Legacy of Major Johnnie Lewis lives on through purchase of Eljazzi

One of Major Johnnie Lewis’s great achievements during his tenure as bloodstock adviser to Prince AA Faisal was his purchase of an Artaius filly offered at Tattersalls during the autumn of 1982.

Lewis paid 92,000gns for the filly in a transaction that was reflective of a strong background associated with Captain Tim Rogers’ Airlie Stud. By the Sussex Stakes winner Artaius, a Round Table horse who was one of an army of stallions Rogers stood at that time under his Airlie umbrella, she was out of the 1968 Yorkshire Oaks runner-up Border Bounty and therefore a half-sister to the high-class miler Pitcairn, the 1974 Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up, and Blandford Stakes winner Valley Forge.

The fact that Pitcairn was subsequently crowned the British and Irish champion sire of 1980, largely thanks to the achievements of his King George-winning son Ela-Mana-Mou, would have only enhanced her appeal; if nothing else, the Artaius-Border Bounty filly would make a fine addition to any broodmare band once her racing days were over.