Polzeath became the latest Stakes winner for her sire Singspiel on Sunday when winning the Listed East Coast Handicap over ten furlongs at Clairwood in South Africa.
Bred by Juddmonte Farms from the Gone West mare West Devon, who is a half-sister to the three-time Grade One winner Tinners Way, Polzeath has now won seven races and was also Listed-placed in January.
Singspiel is the sire of ten Group or Grade One winners around the world including, most recently, Eastern Anthem, who won the Dubai Sheema Classic at the Dubai World Cup meeting in March.
Darley Japan stallion Diktat has been responsible for a rash of good fillies during his time at stud, incuding the G1 Falmouth Stakes winner Rajeem, who was bred by Usk Valley Stud and raced for the highly successful team of Saeed Manana and Clive Brittain. That same owner/trainer team came agonisingly close to landing the Oaks d’Italia on Sunday when another daughter of Diktat, Wadaat, was caught on the line to finish second by a nose. Bred by Jocelyn Targett from Shining Vale (Twilight Agenda), Wadaat was also attempting to avenge the ill luck of her half-sister, the black type filly Mrs Snow (Singspiel), who fell when running in the G2 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas) in 2006. The British-bred Wadaat holds entries for next week’s Oaks at Epsom and the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Former Oaks d’Italia winner Zanzibar continues to be well represented by her five-year-old son of King's Best, Spice Route, who added yet more black type to his already impressive race record when finishing half a length second to Brass Hat in the G3 Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Another Usk Valley Stud graduate, Spice Route won the G2 Third Elkhorn Stakes on his previous start in April after landing the G3 Tropical Turf Handicap at the end of last year.
Excelente, by Exceed And Excel, and second to Captain Ramius (Kheleyf) in the Listed Star Appeal Stakes as a juvenile, made her second start since transferring to the US and finished runner-up in the American 1000 Guineas at Arlington Park while Refuse To Bend celebrated his second black type horse within a week when Courageous ran third in the Listed Newmarket Stakes.
