Wootton Bassett's star on the rise as Incarville strikes in Prix Saint-Alary

Rising star stallion Wootton Bassett notched his fourth Group 1 winner in dramatic fashion on Monday, when Incarville surged home from an unpromising position to land the Saxon Warrior Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp.

The three-year-old filly, who was bred by Naji Nahas and carried the familiar colours of Gerard Augustin-Normand, was already among Wootton Bassett's 31 stakes performers having finished runner-up in a brace of Group 3s, but took a sizeable step forward to join Almanzor, Audarya and Wooded on the sire's list of elite scorers.

Incarville is from Wootton Bassett's sixth crop, meaning she was conceived at Haras d'Etreham in the year the son of Iffraaj's fee had leapt to €20,000, up from €6,000 in 2016.

Although he is standing his debut season at Coolmore at a career-high fee of €100,000, Wootton Bassett spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at a more humble berth of €4,000.

Despite covering lesser mares than the star-studded names he has received at Coolmore, he still sired the likes of Patascoy and Wootton from the 2014 book and Audarya from the 2015 book.

Wootton Bassett at CoolmoreCredit: Coolmore

Incarville is the fifth foal out of Ilhabela, a winning daughter of Azamour who has produced three other winners. Her daughter's top-level breakthrough adds further Group 1 black type to a pedigree that is no stranger to success at the highest level.

Ilhabela, a €170,000 yearling who was bought and trained by Incarville's handler David Smaga, is a half-sister to Jean-Luc Lagardere's Vahorimix, who was promoted to first in the 2001 Poule d'Essai des Poulains after Noverre was disqualified for returning a banned substance in his post-race sample.

Another sibling, Vadorga, went on to become the dam of Irish St Leger winner Voleuse De Coeurs. Although Vadorga was subsequently sold to the Irish National Stud, she had been among the stock that changed hands as part of the Aga Khan's lock, stock and barrel acquisition of Lagardere's equine interests in 2005.

View full Prix Saint-Alary result

In turn, Ilhabela's dam is out of Vadsa, whose brood include the likes of Vadlava, dam of Breeders' Cup Mile winner Val Royal and his Listed-winning sibling Vadlamixa, an ancestress of Group 1 scorers such as Valixir, Vadamos, Vazira and Vadawina. Further back it is also the family of the ill-fated Prix de Diane heroine Valyra.

Azamour has now supplied two Group 1 winners as a broodmare sire, with both victories coming in the Prix Saint-Alary after Siyarafina also struck in 2019. His daughters have been responsible for five other stakes winners, including the Godolphin-owned and Charlie Appleby-trained Beyond Reason and Volkan Star, both of whom also recorded their Pattern race victories in France.

Another for Nathaniel

Earlier on the Longchamp card Newsells Park Stud's Nathaniel sired his 40th stakes performer when the three-year-old colt Bubble Gift stayed on strongly to land the Group 2 Prix Hocquart.

The son of Galileo, who is standing his ninth season at stud at a fee of £15,000, is best known as the sire of the brilliant Enable, and has sired two other Group 1 winners, namely Prix de Diane heroine Channel and the Premio Lydia Tesio victress God Given.

Bubble Gift is the second Group 2 winner that has joined Nathaniel's stud record in recent weeks after Lady Bowthorpe, who has since finished a fine second to Palace Pier in the Lockinge, claimed the Dahlia Stakes.

Bubble Gift was bred by the Hakam family and is the ninth foal out of the Grand Lodge mare Bubble Back, making him a sibling to the Darley Stakes winner and Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Bubble Chic.

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