First foal a filly for Mill Reef Stakes scorer James Garfield

Rathbarry Stud resident James Garfield sired his first foal on Tuesday when the Dansili mare Butsova delivered a filly for Bill and Tim Gredley's Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs.

Butsova, who was raced by the Gredleys, was welcoming her first foal, and has an attractive pedigree as a half-sister to the Group 3 juvenile winner Bye Bye Birdie, and Sleek, whose Dansili daughter Stylistique ran second to Daahyeh in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes last year.

That trio are out of Slink, a Selkirk sister to the Prix Marcel Boussac scorer Sulk and half-sister to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf heroine Dank, whose Galileo filly Maria Danilova was hammered down to Godolphin for four million guineas at Tattersalls Book 1 in 2017.

As well as holding the 6f juvenile record at Newbury having won the Mill Reef in 1min 10.64sec, James Garfield has an iron-clad pedigree as a son of the Royal Ascot juvenile winner Whazzat from the family of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac.

James Garfield stands at Rathbarry Stud at a €6,000 fee and breeders hoping to utilise the son of Exceed And Excel this year will be eligible for a free lifetime breeding right should they breed a two-year-old Listed winner or Group performer.

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