Potential sires for Minding

The 5.50pm fillies maiden at Leopardstown on Thursday centred around one filly, Conquest a juvenile filly by Galileo. Though any progeny of Galileo attract attention on debut, Conquest was one of the more publicised debutants. This is mainly due to the fact that she is a full sister to the brilliant seven time Group 1 heroine Minding whose retirement was announced by Coolmore earlier that day. Conquest eventually finished fifth.

Minding had established herself as probably one of the best European race mares in recent years. A glittering two-year-old campaign yielded wins in the Moyglare and Fillies mile. She returned the following season as a stronger type and got her classic campaign off to another successful start winning the 1000 guineas at the same venue where she won the Fillies mile. After a shock short head defeat in the Irish equivalent she lined up weeks later at Epsom as the heavily backed favourite for the oaks. There were doubts about whether she would see the trip, although her sire needs no introduction as an influence of stamina, her dam Lillie Langtry was quite effective at a mile winning the coronation stakes and matron stakes. Stamina doubts were quickly put to bed when Minding cruised home under Ryan Moore, it was a hard fought victory with the filly losing her position and been whipped in the face yet she still showed courage and tenacity to win. She finished her three-year- old season out with two classics and wins in the Nassua stakes, Pretty Polly stakes and beating leading miler Ribchester in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on British Champions day, it proved her final start in group 1 company. She returned in her four-year-old campaign easily seeing off her rivals in the Group 2 Mooresbridge stakes, it was a victory that suggested Minding would undoubtedly have added to her group 1 haul. Unfortunatly she suffered a setback and although connections were optimistic she would return in the Autumn, time sadly ran against her.

Now Minding begins her next phase from champion race-mare to broodmare. In the ideal world Minding would produce many Group 1 winners and champions, however breeding over the years has shown this is often not the case. However that is not to say Minding will not be a success as a broodmare, her own dam was a dual Group 1 winner, though not in the same league as her illustrious daughter, Lillie Langtry has been a very good investment for Coolmore, her first foal Kissed By Angels a sister to Minding was a Group 3 winner who produced her first foal this year, a colt by Japanese sire sensation Deep Impact. The question on many enthusiasts minds now is which sire will get the illustrious honor of being her first cover. Minding is by Galileo out of a Danehill Dancer mare so many of Coolmore's current sires seem to be out of bounds, so she may be likely be covered overseas.
The following is a list of sires whom I believe would be very highly likely candidates

1. War Front (Danzig - Starry Dreamer by Rubiano) USA
War Front must be the obvious choice for Minding, Coolmore have not been shy about supporting him as he made a blistering start to his career going from a $10,000 sire to $150,000. A foal by War Front out of Minding would be inbred 2x5 to Danzig sire of Coolmore's former champion dual shuttler Danehill. War Front also seems to have clicked with daughters of Galileo, the two standouts from the earliest mating's of War Front/Galileo being full siblings Roly Poly and US Navy Flag, both out of triple Group 1 winner Misty For Me who have won or placed at Group and Group 1 level at two and three. Since War Front first came to prominence in 2013 Coolmore have sent a substantial amount of their best Galileo mares to him, with the first major batch currently two-year-olds and yearlings. The next three years will give a better indication on whether the War Front/Galileo cross will be a success or flop but the earliest indications are very encouraging.

2. Fastnet Rock (Danehill - Piccadilly Circus by Royal Academy) IRE
If Minding is to be covered in Ireland than Fastnet Rock has to be very high on the list. He has established himself a multiple champion in Australia where his best progeny have been Atlantic Jewel among others. Since he first shuttled to Ireland he has since added a further four Group/Grade 1 winners to his already impressive tally of Group 1 winners. Hes proved he can sire two-year-olds, classic winners and older horses with Intricately and Rivet providing him with two individual juvenile Group 1 winners last season and Qualify winning the Epsom Oaks and Zhukova winning the Grade 1 Man O'War. Even more encouraging is these Group 1 winners are all out of daughters of Galileo thus making the Fastnet Rock/Galileo nick the most successful in terms of Group 1 winners. A foal by Fastnet Rock would be in bred 2x3 to Danehill and 3x4 to his sire Danzig.

3. Deep Impact (Sunday Silance - Wind In Her Hair by Alzao) JPN
This cross certainly sounds fascinating and it is also a good outcross with Northern Dancer not appearing in a few generations. Coolmore have already experimented with the cross with Kissed By Angels producing her first foal this year. The cross is not extensively used but it has produced Japanese Group 2 winner Vanquished Run Coolmore's first experiment with Deep Impact resulted in the placed Pavlenko, a daughter of champion juvenile Maybe she also has a two-year-old named Saxon Warrior. The reason Deep Impact is mentioned is that Coolmore have pledged to further support him as he represents a good cross for many of their mares plus they also having a very exciting juvenile daughter in September, out of their champion filly Peeping Fawn who is now unbeaten in two races, thus prompting the operation to bring new bloodlines.

4. Dubawi (Dubai Millenium - Zomaradah by Deploy) GB
Personally for me Dubawi would be the number one European candidate for Minding, he represents a lovely outcross and is the second best sire in Europe behind only Galileo. It is well-known that relations between Coolmore and Darley have been on the rocks with both operations rarely supporting each others sires however Coolmore have bought a select few Dubawi's at public auction and likewise for Darley. Dubawi has also clicked with daughters of Galileo in the past with the best being Night Of Thunder who won probably the best renewal of the 2000 guineas in the last four decades. Another representative of the cross has been Dartmouth a multiple Group winner. Due to the phenomenal rise of Dubawi he has covered some outstanding quality books of mares and he will sure further enchance his reputation.

5. Caravaggio (Scat Daddy - Mekko Hokte by Holy Bull)
Caravaggio has yet to retire to the stallion ranks but he looks a very exciting stallion prospect. Although it is not usually Coolmore's policy to send a high class mare such as Minding to a first year sire, Caravaggio would certainly be deserving of such an illustrious mare. As of writing he is unbeaten in six starts, two of them at Group 1 level and he is certainly earning a reputation as being one of the best European sprinters in recent history. He would be a lovely outcross for Minding being by the ill-fated sire sensation Scat Daddy with Nortnern Dancer appearing once in his pedigree back in the fifth generation. A resultant foal would be 5x4x6 to the breed shaping sire. Presumably Caravaggio will retire to Coolmore's Irish base so that he can accomade the many mares that would visit him. At the time of writing he is bidding to extend his unbeaten run to seven in the Group 1 july Cup tomorrow. After his impressive victory in the Commonwealth cup at Royal Ascot, Coolmore supremo John Magnier stated that Caravaggio could not have come at a btter time to facilitate that many mares who are from the Danhill/Sadlers Wells line.