Seven star mares whose progeny hit top gear during 2018

Dar Re Mi
2005 Singspiel-Darara (Top Ville)
Highest rated progeny by RPR: Too Darn Hot (126), So Mi Dar (118), Lah Ti Dar (117), De Treville (109)

The past 12 months could be described as an annus mirabilis for the Lloyd Webbers as their Yorkshire Oaks heroine Dar Re Mi supplied for St Leger runner-up Lah Ti Dar, champion two-year-old Too Darn Hot, and the Tattersalls Book 1 sale-topper after her Dubawi colt made 3.5 million guineas to David Redvers. Three days later Too Darn Hot romped to victory in the Dewhurst Stakes.

It could be an equally exciting 2019 for the Singspiel mare with Lah Ti Dar likely to stay in training and Too Darn Hot clear favourite for the Qipco 2,000 Guineas. Dar Re Mi produced her fifth foal by Dubawi - a filly - during the 2018 breeding season before paying a return visit to the Dalham Hall stalwart.

That Dar Re Mi has established herself as such a noteworthy producer should come as little surprise, as she is out of blue hen Darara, whose other three elite winners include the ill-fated Prince Of Wales's Stakes hero Rewilding and Darazari, who was awarded the Ranvet Stakes.

Eastern Joy
2006 Dubai Destination-Red Slippers (Nureyev)
Thunder Snow (123), Always Smile (116), Ihtimal (113), Winter Lightning (106), First Victory (105)

Sheikh Mohammed was richly rewarded for keeping faith in the Dubai Destination mare Eastern Joy - whose sole success came in a 9f contest at Vichy on her three-year-old debut - after sending her to some of Darley's best stallions including Cape Cross, Shamardal and Teofilo.

So far the mare has produced five stakes winners from as many runners with Winter Lightning becoming her fifth when winning the UAE 1,000 Guineas at Meydan in February before her third to Rayya in the UAE Oaks at the same course the following month.

Her fourth foal Thunder Snow - the highest rated son of Helmet on Racing Post Ratings with a mark of 123 - capped a spectacular Carnival for the mare by winning the Dubai World Cup, having also landing the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge.

Halfway To Heaven
2005 Pivotal-Cassandra Go (Indian Ridge)
Magical (121), Rhododendron (119), Flying The Flag (112)

One of two mares to supply a pair of elite winners in Europe during the 2018 season, three-time Group 1 winner Halfway To Heaven has been mated exclusively to Galileo since becoming a broodmare.

The Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine's four-year-old daughter Rhododendron nabbed victory in the Lockinge in May to become a Group 1 winner at two, three and four.

Magical then took out the Fillies and Mares Stakes on British Champions Day making her the third Pattern winner for the mare after Group 3 International Stakes winner Flying The Flag.

Halfway To Heaven - who hails from the same family of Rahaam as Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter - has a yearling filly by Galileo and visited him again this year.

Highphar
2004 Highest Honor-Pharatta (Fairy King)
Recoletos (122), Castellar (110)

Sarl Darpat mare Highphar, an unraced daughter of Breeders' Cup Handicap scorer Pharatta from the family of dual Derby hero Shahrastani, earns her place in the list having produced a high-class duo in France this season by two less-heralded sires.

Recoletos, a four-year-old son of Whipper, booked his place at stud at Haras du Quesnay by winning two Group 1s at Longchamp, while Castellar, a three-year-old American Post filly, won the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville and the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud.

Intriguingly Highphar's first foal Pedregalejo, a son of High Chaparral, beat subsequent Ryanair Chase winner Uxizandre on his first start over hurdles. Highphar has also produced a two-year-old Whipper filly named Villalar, an Adlerflug filly foal and was covered by Ulysses earlier this year.

In Clover
2002 Inchinor-Bellarida (Bellypha)
With You (115), We Are (114), Call The Wind (112), Dream Clover (109)

The second mare to supply two top-flight winners in Europe this year, owner-breeder George Strawbridge's mare In Clover already had an elite winner to her name in the 2014 Prix de l'Opera heroine We Are, by Dansili.

Her second Group 1 winner With You - an impressive winner of the Prix Rothschild - is also a daughter of Dansili, while Frankel gelding Call The Wind completed the hat-trick and became a fifth stakes scorer for the Inchinor mare when winning the Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend.

In Clover also has a twice-placed juvenile filly by Dansili named Featuring, a yearling colt by the same sire and a Dubawi colt foal, while she visited Invincible Spirit this spring. Her dam Bellarida also saw her name in lights as third dam of Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Teppal.

Wellenspiel
2008 Sternkoenig-Well Known (Konigsstuhl)
Windstoss (118), Weltstar (113)

Gestut Rottgen mare Wellenspiel's second runner Weltstar joined his year-older half-brother Windstoss on the Deutsches Derby roll of honour in July.

Shirocco colt Windstoss was bought back by Rottgen for €16,000 as a BBAG yearling, while Weltstar, a son of Soldier Hollow, was hammered down to Salamon Corporation for €40,000 in the same ring, though still ended up racing in Rottgen's distinctive light blue and gold-sleeved silks.

Wellenspiel's two-year-old Reliable Man colt Walerian - a €110,000 vendor buyback - should improve on his first two starts this season, while Rottgen evidently think highly of the mare's Kamsin yearling colt, who they retained for €130,000.

She delivered a Protectionist colt this spring and was upgraded to Dubawi this year following the Classic success of Windstoss.

Waldlerche
2009 Monsun-Waldmark (Mark Of Esteem)
Waldgeist (121), Waldlied (112), Waldstern (101)

Waldlerche has carved out a reputation as a fine broodmare for her owners Newsells Park Stud and Gestut Ammerland since being retired to stud six years ago.

Her first mating with Galileo resulted in Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Waldgeist, who annexed his second top-flight race when winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on July 1. Just over an hour later his three-parts sister Waldlied, a three-year-old New Approach filly, won the Group 2 Prix de Malleret to give their dam a significant Pattern race double.

Group 3 winner Waldlerche - a Monsun half-sister to St Leger winner Masked Marvel - is also represented by the two-year-old Sea The Stars colt Waldstern, a game fourth to the regally bred Norway in the Listed Zetland Stakes at Newmarket. She also has a Kingman yearling colt and a foal sister to Waldgeist, and paid a visit to Dubawi earlier this year.

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