05 Oct Group 1 breakthroughs all over as Caballo De Mar lands Prix du Cadran honours
Caballo De Mar was creating several firsts in the Prix du Cadran by becoming a maiden Group 1 winner for both his trainer George Scott and his sire Phoenix Of Spain.
The Barouche Stud-bred gelding had become the sixth individual Pattern winner for his sire only a fortnight ago in the German St Leger and took that record a step further with a gallant defeat of Coltrane at Longchamp.
Caballo De Mar is a member of the first of Phoenix Of Spain’s three crops of racing age. The grey hero of the Irish 2,000 Guineas and son of Lope De Vega is standing at the Irish National Stud, with his 2025 fee held steady at €10,000.
Scott’s winner represents the growing Bahrain powerhouse ownership Victorious Forever, the result of a recent merger of the interests of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamed Al Khalifa’s Victorious Racing and his brother Shaikh Khalid’s KHK Racing.
Phoenix Of Spain’s daughter, Lady Of Spain, was a decent fourth behind the decorated Fallen Angel (by Too Darn Hot) in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.
Caballo De Mar was also continuing a remarkable spree of Group 1 winners to have emerged for five-figure sums from the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. He originally joined Scott’s yard for €33,000 when knocked down to agent Billy Jackson-Stops on behalf of his original owners, Blue Starr Racing. He had also made €21,000 to Melchior Bloodstock when going through the ring at the Goffs November Foal Sale.
This year’s September Sale experienced rocket-fuelled trade on the back of a Royal Ascot which produced three other individual Group 1 winners with Docklands raising the curtain in the Queen Anne Stakes and Time For Sandals and Cercene following up in the Commonwealth Cup and Coronation Stakes respectively.
Scott and Jackson Stops swooped for the €200,000 top lot of the latest renewal, a son of Starspangledbanner to represent owner Gary White.
If Phoenix Of Spain is not necessarily the most obvious option for a horse capable of staying two and a half miles, Caballo De Mar has stacks of stamina on his dam’s side.
The Holy Roman Emperor mare Oberyn, also Barouche-bred, is from an Aga Khan family which includes the Prix du Jockey Club winner Darsi. Oberyn is a sister of 1m6f Listed winner Circassian and useful dual-purpose performer Vulcanite.
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Lope De Vega, king of Ballylinch Stud, was not to be outdone on the same card as Sir Mark Prescott’s lightly-raced Consent got him up to 25 Group 1s as she powered away in the Prix de Royallieu.
Denford Stud’s filly was a €260,000 Goffs Orby purchase in 2023 from the Rogers family’s Airlie Stud, her co-breeder with Flaxman Stables. Out of the unraced Galileo mare Flora Danica, she is from the immediate family of Dewhurst winner Intense Focus and Moyglare Stud Stakes scorer Skitter Scatter.
Flora Danica’s yearling colt by Palace Pier was bought only on Wednesday at Book 2 of the Orby, by Local Creator and Ramzi Alghul for €92,000.
Publication: Racing Post
Writer: Tom Peacock
Date Published: 4 October 2025