphin's Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes scorer Devonshire and the Listed winner Hurryupharriet, herself the dam of Kachy Stakes victor Exalted Angel.

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