Whilst the racing action is just getting into full swing in Australia, where Shamardal filly Faint Perfume recorded an impressive victory in the G2 Wakeful Stakes, the curtain came down on another season at HQ on Saturday with the Darley stallions responsible rounding off the year in style when resposible for the first three home in the Listed James Seymour Stakes.
Laaheb, a three-year-old son of Cape Cross, recorded his first Black type victory when winning the ten-furlong contest by a length from Godolphin’s Prince Siegfried (Royal Applause). Saphira’s Fire, also by Cape Cross, put up a creditable performance when taking on the colts for the first time to finish a further three-quarters of a length further back in third, with the trio four lengths ahead of the rest of the field.
Bred by Darley and owned by Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum, Laaheb is out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Maskunah – herself a daughter of the outstanding producer Lucayan Princess, dam of five Stakes performers including G1 winners Luso and Warrsan. Maskunah produced a full brother to Laaheb in March of this year.
Cape Cross has now sired 14 individual Black type winners this year, headed by the outstanding six-time G1 winner Sea The Stars. His fee for 2010 is an unchanged €35,000, October 1st terms.
