The omens are good for breeding history being made at Royal Ascot today

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Here he looks at a potential Royal Ascot three-timer for brilliant broodmare Alpha Lupi - subscribers can get more great insight from Martin every Monday to Friday.

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A couple of years ago the noted bloodstock journalist John Boyce wrote an article in Owner Breeder that was right up my street as a history buff – and all the better for appearing under the ‘Dr Statz’ banner, which always evokes memories of the golden era of Pacemaker magazine in the 1980s and 90s.

He outlined all the broodmares that had produced two winners of the same Group 1 race in Britain and Ireland in the modern era, from Libra, the 1956-foaled daughter of Hyperion whose sons Ribocco and Ribero, both by Ribot, took the Irish Derby and St Leger in 1967 and 1968, to Kind, the 2001-foaled daughter of Danehill whose sons Frankel and Noble Mission, both by Galileo, landed the Champion Stakes in 2012 and 2014.

With a mere 13 examples of top-level races in Britain and Ireland having fallen to a pair of maternal siblings in that pretty expansive timeframe, and such an event not having taken place for six years when the piece was published, Boyce was perfectly justified in remarking that this was a “once in a blue moon” phenomenon.

The thoroughbred never fails to surprise, though, and since then not one but two mares have been represented by a pair of winners of the same Group 1 contest.

Alpha Centauri and Alpine Star, both out of the 2004-foaled Rahy mare Alpha Lupi, won the Coronation Stakes in 2018 and 2020, while Minding and Tuesday, both out of the 2007-foaled Danehill Dancer mare Lillie Langtry, scored in the Oaks of 2016 and 2022.

There have also been several near misses, more often than not thanks to Coolmore producing high-class horses with almost mechanical efficiency by sending their elite mares to Galileo.

Empress Josephine’s short-head defeat of fellow Coolmore-bred Galileo filly Joan Of Arc in the Irish 1,000 Guineas last year is a particularly good example of that.

Empress Josephine is a full-sister to Minding, who was beaten a head into second by Jet Setting in the 2016 renewal, and to Tuesday, who was runner-up (albeit by a much wider margin) this year.

Joan Of Arc, meanwhile, is out of the 2005-foaled super-producer You’resothrilling, by Storm Cat, and is therefore a full-sister to Marvellous, a three-length winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 2014, and Happily, third to Alpha Centauri in the race in 2018.

Hydrangea and Hermosa, 2014 and 2016 daughters of Galileo and the 2004-foaled Pivotal mare Beauty Is Truth, both achieved top-three finishes in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (second and third respectively), Fillies’ Mile (both second), Irish 1,000 Guineas (third and first), Coronation Stakes (third and second) and Matron Stakes (first and second).

Hermosa found only Iridessa too good in the Matron Stakes, and her conqueror that day played a part in another near miss for a broodmare Group 1 double. The Ruler Of The World filly won the Pretty Polly Stakes in 2019 and two years later her ill-fated Camelot half-sister Santa Barbara went down by only a neck when second to Thundering Nights in the same race. The siblings are out of Aidan and Annemarie O'Brien's 2004-foaled Danehill mare Senta’s Dream.

The wafer-thin margins that have prevented some of those blue hens from achieving the feat of producing two winners of the same Group 1 race in Britain and Ireland illustrate just how difficult it is to do.

So this really could be a momentous day in the domestic bloodstock industry, because Alpha Lupi has a decent chance of being represented by an unprecedented three winners of the same contest, when her daughter Discoveries, successful in the Moyglare Stud Stakes last year and not disgraced when seventh in the 1,000 Guineas last month, lines up in the Coronation Stakes.

Discoveries is, like Alpha Lupi’s two previous Coronation Stakes winners, trained by Jessica Harrington for owner-breeders the Niarchos family. She and Alpha Centauri are both by Mastercraftsman, while Alpine Star is by Sea The Moon.

Alpha Centauri: brilliant winner of the Coronation Stakes in 2018Credit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

While it would be extraordinary if one broodmare could produce three winners of the same Group 1, and one at Royal Ascot to boot, it is not entirely surprising that if any horse was going to do it, it would be Alpha Lupi, as she hails from a simply sensational family.

She is out of East Of The Moon, a daughter of Private Account and the incomparable Miesque who won the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Prix de Diane and Prix Jacques le Marois, and was one half of a Group 1 double of sorts, as her half-brother Kingmambo’s three top-level triumphs included the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

The achievements of Miesque’s family are far too numerous to describe in detail here, but suffice to say that the aforementioned Alpha Centauri, Alpine Star, Discoveries, East Of The Moon and Kingmambo are joined by Amanee, Karakontie (sire of Discoveries' Coronation Stakes rival Spendarella), Loves Only You, Real Steel, Rumplestiltskin, Study Of Man and Tapestry as top-level winners whose pedigrees trace back to Stavros Niarchos’s wonderful mare.

And that’s not including all of the Group 1 winners descended from the full-brothers Miesque’s Son and Kingmambo, who enjoyed differing degrees of success as stallions.

Incidentally, Kingmambo and Miesque’s Son were the sires of the three-parts siblings Divine Proportions and Whipper, who notched an international Group 1 race double for their dam, the 1986-foaled Sadler’s Wells mare Myth To Reality, when winning the Prix Morny in 2003 and 2004.

What’s more, Miesque’s Son was instrumental in another international Group 1 race double for one dam. His son Miesque’s Approval was one of two Breeders’ Cup Mile winners for the 1992-foaled With Approval mare Win Approval, along with World Approval, by Northern Afleet. Remarkably, Win Approval also produced Za Approval, by Ghostzapper, who was less than a length behind Wise Dan when runner-up in the same contest.

And there’s yet another descendant of Miesque who was involved in a notable case of keeping it in the family, one that might be construed as an especially good omen for Discoveries being able to make history at Royal Ascot today.

Kingmambo’s son Lemon Drop Kid sired the full-brothers Pisco Sour and Cannock Chase, winners of the Hampton Court Stakes in 2011 and 2014. Their dam Lynnwood Chase, a 2002-foaled daughter of Horse Chestnut, was represented by a third scorer at the royal meeting when Star Catcher, by Sea The Stars, took the Ribblesdale Stakes three years ago.

What do you think?

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Pedigree pick

Mobilise, who makes his debut for Ger Lyons in the seven-furlong two-year-old auction maiden at Down Royal this evening (7.15), is a Footstepsinthesand full-brother to Gimcrack and Champagne Stakes winner Threat out of Flare Of Firelight, a placed daughter of Birdstone and dual champion Shiva.

He is owned and bred by Juddmonte, and is the first foal that the operation has bred from Flare Of Firelight since it bought her privately in the wake of Threat’s exploits. Ringfort Stud had paid just 9,000gns for the mare at the end of her three-year-old season.

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Good Morning Bloodstock is our latest email newsletter. Martin Stevens, a doyen among bloodstock journalists, provides his take and insight on the biggest stories every morning from Monday to Friday