Vadamos half-brother blitzes opposition in Maisons-Laffitte debut

All eyes were on Newmarket on Saturday for the Classic action, but a maiden at Maisons-Laffitte may also have contained a future star.

Volfango, a Dutch Art half-brother to last year's Prix du Moulin winner Vadamos, landed a 1m2f contest for unraced three-year-old colts and geldings by three and a half lengths for trainer Freddy Head and owner Andreas Putsch of Haras de Saint-Pair.

Runner-up was Bounderby, a Manduro gelding trained by Andre Fabre for Godolphin, and third was Inverloch, a Fastnet Rock colt out of a half-sister to Camelot trained by Nicolas Clement for OTI Management and Susan Magnier.

Volfango's sire Dutch Art was the winner of the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes and he is the sire of Group 1-winning sprinters Garswood and Slade Power among 27 stakes scorers.

The son of Medicean stands at Cheveley Park Stud at a fee of £25,000.

Volfango is out of Celebre Vadala, a daughter of Peintre Celebre who won the Listed Prix Melisande for her owner-breeder the Aga Khan and was sold to Haras de Saint-Pair for €525,000 at the Arqana December Breeding-Stock Sale in 2008.

Celebre Vadala has produced three winners headed by Vadamos who, as well as landing the Prix du Moulin, also took two Group 2s – the Prix du Muguet and Oettingen-Rennen – and finished second in the Prix Jacques le Marois.

Vadamos is standing his first season at Tally-Ho Stud at a fee of €10,000 and is set to shuttle to Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand later in the year.

Celebre Vadala hails from a brilliant family that the Aga Khan came to own through his purchase of Jean-Luc Lagardere's stock. She is a half-sister to Queen Anne Stakes and Prix d'Ispahan hero Valixir and to Vadaza, the dam of Group 1 winners Vadawina and Vazira.

Further back it is the family of more Group/Grade 1 winners - Val Royal, Valyra, Vahorimix and Voleuse de Coeurs.