'It was a one-off, so for it to be Suelita is pretty amazing'

Chaldean's success in the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes on Saturday sealed a 'dream summer' for the Frankel colt's breeders Whitsbury Manor Stud.

The Andrew Balding-trained juvenile was sporting the Juddmonte second colours but there was nothing second-rate about his winning performance as he added the Newmarket prize to his previous victories over Indestructible in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes and the Group 3 Acomb Stakes.

There was a neat pattern drawn by Chaldean's Dewhurst win, having been purchased as a foal by Juddmonte for 550,000gns.

He is a half-brother to Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Alkumait, by Whitsbury's own stallion Showcasing, a son of Oasis Dream who was bred and raced by Juddmonte before retiring to the Harper family's Wiltshire stud, from where he has been developed into one of Britain's leading stallions.

Ed Harper, stud director of the family farm, explained how his father Chris's impulse purchase of Chaldean's dam Suelita for 21,500gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2013 led to Saturday's Rowley Mile glory.

“It’s all thanks to Dad," Harper told GBRI. "He was sitting in the ring at Tatts when Suelita went round at the December Mare Sale and he recognised the family.

"Dad had completely handed over the keys of the business to me, but he couldn’t resist it, so he told me he’d just bought a mare. It’s something he never does, it was a one-off, so for it to be Suelita is pretty amazing."

That purchase on a whim has developed into a top-class broodmare for Whitsbury Manor. Her first foal, The Broghie Man, by Cityscape, won the Listed Committed Stakes at Navan, while her second, a Mukhadram gelding named Gloves Lynch, was third in the Listed Prix Herod.

Whitsbury Manor's stud director Ed Harper at TattersallsCredit: Laura Green

Suelita's third foal Alkumait was her best before the emergence of Chaldean this season. The Shadwell-owned son of Showcasing became his dam's first Group winner with his victory at Newbury having been sold by Whitsbury Manor for 150,000gns as a foal.

Now she has added a Group 1 winner to her exemplary record, and her late covering date defied conventional wisdom.

"Chaldean is very young," Harper stated. "I think the box went out to Juddmonte on about June 8 or 9 and we were all slightly looking at one another wondering if it was the right thing to do, but thank goodness we did.

"The mating worked perfectly and we got a mid-May foal. It just shows this obsession with February and March foals is not necessary.

"He got spoilt a bit because he was the last foal born that year and he was by Frankel out of our best mare. He had a lot of attention, but he takes everything in his stride."

Neither did his relative youth compared to other foals at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale of 2020 discourage buyers, as Juddmonte's successful bid demonstrated. Although Harper was a little concerned about just how young the chestnut was.

"He was popular to everybody at the sale," he said. "He wasn’t a big foal because he was so young. Even though he looked class, he looked small because obviously at the time he was two or three months younger than a lot of the other foals around him, but he had big ways about him and never missed a beat.

"I mean he was only weaned a couple of weeks before prep started, so it was a lot to ask of him, but he took everything in his stride, he never gave us a moment’s worry. The whole idea did worry me slightly because he was so young, but it didn’t seem to bother him."

Watch Chaldean lead all the way in the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket

Suelita has a Kingman filly foal this season who will be offered at Tattersalls next month and she is expecting a full-sibling to Alkumait, all things going well, next spring. There are no prizes for guessing what stallion she will next visit.

"I expect Frankel might be on the dance card next year," said Harper, who acknowledged the impact Showcasing has made on the evolution of Whitsbury Manor, including the breeding of Chaldean.

"Dad was gradually building up the quality of the broodmare band for decades and I’ve tried to do the same," he said. "Showcasing has really given the whole broodmare band a bit of a kick in the last five years in particular, so it’s only in the last few years that we’ve been able to use these top-notch stallions."

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