Group 1 glory for much-missed sires at Doncaster and Saint-Cloud

Saturday's triumvirate of two-year-old Group 1 races at Saint-Cloud and Doncaster all provided reminders of keenly-felt losses from the global stallion ranks.

While a one-two for the late Galileo headed by Proud And Regal was nothing new in the Criterium International - he was already the sire of 96 other top-level winners including Johannes Vermeer in the same race seven years ago - this was still the late Coolmore giant's first juvenile Group 1 scorer from what was the 18th of the 20 crops that will come from his career in full.

A hard-fought victory for Dubai Mile in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud was, however, a major first for his sire Roaring Lion. Charlie and Mark Johnston and Ahmed Al Shaikh's colt is a member of the only crop ever produced by the Tweenhills sire, who died in New Zealand in August 2019 after suffering complications from colic.

There are not many more Deep Impacts around either, with the Japanese titan lost shortly before Roaring Lion in 2019. Auguste Rodin, the Vertem Futurity hero, is one of the last with his celebrated dam, the Fillies' Mile and Lockinge winner Rhododendron, by Galileo, sent to Asia to be covered by him.

The handsome colt is the first foal of Rhododendron, the sister of multiple Group 1 star Magical from the brilliant female line of Halfway To Heaven and Cassandra Go. She is reported to have lost her next foal by Dubawi and has since revisited the Darley flagbearer.

Galileo's Proud And Regal, who edged out his paternal half-brother Espionage by a head as trainer Donnacha O'Brien bested his father Aidan, had been closing in on a big prize after finishing second to Al Riffa in the National Stakes.

He is a Coolmore-bred brother to Group 3 winner Mekong River, out of Falmouth winner Simply Perfect and yet another example of the prepotent Galileo-Danehill cross. The super-sire himself, who died at the age of 23 in July 2021, is responsible for the season's premier stayer in Kyprios was well as Oaks winners Magical Lagoon and Tuesday with yearlings and a smaller crop of foals still to come.

Dubai Mile was already the best of the Roaring Lion cubs on Racing Post Ratings and prize-money earned, having finished second in the Royal Lodge Stakes. The colt was bought by Charlie and Mark Johnston for just €20,000 at last year's Goffs Orby Sale.

He was bred by Skymarc Farm from one of Lady O'Reilly's fine families out of Beach Bunny, who was narrowly defeated by Dar Re Mi in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes.

Dubai Mile currently holds an entry as lot 768A in next week's Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale. Should connections chose to try him in the ring after this giant catalogue update, he will be one of the event's major draws.

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