Yibir on fire

AWINNER OF HIS last two starts at two Yibir was gelded after his first three outings of this year, and the operation seems to have had the desired effect – he’s won four of his five subsequent starts taking the Bahrain Trophy Stakes (G1), the Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2), the Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes and, recently, the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) when his turn of foot saw him run down Broom to score by a half a length.

Yibir is the 48th Group or Grade 1 winner for his sire Dubawi, who was also represented by the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) victor Space Blues and the Juvenile Turf (G1) scorer Modern Game.

As far as Yiber’s pedigree is concerned his victory gained some compensation for his full-sister Wild Illusion, who was beaten a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) in 2018. That defeat aside, Wild Illusion proved herself at the highest level, taking the Nassau Stakes (G1), the Prix de l’Opera (G1) and the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) and she also finished second in the Oaks (G1).

Yibir is also half-brother to the black-type-winning filly Really Special and to the Group-placed Ceratonia.

His dam, the Dubai mare Rumh, was a black-type winner and is a three-quarters sister to Royal Highness, a Group winner, multiple Group 1 placed in Europe and successful in the Beverly D. Stakes (G1) in the U.S.

Rumh is also a three-quarters sister to the German black-type scorer Realeza, both out of the champion German two-year-old filly Royal Dubai. The third dam Reed Dubai is half-sister to the dams of Electrocutionist, whose successes included the Juddmonte International (G1), the Dubai World Cup (G1) and Gran Premio di Milano (G1), and the Deutsches Derby (G1) scorer Robertico. Reem Dubai is out of Gesedah, a Groupwinning half-sister to the great stayer, Ardross.

In the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), Loves Only You closed well to gain the win by a half length – in doing so she became the first Japanese horse to win a Breeders’ Cup event.

Loves Only You has top-class domestic form – she won the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) in 2019 – but also has some notable international efforts to her name.

She has been in excellent fettle this year taking the Kyoto Kinnen (G2), finishing second just a half a length behind Mishriff in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1), won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) in Hong Kong, and was also second in the Sapporo Kinen (G2).

Loves Only You is by the late Deep Impact, Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner in Japan, and the outstanding runner and sire to represent Sunday Silence. In addition to numerous standouts in Japan, most recently the 2020 Japan Triple Crown winner Contrail, Deep Impact has made a tremendous impact overseas.

In Europe he has 19 stakes winners, 14 of them Group class, and six at Group 1 level, including this year’s English and Irish Oaks (G1) heroine Snowfall, Saxon Warrior, who won the 2,000 Guineas (G1), the Prix de Diane (G1) winner Fancy Blue, Study Of Man, successful in the Prix du Jockey (G1), and Beauty Parlour, who took the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1).

Loves Only Me, the dam of Loves Only You, clearly has a marked affinity for Deep Impact – the mating had already produced, Real Steel, winner of the Dubai Turf (G1), and the stakes-winning and graded-placed Prodigal Son. A daughter of Loves Only Me is dam of the graded-winning Deep Impact colt Terzetto.

Loves Only Me is by Storm Cat out of Monevassia, a sister to Kingmambo, and she is a half-sister to the European champion two-year-old filly Rumplestiltskin, dam of the Yorkshire Oaks (G1) heroine Tapestry.

She is dam of five stakes winners and, as well as Kingmambo, they include East Of The Moon, successful in the Prix de Diane (G1) and the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1). Miesque is also ancestress of numerous other good runners, including Study Of Man, who being by Deep Impact out of a Storm Cat mare is closely related to Loves Only You, as well as Alpha Centauri, Alpine Star, Discoveries and Karakontie.

We have mentioned Loves Only You, Real Steel and Study Of Man as notables by Deep Impact, and the cross has been remarkably effective with 12 stakes winners from only 69 starters, 11 Group or Graded, and nine Group or Grade 1, also including Deep Impact’s excellent young sire son, Kizuna.

In the Turf Mile, Space Blues ended his racing career on a high – he out-kicked the front-running Smooth Like Strait to take the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).

This was his third straight win following success in the City of York Stakes (G2) and Prix de la Forêt (G1). In fact he’s won eight of his last ten starts, including another string of five starting in summer 2020 and including three Group races, among them the Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) in which he demonstrated that he had enough speed to beat Hello Youmzain over 6f.

Space Blues’ dam Miss Lucifer, a daughter of Noverre, gained a Group win in the Challenge Stakes (G2). She is also dam of Shuruq, who won a trio of graded events in Dubai, including the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 (G2) and UAE Oaks (G3), as well as the International Istanbul Trophy (G3) in Turkey. In turn, Shuruq is dam of Antoinette, a Group winner and Group 1 placed on Turf in the U.S.

His second dam Devil’s Imp (Cadeaux Genereux) is out of High Spirited, a sister to the Premio Roma (G1) scorer High Hawk.

High Spirited is dam of the Group winners Amfortas and Legend Maker, dam of the 1,000 Guineas (G1) winner Virginia Waters.

What’s rather interesting about this pedigree is that High Spirited is by Shirley Heights out of the notable tap-root mare Sunbittern, while Dubawi is out of the Italian Oaks (G1) heroine Zomaradah, who is by a son of Shirley Heights out of a granddaughter of Sunbittern.

