by Nigel Pullen ©

Last season's Epsom Derby runner-up Sakhee proved he is better than ever with a seven lengths demolition of Grandera, Medicean and Black Minnaloushe in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) over 10.5 furlongs at York.

An injury sustained in last year's Eclipse Stakes (G1) had necessitated an operation to remove a chip from his knee, and meant Sakhee having a year off the track, before returning to win a minor event in July 2001. The result of the International Stakes (G1) is testimony to the success of the operation, and yet another illustration of the advantages to be gained from keeping a still maturing thoroughbred in training beyond his three-year-old days. Who would have recalled the likes of Daylami, Fantastic Light and Swain so readily if they had been retired as three-year-olds?

Sakhee's fourth dam, named Dangerous Dame, was foaled in 1951, being by Nasrullah of out Lady Kells by His Highness. Lady Kells had been one of the best juvenile fillies in Ireland in 1946, when she was beaten just once in four outings. Her wins included the Phoenix Plate, in which she beat the colt Impeccable, but as often happens she failed to train on at three.

Lady Kells' pedigree is particularly interesting in the number of individuals it contains who are themselves closely inbred. The first five generations of her pedigree included Selene (2x3 half siblings Canterbury Pilgrim/Loved One), Hammerkop (2x2 three quarter sisters Moorhen/Astwith), The Tetrarch (3x3 full siblings Rose Of York/Bend Or, 4x4 Doncaster, 4x4 Speculum), Maglona (2x2 full brothers Persimmon/Diamond Jubilee), Grand Parade (3x3 full siblings Angelica/St Simon), Grand Marnier (2x3 full siblings Hermit/Chanoinesse, 4x4 half siblings Eulogy/Voltigeur), Americus (2x2 full siblings Norfolk/The Nun) and Waterwitch (2x2 three quarter siblings Mrs Butterwick/St Serf).

Dangerous Dame was Lady Kells' second foal, and did all her racing in America, recording two wins from ten starts. Her pedigree had a couple of interesting features, which linked her sire Nasrullah with Lady Kells. Nasrullah's fourth dam Americus Girl was by Americus out of a mare by Gallinule. This made her an ideal balance for the mare Glaspia (dam of Lady Kell's maternal grandsire Grand Glacier), who was by a son of Gallinule out of a mare by Americus.

Grand Glacier's sire, the Epsom Derby winner Grand Parade, provided a further link with Nasrullah. Grand Parade was a grandson of Orme out of a mare by Desmond, a pattern that proved a perfect foil for the mare Malva (dam of Nasrullah's maternal grandsire Blenheim II). Malva was a granddaughter of Desmond and her granddam Marliacea was a three-quarter genetic relative to Orme. In fact, the relationship between Orme and Marliacea is worth looking at more closely. Both were out of Galopin mares, and while Orme's sire Ormonde was by Bend Or out of Lily Agnes, Marliacea's sire Martagon was by Bend Or out of Lily Agnes's full sister Tiger Lily.

At stud, Dangerous Dame's first two foals were easily her best produce, both fillies and both sired by the Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star. Her first foal, Hidden Talent, numbered the Kentucky Oaks and Ashland Stakes among her eight victories from thirty starts. Hidden Talent's daughter, Too Bald (by Bald Eagle), played her part, too, by producing the stallion Baldski (by Nijinsky II), and a pair of excellent racehorses in Breeders Cup Juvenile (G1) hero Capote (by Seattle Slew) and eleven times Group 1 winner Exceller (by Vaguely Noble). Another of Hidden Talent's daughters Turn To Talent became granddam of Group 1 winner and stallion Broad Brush.

Dangerous Dame's second foal, Heavenly Body only raced as a juvenile. However she won half of her six starts, earning black type with a win in the Matron Stakes. The mating of Dark Star and Dangerous Dame that produced Hidden Talent and Heavenly Body brought together 3x4 a pairing regular readers will be familiar with, that of Bull Dog and Nogara. Bull Dog was by a son of Ajax, and his dam Plucky Liege was by Spearmint out of a St Simon mare. Nogara's dam was also a daughter of Spearmint, and her sire Havresac II was by St Simon's son Rabelais out of a mare by Ajax. Note that this gave Bull Dog and Nogara opposite sex strains of both Ajax and St Simon.

It is worth pointing out that the aforementioned Exceller was out of a mare with a double of both Nogara and Bull Dog. Bull Dog had a further link with the pedigree of Dangerous Dame, via the latter's maternal grandsire His Highness. A comparison between their respective pedigrees showed that they shared strains of Bay Ronald, St Simon and Spearmint, and in addition Bull Dog's sire Teddy was bred on a very similar pattern to His Highness's grandsire Gainsborough.

