Double parking only increases the Appeal of a great mare

The idea of enhancing stock by inbreeding back to a certain influence has long piqued the interest of breeders. For Marcel Boussac, the leading breeder in France on no fewer than 17 occasions, it was an avenue taken quite regularly as the textile tycoon sought to maximise all his own stallions - Asterus, Pharis, Tourbillon and his son Djebel - had to offer. Indeed, perhaps the best horse Boussac bred was the 1949 Arc heroine Coronation, by Djebel and out of Esmeralda by Tourbillon.

While few breeders are quite so daring nowadays, the idea of reinforcing a particular influence remains popular. Inbreeding to Special, which has gained so much exposure through the successful alliance of Kingmambo and Sadler’s Wells, is one such example. And there are already ten foals on the ground bred on a variation of the Invincible Spirit-Kodiac cross that doubles up on Rafha. One such, Rock In Peace, won his second race for Ger Lyons at Limerick last week.

Inbreeding to Park Appeal was always likely to gain some momentum given that her web contains Cape Cross, Iffraaj and Diktat. But it has come to the fore over a relatively short span of time, with the mare already doubling up in the backgrounds of the Group 1-placed Magic Artist and Listed winner Burke’s Rock. And now there is The Black Princess, a Listed winner for Robin Geffen and John Gosden last season who opened her four-year-old campaign with a taking success in the Prix Allez France at Chantilly on Sunday.