Niarchos' foundation family back in the limelight with Ulysses

Stavros Niarchos’ forays to the Kentucky yearling sales during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s had the desired impact on his then burgeoning operation, providing the Greek shipping magnate with Nureyev, bought for a then stratospheric price of $1.3 million in 1978, alongside a number of well-connected fillies, several of whom laid the foundations for the thriving outfit that is Flaxman Holdings today.

For instance, last year’s Grand Prix de Paris winner Erupt is a grandson of Salvora, a member of Spectacular Bid’s first crop who was bought as a yearling at Keeneland for $725,000. Significantly less expensive was Pasadoble, a $45,000 Fasig-Tipton yearling who later found fame as the dam of Miesque and consequently today features in the background of Kingmambo and Karakontie among others.

Northern Trick was among Niarchos’ pricier acquisitions, commanding $530,000 through the BBA at the Keeneland July Sale in 1982. It was a hefty number indicative of the allure of American-bred yearlings to European buyers at that time, fuelled in particular by the demand for those by her sire Northern Dancer. Bred by Warner L. Jones and Will Farish, she was also a half-sister to American Grade 1 winner On The Sly and from the immediate family of French champion two-year-old Filiberto, making her an appealing prospect to a wide range of buyers.