by Manuel de Luque ©

Spanish racing is going through a difficult situation since the closure of our main racecourse, Madrid, in 1996. One of the many negative consequences of this fact is that we have not had a proper classic calendar since then. This year, the management of the new Mijas racetrack (located in that well known touristic area, the Costa del Sol) have tried to alleviate the situation staging its own three-year-old championship races (Guineas, Derby and Oaks) for colts and fillies, No one can say they were high class affairs, but the very easy winner of the colts races, the bay gelding Desert Arden, looks a horse destined to loftier heights.

Desert Arden was bred by top French owner-breeder Jean-Luc Lagardère and is by Royal Academy out of G3 winner Desert Dawn, by Belfort. He was put under the care of Lagardère's trainer, champion André Fabré, but seemingly he was quite unmanageable and so the opportunity arose for Spanish breeder Antonio Picado to buy him. At first, as his trainer in Spain has said, it was almost impossible even to get him out of his box, but it appears as if the Spanish air, and probably the more personal attentions he may have enjoyed in a smaller yard, have reformed him. Desert Arden ran twice as a two-year-old, winning easily in his second appearance. This year he has trounced the opposition in his three races, run over 1600, 2100 and 2400 metres, respectively.

The career of Royal Academy (Nijinsky II - Crimson Saint, by Crimson Satan) is well known, so there is no need to go into much detail, Top priced yearling at Keeneland in 1988, when he was sold for $3.5 million, he ran for Classic Thoroughbreds and was trained by Vincent O'Brien to win the July Cup (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). Retired as a stallion to Coolmore in 1991, he has been a successful progenitor. Amongst his get we find classic winners Sleepytime, Zaliyka and Oscar Schindler, and group scorers Ali Royal, Lavery, Carmine Lake, Bolshoi, Painter's Row, Centaine and others.

As certain that Royal Academy was Keeneland July material is that Desert Dawn would not have been allowed to get within 100 miles of that hallowed sales pavillion during the month of July of her yearling year, as she is rather modestly bred. Her sire, Belfort, a son of the Bold Ruler horse Tyrant, won eight races between three and six years and was placed several times in graded and stakes races in the United States. He was not a particularly successful sire, and probably Desert Dawn was his best son or daughter.

Desert Dawn, bred by Concorde Bloodstock, was the only winner produced by Cast Pearls, by Cutlass, a non-winner herself. The second dam, My Girl Pearl, by Carry Back, did not win either, although she produced eight winners amongst her eleven foals. The next name in tail female line is Princess Paigle, by the Bull Lea horse Eds Day, dam of ten foals and six winners, none of any special account.

Princess Paigle was a daughter of Paigle, by Jack High, a really useful broodmare: she got nine foals to the races, eight of them won and two of these, the filly Stay Mooche, by Alquest, and the colt Bang Up, by Navy Chief, were stakes winners. The next dam, Marsh Marigold (by Sir Gallahad III), also was a prolific producer; fifteen foals, ten winners of 47 races, and two stakes winners: Caltha, by Bahram, and Master Fiddle, by First Fiddle. The immediate female line of Desert Dawn is unfashionable, purely American, and full of durable and useful horses, even if first class runners are lacking. This is a branch of the number 2 family descending from Mabille, an own sister of Cremorne. [It may be interesting to point out now that Mabille is an ancestress in tail female line of those famous thoroughbreds, Peter Pan and The Tetrarch. Peter Pan appears three times in the pedigree of Crimson Saint, Royal Academy's dam, and The Tetrarch, twice.]

Desert Dawn herself ran 15 times and showed her best form at two, when somewhat belying her modest ancestry, she won the Prix d'Arenberg (G3) at Longchamp and was placed in the Norfolk Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot. In all she won three races and was placed six times. As a broodmare in the Lagardère stud, she has not proved very prolific. Only three of her progeny have reached the racecourse. First was the filly Desert Kaya, by Bikala, a listed winner; then, another female, Desdedamixa (by Linamix), a modest winner recently acquired by Spanish interests, and Desert Arden.

The most interesting feature in Desert Dawn's pedigree, and perhaps one of the reasons of her quality, is her intense linebreeding to the famous broodmare Perfume II, who appears 5x 6 x 6 x 6. Perfume II is by Bradruddin (Blandford - Mumtaz Mahal) out Lavendula, by Pharos - Sweet Lavender, by Swynford. There is no obvious relationship between Perfume II and any name in Royal Academy's ancestry, but perhaps it is interesting to note that Blandford, Mumtaz Mahal, Pharos and Swynford are names that we find (and sex balanced except Swynford) in Northern Dancer, great grandsire of Royal Academy.

Both Royal Academy's progenitors, Nijinsky II and Crimson Saint are tremendous genetic powerhouses, so it is not easy to define the sources of the quality of the horse, but in my opinion one of the factors contributing to it is the fact the in Nijinsky II we find Flaring Top, who is by Menow - Flaming Top, by Omaha, a grandson of Sir Gallahad III; and in Crimson Saint we have her third dam, First Rose, a daughter of Menow - Rare Bloom, by Sir Gallahad III. In the light of these, perhaps it is worth it to mention that in Desert Dawn's pedigree we have the illustrious Tom Fool, a son of Menow out of Gaga, by Bull Dog, a full brother of Sir Gallahad III.

Desert Arden has not any particularly close inbreeding. He has, for example, Nearco 5 x 6 x 6 through sons; Menow 5 x 5 x 7; at least seven appearances of Sir Gallahad/Bull Dog, and most interestingly, Bull Lea 5 x 6. It is not all that common to find the famed Calumet Farm stallion doubled in a pedigree. In the case of Desert Arden, he appears through two sons, Bull Page and Eds Day, who, to make the relationship closer, are out of daughters of Blue Larkspur. If we open the focus briefly and look at the mares Flaming Page (Nijnsky II's dam), and Princess Paigle (Desert Arden's fourth dam), we find they share in the first removes of their pedigrees the following names: Bull Lea, Blue Larkspur, Ultimus, Sir Gallahad III and Broomstick.

All. in all, we have found several relationships between the pedigrees of Royal Academy and Desert Dawn, that can explain the potential Desert Arden has shown. What is much more difficult is to find common lines between the pedigree of Desert Arden and the ancestry of other good sons or daughters of Royal Academy. In fact, it is interesting to note how this sire has managed to sire top perfomers mated with mares of really different backgrounds. But that should be a matter for another article (and most probably for a more knowledgeable analyst than me). For the moment, let's wait until August 15th, when Desert Arden will have the opportunity to prove his worth in the Copa de Oro de San Sebastián (2400m), the top weight for age race of the Spanish calendar.

July 22, 2001. Copyright by Manuel de Luque 2001.