The Starspangled ties that bind: the links between a trio of Sunday afternoon's Group 3 winners

On Saturday, Coolmore sire Starspangledbanner and Muravka's family combined to produce the surprise Group 2 City of York Stakes winner Breege but on Sunday, their latest Group race successes were independent of each other.

At Deauville, Muravka's four-year-old grandson Make Me King made the Group-race breakthrough in the Prix Quincey for Wathnan Racing, marking a milestone for Newmarket-based Qatari trainer Hamad Al Jehani as his first European Group winner.

Just under two hours later, Starspangledbanner had added a new Group winner to his collection with the victory of three-year-old daughter Shandy in the Ballyogan Stakes at Naas for Fozzy Stack and the Shanahan and Magnier families.

Make Me King was winning for the fourth time in his career and is Group winner number 64 for his sire Dark Angel, who is enjoying a fabulous season with top-level triumphs for Charyn and Khaadem propelling him to second in the race for the sire's title.

His latest Group winner was bred by Haras Voltaire who retained him and put him in training with Andre Fabre. He won once in his two and three-year-old seasons for his owner-breeders and master trainer before being sold for €380,000 to Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Wathnan Racing at Arqana's Autumn Sale last November.

He is the second foal out of the Listed Prix des Jouvencelles winner Miss Infinity who was also runner-up in the Group 3 Steinhoff Zukunftsrennen and third in the Rockfel Stakes for Mark Johnston.

Miss Infinity is a Rock Of Gibraltar half-sister to the ill-fated Prix Morny winner The Wow Signal, by Starspangledbanner, and to the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes winner Matrika and the Grade 3 Naruo Kinen and Fukushima Kinen winner Unicorn Lion. 

Their Zoffany half-sister Wowcha is the dam of Chasemore Farm's four-year-old Starspangledbanner filly Breege, who started the weekend off in great style for her sire and second dam; the High Chaparral mare Muravka, a half-sister to Listed winner Tolpuddle and out of a half-sister to the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Ta Rib.

Shandy returns after victory in the Group 3 Ballyogan StakesCredit: Patrick McCann

David and Diane Nagle of Barronstown Stud bought Muravka for €950,000 at the 2017 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale. Now 16, she has a yearling colt from the first crop of St Mark's Basilica.

Miss Infinity, dam of Make Me King, has a two-year-old Night Of Thunder filly named Nardra who cost Blandford Bloodstock 440,000gns at last year's Tattersalls October Book 1 where she was consigned by La Motteraye.

She has a yearling full-brother to Nardra and was covered by Wootton Bassett last year.

Muravka was bred by Tommy Stack and the late Stan Cosgrove and Stack's son Fozzy trained Starspangledbanner's Sunday afternoon Group winner; Shandy.

Bred by Airlie Stud, Shandy is the 29th individual Group winner by the Golden Jubilee Stakes and July Cup-winning son of Choisir.

She was sold by her breeder as a foal at Goffs to Glenvale Stud for €62,000 and made 70,000gns at Book 2 from Flash Conroy's farm to De Burgh Equine and MV Magnier.

Shandy is the fifth foal out of Sandtail, a placed Verglas half-sister to the Group 1 Criterium International winner and Group 2 Mehl-Muhlens Rennen second Zafisio and to the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort and Group 3 Acom Stakes third Lansky by Dark Angel.

Spycatcher and Clifford Lee return to a familiar spot in the Deauville winner's enclosure after the Prix de MeautryCredit: Racing Post/Burton

Another half-sibling to Sandtail is the Red Clubs mare Damask, who was bred by Airlie Stud and Sir Thomas Pilkington and is the dam of the Group winner Spycatcher.

That son of Vadamos was also in the winner's enclosure on Sunday; in Deauville where the six-year-old won the Group 3 Prix de Meautry for Karl Burke and Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.

It is the second Group, and third black-type win, of his career for the gelding who, last season, was runner-up to King Gold in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and third behind Art Power and Kinross in the British Champions Sprint, also a Group 1.

Sandtail has a two-year-old son by Vadamos and foaled a full-brother to Shandy in April this year.

Spycatcher was bred by Tally-Ho Stud and the O'Callaghan family have kept his dam faithful to their own stallions. She has a two-year-old colt from the second crop of Inns Of Court who made €45,000 to Richard Knight and Sean Quinn at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

Her yearling colt is from the first crop of July Cup winner Starman and is scheduled to come under the hammer at Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale on Wednesday, while she foaled a filly by the same sire this year.

Premier Yearling Sale

Goffs Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale

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