When retired to the paddocks, Heavenly Body's record was almost the reverse of her dam, in that her best offspring was her last foal, produced when she was 18 years old. Named A Thousand Stars (by Hoist the Flag) she won the Prix Perth (G3) and was third in three Group1 events, the French 1000 Guineas, Prix Saint-Alary and Prix Jacques le Marois, before ending up in American as a five-year-old, where she won twice and was runner-up in the Ramona Handicap (G2).

Not far behind A Thousand Stars in ability was her four years younger half sister Tobira Celeste. A daughter of Ribot, she, too, raced in France, winning twice and finishing third in the Prix de Minerve (G3). Tobira Celeste's pedigree was pretty much an outcross one, with just a 4x5 cross of Pharos and 5x6 to Havresac II, although it did contain two Tesio-bred champions in Ribot and Nearco.

One other offspring of Heavenly Body to merit as mention was her unraced daughter Vindaria (by Roi Dagobert). She bred the Royal Lodge Stakes (G2) and Australian-based stallion Made Of Gold (by Green Forest) together with Grade 3 winner Snow Day (by Reliance). Snow Day went on to produce the full brothers Blue Stag and Oscar, runners up in the English and French Derbies respectively. Both were by Sadler's Wells, and thus as we shall see, bred along similar lines to Sakhee's dam. Oscar is now a National Hunt a stallion in Ireland, regularly covering books of over three hundred mares each season.

Heavenly Body's daughter Tobira Celeste became a consistent producer of winners, ten in all, a fact reflected in the $380,000 paid for her at Fasig-Tipon as a 17-year-old in 1988. It probably helped that she was in foal to Roberto, the sire of her Princess of Wales's Stakes (G3) winner Celestial Storm. The latter also finished runner up in Group 1 events such as the Champion Stakes, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and English St Leger.

Another of Tobira Celeste's daughters, Le Vague A L'Ame proved her worth by producing the tough Grade 1 winner River Memories, himself a son of Riverman and thus boasting a similar pedigree to Sakhee.

However, our interest in Tobira Celeste centres on her 1990 produce by Sadler's Wells, named Thawakib, who was to become the dam of Sakhee. A 260,000 guineas yearling purchase Thawakib showed a lot of promise at two winning twice at seven furlongs. The following season she raced just four times, putting up easily her best effort with a length and a half victory in the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot.

Sadler's Wells had two Nearco/Hyperion sources in Nearctic and Special, the latter via Nasrullah; and this reinforced Thawakib's third dam Dangerous Dame who was by Nasrullah out of a mare by Hyperion's son His Highness.

Before the arrival of Sakhee in 1997, Thawakib produced two foals, Alharir (by Zafonic) and Nasheed (by Riverman). Both were promising seven furlong winners at two, but temperament got the better of Alharir at three while Nasheed raced only twice in her second season gaining a listed win over ten furlongs, before finishing tenth in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks).

Sakhee's sire, Bahri, was a wonderfully consistent colt and one of the best milers of his generation. A six furlongs winner on his last juvenile start, he began the following season finishing second to Celtic Swing in the Greenham Stakes (G3) and then competed in seven Group 1 events. These yielded wins in the St James's Palace Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, together with second in the Sussex Stakes and International Stakes, and third in both English and Irish 2000 Guineas.

Bahri's pedigree makes him an ideal cross for Thawakib's sire Sadler's Wells, since they are bred on an almost reverse cross. Bahri's grandsire Never Bend was by Nasrullah out of Lalun; with his dam Wasnah being by Northern Dancer's son Nijinsky II. Now compare this with Sadler's Wells who was by Northern Dancer out of a mare by Bold Reason. Not only do we now have Northern Dancer in the top half of the pedigree, but also Bold Reason was a son of Lalun and traced tail male to Nasrullah's three quarter brother Royal Charger. This made Bold Reason a very close relative to Never Bend, and as with Northern Dancer, Bold Reason and Never Bend were present in the opposite halves of the respective pedigrees of Sadler's Wells and Bahri.

Doubling the mare Lalun has proved an extremely successful ploy, for instance twelve of Sadler's Wells Group 1 winners have a double of Lalun in their first six generations. This is not quite all, for Bahri's pedigree also contained My Babu, who was bred on very similar lines to both Bold Reason and Never Bend.

There was a further link between Bahri and Sadler's Wells, which revolves around Bahri's granddam Highest Trump and Sadler's Wells's dam Fairy Bridge. While not obvious from a cursory glance, a comparison of their respective pedigrees shows they share many similar strains. These include Lavendula II, Djebel, Blue Larkspur, Hyperion, Nasrullah, Blandford and Frizette. Furthermore Fairy Bridge had Flares, who was picked up in Highest Trump by his close relative Johnstown.

Sakhee's next target is the English Champion Stakes over ten furlongs in mid October, but perhaps connections might be tempted to consider a crack at the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe.

September 2, 2001. Copyright by Nigel Pullen 2001.