Prix Saint-Alary sensation Tawkeel makes it 17 top-level winners for Teofilo

Hamdan Al Maktoum's homebred Tawkeel remained unbeaten in four starts and became a 17th Group/Grade 1 winner for her sire Teofilo with a clear-cut victory in the Prix Saint-Alary at Chantilly on Sunday.

The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained filly travelled well in the early stages of the race and was shaken up by jockey Cristian Demuro two furlongs from home, before shooting clear to win by five lengths from Prix Vanteaux winner Magic Attitude.

This was Tawkeel's first step into black-type company, having won a Pau maiden on debut in January and conditions races at Cagnes sur Mer and Deauville on her last two starts.

Teofilo, an unbeaten champion two-year-old who did not race at three and beyond due to injury, has compiled an excellent progeny record in his 13 years standing under the Darley banner at Kildangan Stud and in shuttle missions to Australasia.

The son of Galileo's previous top-flight winners include Classic scorers Pleascach, Trading Leather and Voleuse De Coeurs, Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter, southern hemisphere stars Happy Clapper, Humidor, Kermadec and Palentino and Hong Kong celebrity Exultant.

Sheikh Hamdan has enjoyed plenty of success with Teofilo before, breeding the likes of Hungerford Stakes winner and 2,000 Guineas runner-up Massaat and multiple Group 3 scorer Tantheem from him, and campaigning his Blandford Stakes winner and Oaks runner-up Tarfasha.

Tawkeel is the first foal out of Rafaadah, a daughter of Oasis Dream trained by Rouget for Sheikh Hamdan and winner of the Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux at two, although she did not appear to progress at three.

Rafaadah is in turn out of Joanna, a daughter of High Chaparral who won the Prix du Calvados before being sold to Sheikh Hamdan and transferring to Rouget.

For her new connections she took third in the Prix Marcel Boussac at two and won the Prix Imprudence, Prix de Sandringham and Prix de la Porte Maillot and ran second in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and third in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at three.

Joanna is a half-sister to Cazals, a Listed winner in Italy who went on to earn Group 1 laurels in New Zealand and finish second in the Hong Kong Vase.

The mare, who left stud in 2017, produced only two foals for Shadwell – Rafaadah and the dual winner Alnajmah (by Dansili), who has produced a two-year-old Siyouni filly and a yearling Muhaarar filly in her early years at paddocks.

Rafaadah herself has a two-year-old Frankel filly named Buhoor and a yearling colt by Teofilo, and she visited Lope De Vega last year.

Teofilo's sire Galileo hit the headlines on Saturday when daughter Peaceful became a record-breaking 85th individual top-level winner for him by taking the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

However, a winner of the Prix Saint-Alary remains a notable gap in his CV despite the conditions – a ten-furlong test for three-year-old fillies – appearing to be right up the Coolmore phenomenon's street.

Magic Attitude, runner-up to Tawkeel on Sunday, is in actual fact Galileo's first ever place-getter in the race.

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