Coolmore Handbook 2018

MATING SUGGESTIONS: Starspangledbanner showed great versatility, establishing himself as a top-class sprinter in two continents. Now he has shown huge potential with his Irish progeny. From only 33 foals in his first crop, he has sired seven stakes winners, headed by four Group winners. This small first crop completed the Gr.2 Queen Mary S. and Gr.2 Coventry S. double at Royal Ascot with Anthem Alexander and The Wow Signal. Both continued to excel, with The Wow Signal taking the Gr.1 Prix Morny and Anthem Alexander finishing second in the Gr.1 Cheveley Park S. They aren’t just 2yos, as Starspangledbanner’s progeny have also won Group races at the ages of three, four and five. Starspangledbanner owes much of his success to sons and grandsons of NORTHERN DANCER . Significantly, two of his fast Group winners are out of mares by middle-distance Gr.1 winners by SADLER’S WELLS , namely HIGH CHAPARRAL and BEAT HOLLOW . Another Group winner, Anthem Alexander, is out of a fast daughter of NIGHT SHIFT . Choisir owes several of his northern hemisphere Group winners to the NORTHERN DANCER line. He had a particularly good record with MONTJEU mares, siring the American Gr.1 winner Obviously, the Hong Kong Gr.2 winner Secret Weapon and the Irish Gr.3 winner Alexios Komnenos from only 20 foals. Choisir also sired the top-class Olympic Glory from a daughter of ALZAO (by LYPHARD ); the 2,000 Guineas runner-up Glory Awaits from a grand- daughter of DANZIG ; and the Gr.2 winner Chandlery from a daughter of MUJADIL (by STORM BIRD ). This suggests that Starspangledbanner could be an ideal medium for injecting speed into daughters of not only of HIGH CHAPARRAL but also of MONTJEU , GALILEO and IN THE WINGS . Starspangledbanner’s pedigree and conformation will allow breeders to experiment with inbreeding to the great DANEHILL . This exceptional stallion will be back in the fourth generation of Starspangledbanner’s foals. His sire Choisir already has a Gr.1-winning Australian 2yo and a Hong Kong Derby winner inbred 3x3. Mares by such as DANETIME , DANSILI , EXCEED AND EXCEL , FASTNET ROCK , KODIAC , MOZART , ORATORIO and ROCK OF GIBRALTAR , which create 4x3 to Danehill, could reinforce Starspangledbanner’s speed. There is also plenty of scope with other branches of the DANZIG line, most notably the GREEN DESERT line. Mares by CAPE CROSS , DESERT PRINCE , DESERT STYLE , INVINCIBLE SPIRIT and OASIS DREAM create only 5 x 4 to DANZIG . More mares by NIGHT SHIFT are called for, as they have also enjoyed success with Choisir and several sons of Danehill. MARJU mares are an option, as they have produced Group-placed Listed winners to Choisir and Danehill Dancer. Choisir’s 2017 Coventry Stakes winner Rajasinghe has a second dam by CATRAIL , who also sired the dam of one of Choisir’s Gr.2 winners in Australia. Danehill Dancer sired the Gr.1 winner Miss Beatrix from another CATRAIL mare. Daughters of GIANT’S CAUSEWAY and FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND are options from this line, as Danehill Dancer sired the high-class Planteur from a GIANT’S CAUSEWAY mare. Starspangledbanner’s pedigree rules out very few European mares. Mares by AHONOORA , INDIAN RIDGE and INCHINOR look a sure-fire means of producing smart juveniles and sprinters. SHARPEN UP is so far back in Starspangledbanner’s pedigree that there is no obstacle to sending him mares from this male line, which has worked so well with Danehill and his sons. Mares by KRIS , DIESIS , SELKIRK , COLLEGE CHAPEL and COMMON GROUNDS are candidates. Starspangledbanner’s female line produced the top-class Haradasun, winner of Royal Ascot’s Queen Anne Stakes, to a son of MR PROSPECTOR . He could therefore be an interesting match for mares by several MR PROSPECTOR line stallions, such as MACHIAVELLIAN , WOODMAN and ZAFONIC (broodmare sire of Choisir’s stakes-winner Meydan Princess and of Danehill Dancer’s son Fast Company). The faster members of the BLUSHING GROOM male line represent another option for this top sprinter. He sired the useful filly Meliora from a NOVERRE mare and should also suit mares with ARAZI , RAHY or SPECTRUM blood. Choisir’s smart son Stimulation is out of a mare by THATCHING , who was also responsible for the dams of several of Danehill Dancer’s black-type performers. Thatching’s son TIROL is the broodmare sire of two of Danehill Dancer’s talented winners. Daughters of EFISIO are another likeable option from this line.

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