Space Blues is also one of seven stakes winners, four Group class, by Dubawi out of Rahy line mares.

Last year’s Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) scorer Golden Pal returned to show blistering speed to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) by a length and a quarter without being pushed to his limit.

He also won the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga last year, and the Quick Call Stakes (G3) and Woodford Stakes (G2) this term.

Golden Pal has also made two visits to Britain. He showed tremendous pace to lead last year’s Norfolk Stakes (G2) until tiring late and going down by a neck by The Lir Jet.

This year he challenged for the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1), but, after appearing to be travelling easily on the lead, faded badly after being headed 2f out.

Golden Pal is by the North American champion two-year-old Uncle Mo, who descends from the Caro branch of Grey Sovereign via Siberian Express, In Excess and and Indian Charlie.

Uncle Mo sired a record-breaking 25 stakes winners, 14 graded in his first crop, among them the champion two-year-old colt and the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist. He’s continued to do well – with six crops aged three-year-old or older he has 73 stakes winners to his name, ten Grade 1.

Golden Pal’s dam Lady Shipman is by another champion two-year-old in Unbridled’s Song’s son Midshipman, a horse who has generally done his best work as a sire of fillies, including several who were best on Turf.

Lady Shipman is among the best of those – she won 13 of her 20 starts, 11 of them black-type events, including the Royal North Stakes (G3). She also took second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

The immediate family is fairly light, but the third dam Nanetta, by Lyphard’s son Falstaff, won a pair of restricted California-bred stakes.

Eventually the family goes back to La Troienne via her granddaughter Striking.

But it’s My Boss Lady, the seventh dam of Golden Pal, a stakes winner and out of Striking, so giving Golden Pal a double of Striking, who produced the most recent previous major stakes winner in the family, the Century Handicap (G1) scorer Landscapper.

After considerable drama at the start, which saw Albahr scratched and then his stable-companion Modern Games scratched before being reinstated, Modern Games showed good turn of foot to take the Juvenile Turf by a length and a half over the US representative, Tiz The Bomb.

The first of the three record-breaking 2021 Breeders’ Cup winners for Dubawi, Modern Games is out of the New Approach mare, Modern Ideals.

She is a half-sister to another good two-year-old in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (G1) scorer Ultra, as well as to Synopsis, who took the Prix Minerve (G3).

The second dam Epitome is by Nashwan out of the Mr. Prospector mare Proskona, a champion three-year-old filly in Italy, and a Group winner there and in France.

Proskona is dam of the Grade 1 winner Calista, and ancestress of more than 20 stakes winners, the most notable being Act One, winner of the Criterium International (G1) and Prix Lupin (G1).

Proskona is out of an even more notable tap-root mare in Konafa from whom descend such horses as the Classic-winning champion siblings Hector Protector and Bosra Sham, the Hong Kong superstar Golden Sixty, Ciro and Shanghai.

In the Juvenile Filly Turf, Pizza Bianca, making only her third start, charged from the rear to score by a half length from another late closer, the European challenger Malavath.

She’d won an eight and a half-length maiden on her debut, then run second to Wild Beauty in the Natalma Stakes (G1).

Pizza Bianca is by the veteran Danehill son Fastnet Rock. A champion sprinter in Australia, Fastnet Rock has twice been a champion sire in that country.

A more versatile sire than he was a runner, he’s also been very successful with his northern -hemisphere-sired horses with 46 stakes winners from eight crops, including current two-year-olds.

In addition to Pizza Bianca, they include the English Oaks (G1) heroine Qualify, and the Group 1 winners One Master, Fascinating Rock, Rivet, Zhukova, Laganore, Diamondsandrubies and Intricately.

Her price becomes understandable when looking at her pedigree – she is a sister to Dawn Patrol, a Group winner who ran third in the Irish Derby (G1), and to the black-type scorer Kissed. She is a three-quarters sister to the English Derby (G1) victor Pour Moi, to Gagnoa, a multiple Group winner who took second in the Prix de Diane (G1), the Prix Saint-Alary (G1) and third in the Irish Oaks (G1). She produced the Group-winning and Group 1-placed Ancient Rome and the Group winner Etoile.

Coincidentally, this is the same immediate family as the Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Modern Games. His fifth dam Royal Statute is fourth dam of Pizza Bianca.

In addition, to the branch that descends from Konafa and Proscona, detailed in the notes on Modern Games, Royal Statute is dam of three other stakes winners, including Awaasif, who took the Yorkshire Oaks (G1) and Gran Premio del Jockey Club (G1).

She is ancestress of the English Oaks (G1) winner Snow Bride and her son Lammtarra, the undefeated winner of the English Derby (G1), the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1). Other notables descendants include the Group and Grade 1 winners Polarisation and Sunstrach.

Pizza Bianca is one of a remarkable 24 stakes winners from 116 starters by Fastnet Rock out of mares by Galileo – a reverse of the hugely successful Galileo/ Danehill cross – nine of them Group or Grade 1, including Qualify, Zhukova, Intricately and Rivet.