Stradivarius gives Sea The Stars top-level winner number eight

Sea The Stars added an eighth top-level winner to his stud record on Thursday, with Stradivarius downing the redoubtable Big Orange in the feature race on day one of the Glorious meeting, the Group 1 Goodwood Cup.

Man of the moment Andrea Atzeni settled Stradivarius towards the rear of mid-division at the start of the two mile trip, but he began to weave his mount through a series of gaps from three furlongs out. Having reached the front with a furlong to go Stradivarius stuck on gamely to prevail by one and three-quarter lengths.

Bred and owned by Bjorn Nielsen, the hugely progressive three-year-old colt is out of the winning and Listed-placed Bering mare Private Life, whose seven known runners have yielded six winners, including three others to have gained black type.

That trio is comprised of dual German 1m2f Group 3 winner Persian Storm, a son of Monsun, the Oratorio mare Magical Eve, who was third in a Scottsville Listed event, and Rembrandt Van Rijn, who won four races for Nielson when with David Lanigan before finishing third in an Abu Dhabi Group 3 for Salem bin Ghadayer.

That Stradivarius has improved for stepping up in trip comes as little surprise given the plethora of talented stayers contained within his further family.

Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist, champion stayer in Europe and Australia in 2014 and older horse of the year in Germany for 2016, descends from Stradivariuses second dam, the Sadler's Wells mare Poughkeepsie, through her Listed-winning daughter Parisienne.

While his third dam is Oaks, Prix de Diane and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes heroine Pawneese. She was crowned champion three-year-old stayer in 1976, a title Stradivarius is making a strong claim for himself during the current campaign, having landed the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot on his penultimate outing.

As well as becoming an eighth top-level winner for his sire, Stradivarius is also the third new Group 1 winner for Sea The Stars in 2017, following on from Cloth Of Stars, successful in the Prix Ganay, and Prix d'Ispahan winner Mekhtaal.

The son of Cape Cross is due to stand his ninth covering season at the Aga Khan's Irish base at Gilltown Stud in 2018, and has already amassed an impressive stud record. With four full crops on the ground he is operating at a clip of 13 per cent stakes winners to runners, with his 66 stakes performers include 23 individual Group winners, including the likes of Taghrooda, Harzand and Mutakayyef.