First European Classic win for Kessaar as Melfi wins the Italian 2,000 Guineas

Kessaar could hardly have received better advertising in his first season at stud in Italy as his son Melfi won that country's 2,000 Guineas (Group 3 Premio Paroli) at Capannelle on Sunday for trainer Endo Botti and Chelsea Srls.

A dual Listed winner at two, Melfi was bred by the O'Callaghan family who stood Kessaar at Tally-Ho Stud until this year. He is the third foal out of Miss Purity Pinker who was placed in four of her 11 starts for David Evans. 

She is a One Cool Cat half-sister to Azzeccagarbugli, a triple Listed winner in Italy by Kessaar's sire Kodiac. Melfi was sold by Tally Ho to Razza Latina for €33,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

Miss Purity Pinker's first foal, Tarhun is by another former Tally-Ho sire in Vadamos and the Group 1 Prix du Moulin winner now stands under the Coolmore National Hunt banner. Tarhun is a multiple winner in Italy while her second foal, Tellateller, is also by Kessaar and was placed twice at two for Richard Hannon before selling for 26,000gns to Valfredo Valiani at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale.

She has a two-year-old filly by Inns Of Court. 

Bred by Meadowlands Stud, she was sold by Willie Browne's Mocklershill Stables to Bobby O'Ryan for €10,000 at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale of 2011 and is out of the unraced Desert Style mare Consultant Stylist. Her dam, Granny's Reluctance, is a half-sister to Morning Welcome who is the dam of Irish 2,000 Guineas, Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Richmond Stakes winner and sire Bachir, by Desert Style, and his King's Best half-brother Elliots World, winner of the Acomb Stakes.

Grannys Reluctance is also a half-sister to the Grade 3 Monrovia Handicap and Listed Debutante Stakes winner Down Again, and of the Italian Listed winners Sole Che Sorgi and Sotabrasciet.

Kessaar was bred by Tally-Ho Stud out of the Raven's Pass mare Querulous and won the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes and Group 3 Sirenia Stakes for John Gosden and his owners Mohammed Al Qatami and Khalid Al Mudhaf during his only season to race.

He retired to stand at his Westmeath birthplace alongside his sire and from his three crops of racing age has sired Melfi who, in addition to his pair of Listed wins at two was third in the Group 2 Gran Criterium. Kessaar is also the sire of the Group 3 Prix Six Perfections third Ipanema Princess from his first crop.

Prior to the start of this breeding season he was purchased by an entity called Renew Italian Breeding to stand at Scuderia Melissa Cipriani in Castelnuovo Berardenga, Italy, where he commands a fee of €5,000.

Read these next

Seven up for Starspangledbanner as Beauty Eternal makes Group 1 breakthrough 

Haya Zark springs a surprise at Longchamp to give Zarak a second Group 1 winner