Why Perfect Power's distaff-side pedigree gives encouragement for Classic claims

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We’ve heard a lot about Greenham Stakes winner and 2,000 Guineas hope Perfect Power’s sire, the exciting young Overbury Stud resident Ardad, and his auction history, with his market value having soared from 16,000gns as an unsold yearling to £110,000 after wowing in his breeze at Doncaster this time last year.

Less has been said about his maternal family to date, but it’s well worth exploring as it contains some fascinating nuggets – not least a surprising depth of Classic class and middle-distance aptitude that allows the hope that he will flourish on his first try over a mile at Newmarket on April 30.

Perfect Power was, as Good Morning Bloodstock readers should be able to recite in their sleep by now, bred by Tally-Ho Stud, and his dam Sagely was a typically shrewd purchase by the operation at a reasonable 42,000gns.

Sagely is by Frozen Power, an Oasis Dream half-brother to dual Classic heroine Finsceal Beo who won the German 2,000 Guineas. He created few fireworks during his time standing in Ireland, to the extent that the mare in question is his third-best performer by Racing Post Ratings despite having retired with no black type and a peak mark of 100.

But Tally-Ho presumably looked past her less than glamorous sire – who, in fairness, is doing much better as a broodmare sire, as his other maternal grandchildren include the useful pair Dig Two and Croughavouke, plus last week’s Newmarket two-year-old winner Powerdress – and lack of stakes placings to the solid form she had shown at two to four.

Her best efforts for Ed Dunlop included a five-length success in a hotly contested ten-furlong handicap at Ripon and a second placing to none other than her own half-sister and stablemate Sagaciously in a similarly competitive heat at Glorious Goodwood.

Incidentally, Sagaciously was bought by George Kent of Knockenduff Stud for 185,000gns at the conclusion of her racing career, and she has also got her broodmare career off to an encouraging start. Her first offspring is the Lope De Vega three-year-old colt Epic Poet, a 450,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling purchase by White Birch Farm who was an impressive winner at Longchamp last October on his sole start for Jean-Claude Rouget.

Sagely and Sagaciously are among four winners produced by Saga Celebre, a three-length winner of a ten-furlong Fairyhouse maiden and fourth in the Finale Stakes for trainer John Oxx and her owner the Aga Khan.

Saga Celebre was deemed surplus to requirements by the Aga Khan Studs at the end of her racing career, when she was sold to Sagely and Sagaciously’s breeder Keatly Overseas for €170,000, and she was picked up by expert bargain hunter Coolagown Stud for just €5,000 six years later.

Coolagown sold a Soldier’s Call yearling filly out of Saga Celebre to Mags O’Toole for €45,000 at the Goffs February Sale earlier this year, and the mare was covered by Dandy Man, the sire of her smart son Action Hero, last season.

Saga Celebre had been one of the 42 yearlings who were part of the lock, stock and barrel purchase of the late Jean-Luc Lagardere’s equine interests by the Aga Khan in 2005.

She is by Peintre Celebre out of Saga D’Ouilly, a winner of a seven and a half-furlong Deauville maiden on debut at two, which makes her a half-sister to Listed scorers Sagaroi and Sagauteur as well as to Saghaniya, the dam of last season’s Prix du Pin winner and narrowly beaten Prix Rothschild runner-up Sagamiyra.

Saga D’Ouilly in turn represented some of the best of Lagardere breeding, being by Linamix out of the Prix de Royallieu winner Saganeca, who was bought specifically to send to his iconic sire. The same mating produced the owner’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Sagamix and Prix de Malleret winner Sage Et Jolie, later the dam of Prix d’Ispahan scorer Sageburg.

Saganeca’s impact on European breeding is growing deeper by the year, thanks chiefly to Shastye, her Listed-placed daughter by Danehill who was bred and raced by Skara Glen Stables. She became an exceptional broodmare for Newsells Park Stud, who have sold her yearlings for more than 14 million guineas and have bred from her five stakes winners headed by multiple Group 1 scorers Japan and Mogul, who have this year joined the stallion ranks at Gestüt Etzean and The Beeches Stud respectively.

Perfect Power: dual Group 1-winning two-year-old has middle-distance strains in his pedigreeCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

So, as you can see, Perfect Power’s pedigree fuses the raw speed of Ardad with more classic, middle-distance strains. Whether the synthesis of those influences will enable him to stay a mile in top-class company remains to be seen, but he certainly didn’t seem to be stopping over seven furlongs on Saturday.

Whatever happens, his connections deserve praise for letting him take his chance in the 2,000 Guineas. It’s a sporting and, actually, quite shrewd decision, because even if he doesn't win but runs well before eventually dropping back down in distance, that would elevate him above many other more one-dimensional sprinters in my book and surely many others’.

A similar path was trodden by two of the most important sires of the last half-century in Green Desert and Danehill, of course.

Perfect Power’s pedigree illustrates just how significant those two sons of Danzig were, as Ardad’s sire Kodiac is a son of Danehill and Frozen Power’s sire Oasis Dream is by Green Desert.

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Pedigree pick

All eyes will be on The Antarctic, the Dark Angel full-brother to the blisteringly quick Battaash who cost 750,000gns as a yearling, when he makes his debut for trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Coolmore, Westerberg and Peter Brant in the five-furlong juvenile maiden at Tipperary on Thursday (3.55).

But his fellow newcomer Treasure Trove also boasts a pretty impressive pedigree, is in receipt of 5lb thanks to her fillies’ allowance, and will presumably be available at more generous odds.

The Paddy Twomey-trained runner is by leading French sire Siyouni, a dab hand with juveniles, and was bred by owners Merry Fox Stud out of Pichola Dance, who did her best work at two, when she won two races and finished third in the Radley Stakes.

Furthermore, the dam is out of Liffey Dancer, an unraced full-sister to two Group 1-winning two-year-old fillies in Listen and Sequoyah, the last named the dam of another top juvenile in Henrythenavigator.

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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