Red-letter day for Havana Grey as Vandeek gets Whitsbury Manor sire sensation off the mark at top level

Vandeek and Andrea Atzeni after winning the G1 Sumbe Prix Morny

Vandeek achieved a feat that eluded his sire, Havana Grey, on the track by winning Deauville's Prix Morny and in doing so, provided Whitsbury Manor Stud's exciting young sire with his first Group 1 winner.

The unbeaten, striking grey jointly topped the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale when sold for 625,000gns by Roderick Kavanagh's Glending Stables to Anthony Stroud on behalf of KHK Racing. He was bred by Maywood Stud and made his debut for Simon and Ed Crisford at Nottingham only on July 21 but in the space of a month has won a maiden, the Group 2 Richmond Stakes and now this top-level triumph in sun-kissed Deauville.

He is the first black-type winner under his first two dams, but his dam, Mosa Mine, who was also born at Kelly Thomas's Carmarthenshire farm, has a perfect record with five winners from as many runners. Mosa Mine is a placed daughter of Exceed And Excel out of Baldemosa, a winning Lead On Time half-sister to Balbonella, who won the Prix Robert Papin when it still possessed Group 1 status.

Balbonella developed into an excellent broodmare and features in quite a number of pedigrees as her best offspring was the Group 1 July Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest winner and Prix de l'Abbaye runner-up Anabaa, by Danzig. His Zilzal half-sister Always Loyal won the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and is the grandam of Japanese champion two-year-old filly Shonan Adela.

Kelly Thomas: breeder of 625,000gns breeze-up buy Vandeek

Kelly Thomas: breeder of Group 1 Prix Morny winner VandeekCredit: Laura Green

Another of Balbonella's offspring is the Group 3 Prix Evry winner and sire Key Of Luck, and Listed winner Country Belle, who in turn is the dam of Gimcrack winner Country Reel.

Vandeek was sold as a foal by Maywood Stud to Childwickbury Stud for 52,000gns at Tattersalls and made his second appearance in the Park Paddocks sale ring when Kavanagh bought him for 42,000gns last December.

His sire Havana Grey has been nothing short of a revelation with his first two crops and Vandeek is one of seven individual Group winners and 13 stakes winners in total for the Whitsbury Manor Stud star. The Molecomb winner was runner-up to Unfortunately in the Prix Morny but gained his Group 1 success at three before the son of Havana Gold retired to stud for a fee of £8,000.

Havana Grey's second crop contains Group 2 July Stakes winner Jasour, Group 3 Prix de Cabourg winner Elite Status - both unplaced in Sunday's Morny - and Listed winner Graceful Thunder in addition to Vandeek and was conceived at just £6,500. On the back of his standout first season, Havana Grey's fee was increased to £18,500.