consecutive Prix Maurice De Gheest and adding the Prix Jacques Les Marois and Prix Le Foret to her already impressive tally of wins. Moonlight Cloud is the only horse ever to get as close to Australian sensation Black Caviar when going down by a nose in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot in 2012.
Moonlight Cloud is from a very successful female line. She is out of the listed placed mare Ventura. She has become a broodmare of considerable note. As well as producing Moonlight Cloud she is also the dam of Cedar Mountain. A son of Galileo he is a dual stakes winner in America. Ventura has three other progeny including Satin Box, a daughter of Manduro she was subsequently sold to Coolmore for E400,000 as a yearling in 2011. She has yet to make her debut and is currently in the care of David Wachman. Another foal is When In Doubt. This daughter of Montjeu was second beaten a neck in a two-year-old maiden recently in France. When In Doubt is trained by M Dezangles for Qatar Racing. This year saw the current progeny of Ventura go under the hammer when Oceanic Bloodstock had to part with E360,000 for a filly by first season sire Makfi.
Moonlight Clouds second dam is multiple stakes winner Wedding Bouquet. She won Group 3 races in Ireland and America. Ventura was her best progeny to run, however her daughters have gone on to become notable broodmares. One of Wedding Bouquet's daughters apart from Ventura to have success in the paddocks in Wedding Morn. A daughter of the legemdary sire Sadler's Wells. She is the dam of Group 2 Railway stakes winner Probably, a son of Danehill Dancer he was subsequently sold to connections in Norway after his two-year-old campaign. His best effort there was when he won a Listed race in August of this year and he hasnt been able to capture the form he once showed in Ireland. Wedding Bouquets other daughters Liege and Maddelina, a sister to Wedding Morn are also blacktype producers. Liege a daughter of Night Shift is the dam of Listed winner Bruges. Liege is also the grand dam of Group winner Talwar. Maddelina meanwhile is the grand dam of Group 3 winner Hawaafez.
The third dam Doff The Derby made significant impact in the breeding shed. She is the dam of dual derby winner and champion colt Generous. A son of Caerleon Generous wasn't a lucrative sire at stud, his best performer being Catella who was a stakes winner. Doff The Derby's dual classic heroine Imagine had a much better start to her life at stud. A daughter of Sadler's Wells, Imagine won the Irish guineas and epsom Oaks in a lucrative racing career. Her first foal was joint champion two-year-old colt Horatio Nelson. A son of champion sire Danehill, Horatio Nelson won the Prix jean Luc Lagadere in France and was desperately unlucky not to to keep his unbeaten record in tact when just touched off by subsequent derby winner Sir Percy in the Dewhurst. Horatio Nelson never regained his two-year-old form and after finishing unplaced in the 2000 guineas he sadly broke down when travelling well in the Epsom Derby and was subsequently euthanized. Imagine's two other racing progeny Viscount Nelson by Giant's Causeway and Kitty Matcham by Rock Of Gibralter earned their dam more blacktype success as a broodmare. Imagine's full sister Strawberry Roan who was classic placed is the grand dam of Cape Dollar who won the Group 2 Rockfel stakes.
Moonlight Cloud is from a lucrative family and there is no reason why she cant become a blacktype producer. Her name is sure to appear in the pedigree of future champions. Now the attention is focused on what stallion will cover this superb miler. Moonlight Cloud's sire Invincible Spirit has an exciting future ahead as a broodmare sire and also a sire of sires. Daughters of Invincible Spirit have produced Group 3 winner Perfect Tribute as well as listed scorers Drive To Hell and Melbourne Memories. Interestingly Melbourne Memories is by Sleeping Indian, a horse who shared the same owner/breeder with Moonlight Cloud in George Strawbridge.
There is one stallion that stands out for me as the potential match for Moonlight Cloud and that is Dubawi. He has already worked with mares by Invincible Spirit with Perfect Tribute being a product of the cross. He also has an excellent record with mares by Moonlight Clouds grand sire Green Desert.
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