Dr Ashley and Rose Parker’s Ascot Stud, breeders of Saturday’s G1 Premier’s Champions Challenge 1-3 Coral Fever and Silvan Star, are home to some exceptionally well related broodmares.
Among the blue blooded mares to call Ascot home is Coral Tree, dam of South Africa’s latest G1 winner Coral Fever (by Judpot). The dual winning daughter of prominent broodmare sire Rich Man’s Gold is certainly bred to be a high class matron, with Coral Fever being a half-sister to eight winners most notably G1 SA Derby winning sire Ravishing, G2 Betting World 1900 and Winter Derby winner Dynastic Power and millionaire and Cape Derby second Red Badge.
Coral Tree, who has a Jackson half-brother to Coral Fever this season, is currently in foal to Ascot’s well performed young Galileo son Global View.
Global View is also sire of a weanling filly (described by Ashley as “beautiful”) out of the Lecture mare Bold Choice, the dam of high-class racemare Silvan Star. The latter, a five-year-old daughter of Silvano, currently ranks as one of the top racemares in South Africa, with Silvan Star having won both the G3 Final Fling Stakes and Ladies Mile last season and placing third in both the G1 Empress Club Stakes and G1 Premier’s Champions Challenge.
Ascot Stud is also home to the superbly bred mare Grand Mary. A daughter of top sprinter Kyllachy, Grand Mary, who had a Sail From Seattle filly make R450 000 at last year’s National Sale, is a half-sister to G1 Falmouth Stakes winner Rajeem. The latter is dam of one of the fastest 3yos currently racing in the UK in the form of Invincible Army (by Invincible Spirit). The latter made it win number three when victorious in last week’s G3 Merriebelle Pavilion Stakes at Ascot when beating some high class 3yo sprinters and now looks a leading contender for next month’s G1 Commonwealth Cup. The consistent Invincible Army, who has won or placed in seven of his eight starts, had previously won the G3 Sirenia Stakes in 2017.
His close relative Grand Mary is in foal to Global View (bred on the increasingly successful Galileo/Storm Cat cross), and had a big, strong, good looking Global View colt foal this season.
Another Ascot mare with a top class international pedigree is Miss Respect. A daughter of outstanding miler and increasingly successful broodmare sire Mark Of Esteem, Miss Respect is a half-sister to G1 Fillies Mile/G1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes winner Hibaayeb (by Singspiel). The latter is dam of last season’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf winner Wuheida (by Dubawi), who was an impressive four length winner of Sunday’s G2 Charm Spirit Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket. Wuheida, winner of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two, has now won four of eight races and has earnings of over £1.2 million.
Miss Respect, a direct descendant of the mighty Mumtaz Mahal, also hails from the same family as British classic winners Oh So Sharp, Ameerat (by Mark Of Esteem) and Shantou.
Global View, a graded winner at two and three, shares his sire Galileo with sire standouts Frankel, Teofilo and New Approach, and is from the same family as the breed shaping stallion Storm Bird.