Junko the latest Group 1 winner for Intello and Wertheimer family after Preis von Bayern score

Junko became the third individual top-level winner for Intello when landing the Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern in fine style on Sunday.

The four-year-old, a winner of the Group 3 Prix de Reux in August and Prix Noailles in April last year, came home ahead of Sea The Moon's high-class performer Assistent and Adlerflug mare India. Notably it was a final racecourse appearance for India, the last-time-out scorer of the Preis von Europa in September. 

Trained by Andre Fabre, the gelding was continuing a fine run of form for his owner-breeders, the Wertheimer family, after victories in the Prix Royal-Oak and Prix de la Foret with Double Major and Kelina respectively. 

The owners had also landed a winner on Breeders' Cup night on Saturday when Salesman captured the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes.

Intello: sire of three top-level winners nowCredit: Haras du Quesnay

Junko is out of the Graded-placed Dynaformer mare Lady Zuzu, a half-sister to triple Graded winner and Grade 1-placed Optimizer who sold to the Wertheimers for $2,350,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale in 2016. She had also been a seven-figure yearling, selling $1,225,000 to Borges Torrealba from Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga August Sale three years earlier.

Lady Zuzu is in turn a daughter of Indy Pick, an A.P. Indy half-sister to dual Grade 1 winner Finder's Fee. Indy Pick and Finder's Fee are out of the prolific Fantastic Find. According to France-Galop, Lady Zuzu was exported to America in 2021. 

Junko's sire hails from a brilliant Wertheimer family, being out of Impressionnante, a daughter of Danehill who won the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham and was also second in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix d'Astarte. She is out of Kaldoun mare Occupandiste, winner of the Prix Maurice de Gheest and Prix de la Foret. 

Alain and Gerard Wertheimer (right) pictured at Deauville last yearCredit: Edward Whitaker

Impressionnante is therefore a half-sister to dual Canadian Grade 1 victor Mondialiste (by Galileo) and fellow black type scorers Only Answer (Green Desert) and Planetaire. The trio's less successful full or half-sibling is Desertiste, dam of Group winners Sasparella (Shamardal) and Kalahara (Frankel).

Intello, a winner of the Prix du Jockey Club by Galileo, can count Junko among his other Group/Grade 1 winners in Adhamo and Intellogent. 

Standing at Haras de Beaumont, having previously resided at Cheveley Park Stud and Haras du Quesnay, he is the sire of 41 black type performers, including 12 individual Group/Graded winners.

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