Rhododendron adds to Pivotal's blossoming record as a broodmare sire

Rhododendron delivered another Group 1 victory for perennial champion sire Galileo with a narrow score in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on Saturday, but the race arguably belonged to Cheveley Park Stud stalwart Pivotal.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained filly is out of Pivotal's Classic-winning daughter Halfway To Heaven, and she just edged out runner-up Lightning Spear, who failed by a short head to become Pivotal's 28th individual top-level winner.

Rhododendron continues an outstanding run of success for Pivotal as a broodmare sire. On the same Newbury card his daughter Steer By The Stars was responsible for the Listed Carnarvon Stakes winner Never Back Down (by Kodiac).

Also this season Pivotal mares have provided Prix Ganay hero Cracksman (Frankel), Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Olmedo (Declaration Of War), Palace House Stakes winner Mabs Cross (Dutch Art), Jockey Club Stakes scorer Defoe (Dalakhani) and Cork Stakes victor Downforce (Fast Company).

That success has given Pivotal earnings of around £2 million in Europe in 2018 as a broodmare sire, a long way clear of Sadler's Wells in second on around £1.25m.

Pivotal is now well established as a strong influence in this department, and other Group/Grade 1 winners produced by his daughters include Harbour Law, Hydrangea, Main Sequence, Mayson, Polarisation, Precieuse, The United States and Winsili.

As Lightning Spear proves, however, Pivotal still has plenty of life left in him as a sire in his own right and this season he has also supplied the Group 1 Jebel Hatta winner Blair House and Group 2 Bet365 Mile winner Addeybb – a disappointing eighth to Rhododendron in the Lockinge, although he did not get much cover in the race.

Pivotal has enjoyed a fine alliance with the Lockinge as he has sired three previous winners – Peeress, Virtual and Farhh.

The 25-year-old son of Polar Falcon is standing his 22nd consecutive season at Cheveley Park Stud at a fee of £40,000 this year.

Rhododendron – a second winner of the Lockinge for Galileo after the inimitable Frankel – was bred by Coolmore entity Orpendale, Chelston and Wynatt and is the fourth foal out of Halfway To Heaven.

The dam, bred by Trevor Stewart out of his great sprinting mare Cassandra Go and sold to Coolmore as a yearling at Goffs for €450,000, was trained by O'Brien to win four races, three of them at the highest level – the Irish 1,000 Guineas, the Nassau Stakes and Sun Chariot Stakes.

Halfway To Heaven has been mated with Galileo in every year of her breeding career. Her first foal, Flying The Flag, won the Group 3 International Stakes and now stands as a stallion at Bush Hill Stud in South Africa.

Cassandra Go (left): the granddam of Rhododendron was an ace sprinterCredit: Edward Whitaker

Her fifth foal, Magical, beat Happily to win the Group 2 Debutante Stakes last year and was fourth in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte on her seasonal bow last month.

The dam also has a yearling filly by Galileo.

Cassandra Go, an Indian Ridge half-sister to Coventry Stakes winner and useful sire Verglas, has founded quite the empire for Stewart.

The mare – who was famously in foal when she won the Temple Stakes and King's Stand Stakes and ran second to Mozart in the July Cup in 2001 – is the dam of seven winners in total.

Besides Halfway To Heaven, her best progeny are dual Group 3-winning sprinter Tickled Pink and Summer Stakes scorer Theann, who went on to become the dam of dual Grade 1 winner Photo Call, also by Galileo.

Neverletme Go, the daughter of Green Desert who was being carried in-utero when Cassandra Go won her last two races, is the dam of German Listed winner Best Regards and is granddam of this week's Marygate Stakes third Snazzy.

Cassandra Go is still in production, and has a two-year-old filly by Invincible Spirit called Fantasy and was covered by Gleneagles last year.

Coolmore will be hoping that Rhododendron emulates the last female winner of the Lockinge. Red Evie, triumphant in the race in 2007 and later bought by the operation as a broodmare prospect, went on to produce their Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Found.

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