Drakenstein Stud’s resident Cartier Champion Duke Of Marmalade had a weekend to remember this week.
Not only did Duke Of Marmalade’s high class son Marmelo captured Saturday’s G2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil in France, but he had a pair of local runners from his first crop catch the eye in South Africa over the weekend.
Trained by Hughie Morrison, Marmelo started a 9-10 favourite for the 2018 Prix Maurice de Nieuil and duly obliged under the urgings of Christophe Soumillon. He kept going courageously to hold off Algometer by three parts of a length, with his other beaten rivals including the G1 winners Mille Et Mille (Prix du Cadran) and Ice Breeze (Prix Royal Oak).
Winner of the Listed Sky Bet Grand Cup Stakes at his previous appearance, the five-year-old entire, second to subsequent Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Talismanic in the same race last year, may now be aimed at the 2018 Melbourne Cup.
Marmelo, who had contested the 2017 Melbourne Cup, has now won five times, with his wins including last year’s G2 Darley Prix Kergorlay (where he beat subsequent Doncaster Cup hero Desert Skyline).
Out of a daughter of In The Wings, Marmelo, who has earned just under £400 000 in stakes, is bred on a similar cross to Duke Of Marmalade’s high class group winners Simple Verse, Venus De Milo, and Traffic Jam.
Duke Of Marmalade also featured as a broodmare sire of a very impressive debut winner at Newmarket on Saturday. His stakes placed daughter Witches Brew is the dam of Antonia De Vega (by Lope De Vega) who won on debut, over seven furlongs, for trainer Ralph Beckett on Saturday, beating daughters of Galileo and Scat Daddy into second and third places respectively.
A five time G1 winning champion and half-brother to Coolmore’s promising G1 Investec Derby winning sire Ruler Of The World, Duke Of Marmalade has made a hugely encouraging start with his first South African born two-year-olds this season.
The champion son of Danehill was represented by a fifth 2yo first South African crop winner when his Drakenstein Stud daughter European Roller shed her maiden in over 1200m for trainer Justin Snaith on Friday. The consistent European Roller has now won or been placed in four of six starts to date.
Another from this crop, the progressive filly Santa Clara, followed up her runner up finish in the Listed Kenilworth Fillies Nursery by taking second spot in the Listed Irridescence Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday and she is clearly among the leaders of the 2yo fillies in the Cape this season.
Duke Of Marmalade, who already has more than 60 stakes horses to his name, has 12 lots on offer at the 2018 National Two Year Old Sale, including 2yos out of such stakes winning mares as Raise The Bar, Evening Attire, Joshua’s Mistress and G3 Yellowwood Handicap winner Enchanted Kingdom.