Bloodstock Bites

Chris Hill brings us his weekly bulletin from the bloodstock world

Chris Hill brings us his weekly bulletin from the bloodstock world The sole Group One run in Europe last week, the Preis von Europa, was won in highly controversial circumstances by the Jens Hirschberger-trained Vif Monsieur (Doyen). Having passed the Cologne winning post in third, the German stewards felt that Meandre (Slickly) and Empoli (Halling), who finished ahead of the three year-old colt, had both interfered with the fourth-placed finisher Earl of Tinsdal (Black Sam Bellamy) so demoted the pair to behind the Andreas Wohler dual Group One winner. Prior to Sunday, Vif Monsieur's greatest successes were in the Group Three Fruhjahrs-Preis des Bankhauses Metzler at Frankfurt and Listed Henkel Trophy at Dusseldorf, feats that had already made him the best offspring out of the German three-time winner Vive Madame (Big Shuffle) being a half-brother to the ordinary winners Vive Paolo (Paolini) and Vive Lumiere (Ransom O'War). Vive Madame herself is a half-sister to the German Listed winner Viletta (Doyen), as well as a full-sister to a pair of Listed-placed mares in Vive La Vie (Big Shuffle) and Vive La Reine (Big Shuffle), and has also produced a full sister to Vif Monsieur called Vive Ma Fille (Doyen), purchased by trainer Mark Johnston for €17,000 at this year's BBAG September Yearlings Sale. Sunday's Group One victory was not just a first for Vif Monsieur but also a first top-level success for his King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes-winning sire Doyen, whose previous best performer had been the Group Two Premio Federico Tesio winner Sneak A Peek. Retired to Darley's Dalham Hall Stud in 2006, the 13-year-old now stands as a National Hunt stallion at Sunnyhill Stud in Ireland alongside fellow Group One winner Gamut, and 24 hours earlier had been represented by a third Group Three winner when the John Gosden-trained Camborne triumphed in Newbury's Dubai Duty Free Legacy Cup Arc Trial. In the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes on the same Newbury card, the Cheveley Park homebred Supplicant (Kyllachy) was value for more than his three-quarters of a length winning margin as he won going away despite jockey Tony Hamilton having dropped his whip when challenging for the lead in the closing stages. One of eight winners produced by Pious (Bishop of Cashel) - a two-time winner for James Fanshawe -Supplicant is a full-brother to the dual Group Two winner Penitent (Kyllachy), who also added a further stakes-race success last week when the David O'Meara-trained seven year-old triumphed in the Listed Fortune Stakes at Sandown Park. Since her retirement to the paddocks, Pious has annually visited one of Cheveley Park's resident stallions and her owner/breeders have a yearling sister to both Supplicant and Penitent in their care named Postulant. Their sire, the 2002 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Kyllachy, has to date produced two individual Group One winners in Sole Power - this season's King's Stand winner who also landed the Nunthorpe Stakes in 2010 - and last year's Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Krypton Factor, and on Saturday's showing the Richard Fahey-trained juvenile also looks capable of mixing it at the highest level. Another winner from Saturday who looks talented enough to handle a step up in grade is the Andrew Balding-trained Highland Colori (Le Vie Dei Colori) who formed the first leg of a phenomenal four-timer for rising star Oisin Murphy when triumphing in the ever-competitive Ayr Gold Cup. Bought for €13,000 at the 2009 Tattersalls Ireland September Yearlings Sale by David Redvers, Highland Colori is a full brother to the Listed race runner-up Za Za Zoom (Le Vie Dei Colori) and a half-brother to the Group Three Chipchase Stakes winner and Haydock Sprint Cup-placed Genki (Shinko Forest), being out of the Italian winner Emma's Star (Darshaan). Le Vie Dei Colori landed the Group One Premio Vittorio di Capua when trained in Italy by Roberto Brogi before switching to Luca Cumani's care in England for whom he added the second of his Group Two victories in the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket. From just the three crops of racing age conceived before his premature death at the age of eight in 2008, he has been represented by eight individual Flat Stakes winners headed by three Group Three winners in Tullius, Le Vie Infinite and Carnaby Street, as well as the Imperial Cup winner Paintball. Finally, one of the leading bloodstock questions of the season was answered last week when it was announced that John Deer's three-time Group One winner Al Kazeem (Dubawi) will become the Royal Studs' first new stallion acquisition since 2005 when he is retired to stand at Sandringham following an expected last hurrah in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. The five year-old colt follows in the footsteps of the 2005 Epsom Derby winner Motivator, who recently moved to stand at Haras du Quesnay in France. This season has seen Treve represent Motivator with distinction and she will surely be a fierce rival to Al Kazeem at the Bois de Boulogne on the first Sunday in October.