The Foundation

 

It is an undisputed fact that all thoroughbred families can claim to have produced winners of one sort or another. Some can claim a fine record for producing high-class winners over a number of generations, whilst others can produce a myriad of moderate winners, with barely a high-class performer to be had. And then there are those special families, coveted by breeders everywhere, that have consistently produced horses of the highest calibre for over a century.

 

Herein, I set forth, three 19th century thoroughbred mares, Illuminata, Canterbury Pilgrim and Papola, who have each bought an identical pedigree pattern, an enduring family legacy and a champion sire to Australia.  

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When Lord Rosebury attended Oxford University, he made a wager he would marry the richest woman in the world, become prime minister, and win the Epsom Derby. He accomplished all three feats, the later as both owner and breeder of Ladas in 1894.

Ladas was by Hampton out of Illuminata, a homebred daughter of Paraffin, by the Derby winner, Blair Athol, out of Paradigm by Paragone.

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Paraffin’s family had already established itself as a line of note, having produced the Cambridgeshire winner, Gardevisure; Two Thousand Guineas, Derby and St Leger winner, Lord Lyon; One Thousand Guineas and St Leger winner, Achievement; aswell as Chevisaunce, the dam of the Oaks and St Leger winner, Jannette. Paradigm was also a half-sister to Rouge Rose, the dam of Bend Or.

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In 1876, Lord Rosebury bred Paraffin to Rosicrucian, a mating based on the successful Rosicrucian-Blair Athol cross, and the filly foal was named Illuminata.

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Illuminata’s pedigree combined lines of Beadsman and Madame Eglentine, Stockwell and Queen Mary, a son and daughter of Touchstone, and traced to Pawn, the full sister of Penelope.

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At stud, Illuminata bred 18 foals for six winners including Chelandry, Gas, Ladas, Phosphine and Vauxhall. Her descendants have won and placed in multiple Derby’s, Guineas, Oaks and St Legers. They include Neil Gow, Cicero, Galatea, Ocean Swell, Ascenseur, Teofilo, Anabaa, Never Say Die, Popinjay and Yippingale.

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In Australia, we find Illuminata’s direct line in such greats as Heroic, Flight, Magpie, Just A Dash, Zeditave, Mamzelle Pedrille, Once Were Wild, O’Lonhro and I Am Invincible.

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I Am Invincible is one of the premier stallions currently standing at stud in Australia. With 809 progeny to race, he has sired 634 winners (78%) with earnings of over $107 million. To date, he has 65 stakes winners and 50 stakes placegetters and was crowned Australia’s Leading Sire of Winners in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.

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Other Australian family representatives of Illuminata include full brothers, Skyline and Sky High, both sons of Star Kingdom, the epoch-making stallion, imported into Australia in the 1950’s who went on to capture sixteen sire’s premierships.

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Star Kingdom was by Stardust from Impromptu and traced to the second mare in this study, Canterbury Pilgrim. Canterbury Pilgrim’s dam, the dual Guineas winner, Pilgrimage, was born just two years earlier than Illuminata. When mated with the bad tempered, Tristan, in 1892, she produced Canterbury Pilgrim, the ‘rather small’ filly with ‘a good back and lions’, ‘short neck’ and ‘low withers.’

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Canterbury Pilgrim was unplaced in 5 starts at two, but the following season she won the Guineas, Oaks, Liverpool Cup, Park Hill Stakes and the Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket.

At stud, she produced ten foals of which seven were winners. Her place in turf history was secured through her splendid sons, Chaucer and Swynford, aswell as Harry Of Hereford and daughters, Nuns Veiling and St Victorine, 6th dam of Star Kingdom.

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Like Illuminata, Canterbury Pilgrim’s pedigree features a variation of the Rosicrucian-Blair Athol cross, in that it carried Rosicrucian’s full brother, The Palmer, and Blair Athol’s ¾ sister, Thrift. Like Illuminata, she combined the same lines of Beadsman and Madame Eglentine, Stockwell and Queen Mary, a son and daughter of Touchstone and traced to Pawn, the full sister of Penelope.

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Finally, we come to the most unheralded and obscure of our three mares, a foal of 1898, Papola, by Tyrant out of Poppy by Peter. Papola was unraced in her two year old season and won just the once, in eleven starts, at three. However, at stud she bred 4 winners, the most important being Torpenhow who traces forward to the acclaimed broodmare, Best In Show. Indeed, this family has legitimate claims as one of the best producing thoroughbred families the world has ever seen.

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Like Illuminata and Canterbury Pilgrim, Papola’s pedigree also carried the Rosicrucian-Blair Athol cross and combined the lines of Beadsman and Madame Eglentine, Stockwell and Queen Mary, three sons and a daughter of Touchstone, as well as Penelope, the full sister of Pawn.

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Papola’s descendants include Nijinsky, El Gran Senor, Xaar, Malinowski, Gielgud, Monroe, The Ministrel and Spinning World.

 

In Australia, she has given us Umatilla, Hurricane Sky, Manhatten Rain, Echoes Of Heaven, Al Maher, Monsoon Wedding, Gathering and Redoutes Choice.

 

Prior to his death in 2019, Redoutes Choice’s record in the breeding barn had exceeded his superb performance on the racetrack. Trainer, Rick Hore-Lacy declared Redoutes Choice as possibly the best horse he had ever trained. In a 10 start career he had five wins and prizemoney of $1.6 million. Four of his wins were at Group 1 level and included the Blue Diamond Stakes, Manikato Stakes, Caulfield Guineas and CF Orr Stakes.

 

But it was in the breeding barn that Redoutes Choice created a legacy of world class sire, sire of sires, and sire of broodmares. He achieved three Champion Sire premierships, a Champion 2YO Sire premiership, and a Champion First Season Sire premiership. His progeny have earned over $157 million with 163 stakes winners, across 11 countries, including 34 at Group 1 level. He produced 17 horses that have won more than $1 million, with his most successful, Miss Finland, Lankan Rupee and The Autumn Sun, each winning five Group 1 races.

 

Redoutes Choice’s legacy continues through his many sons and daughters at stud including champion sire, Snitzel, sire of Everest winner, Redzel, who has amassed over $16 million in prizemoney.

 

So there we have it, an undeniable link between three stallions of the highest calibre, three families with an enduring capacity to produce elite performers, and three mares, all born over a hundred years ago, with identical pedigree structures who sit at the foundation of it all.

 

And history tells us, they are not finished yet, and their influence is set to continue, for many, many more years to come…