Halling's talented four-year-old son Cutlass Bay maintained his perfect record in the best possible fashion on 2 May, winning the G1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp.
Settled in fourth position, Cutlass Bay was asked for an effort with two furlong left to run and quickened impressively to challenge Shalanaya. Despite hanging in the closing stages (which resulted in jockey Maxime Guyon having to stop riding almost completely), Cutlass Bay proved a worthy favourite and won the extended ten-furlong contest by three-quarters of a length.
Now winner of five races from five starts, he also won last year’s G2 Prix Greffuhle where he beat his paternal half-brother and subsequent G1 winner Cavalryman and Dubai World Cup third Allybar (King's Best). Cutlass Bay was kept off the track after this victory for the best part of a year, having sustained a hairline fracture to the cannon bone but returned last month with a bang, winning the G2 Prix d’Harcourt.
Bred by Darley, Cutlass Bay is the fourth foal out of the winning Danzig mare Dunnes River – also dam of another Group winner by Halling in Boscobel. Dunnes River has a 2010 colt by Street Cry and will be bred back to Halling this year.
Also on Sunday, last year's leading first-season sire Shamardal notched his tenth individual Stakes winner worldwide when Elle Shadow ran out the impressive winner the Listed Berberis-Rennen, traditionally a trial for the German Oaks.
A consistent performer for her sire, the three-year-old filly has now won twice and placed once from her first three starts and landed today's ten-furlong contest by three and a half lengths ahead of Western Mystic (Doyen), with Val de Rama (King's Best) taking third. Bred by Wittekindshof Stud, Elle Shadow is out of the multiple G1 winner and German Champion Elle Danzig.
