By Tom Frary
Fittingly providing first-season sire Sea the Moon (Ger) with a first black-type success in his native Germany, Stall Salzburg's Quest the Moon (Ger) held off a clutch of fillies to prevail in Sunday's G3 Wackenhut Mercedes-Benz-Preis Zukunftsrennen at Baden-Baden. Runner-up on debut over this course and seven-furlong trip July 29, the bay as kept apart from the remainder of the field early by Oisin Murphy before settling on the shoulder of the leader I'll Have Another (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}). Looking held as that rival began to assert approaching the final furlong, the 6-1 shot stuck to his task as the 23-10 favourite Peace of Paris (Ger) (Helmet {Aus}) joined in and managed to upstage that compatriot and the long-time leader in the last 50 metres by two neck margins.
Quest the Moon is the first representative and second foal out of the unraced Questabella (Ger) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), who is a full-sister to the Listed Newmarket S. winner and G2 King Edward VII S. runner-up Your Old Pal (GB). The third dam is Meon Valley Stud's G2 Prix de l'Opera heroine Bella Colora (GB) (Bellypha {Ire}), a half to the G1 Irish Oaks heroine and excellent producer Colorspin (GB) (High Top {Ire}) and the G1 Irish Champion S. winner Cezanne (GB) (Ajdal). Her four black-type winners include the four-times group winner Stagecraft (GB) (Sadler's Wells) and she is the ancestress of the likes of the G2 Jebel Hatta winner Alkaadhem (GB) (Green Desert), the G2 German 2000 Guineas hero Caspar Netscher (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) and the G2 Joburg Spring Fillies & Mares Challenge heroine Bella Sonata (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}). Questabella also has a 2018 full-brother to Quest the Moon.
Sunday, Baden-Baden, Germany
WACKENHUT MERCEDES-BENZ-PREIS ZUKUNFTSRENNEN-G3, €55,000, Baden-Baden, 9-2, 2yo, 7fT, 1:25.99, g/s.
1–QUEST THE MOON (GER), 128, c, 2, by Sea the Moon (Ger)
1st Dam: Questabella (Ger), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)
2nd Dam: Questabelle (GB), by Rainbow Quest
3rd Dam: Bella Colora (GB), by Bellypha (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€32,000 RNA Ylg '17 BBASEP; €6,000 Ylg '17 BBAOCT). O-Stall Salzburg; B-Gestut Gorlsdorf (GER); T-Sarah Steinberg; J-Oisin Murphy. €32,000. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, €33,200. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–I'll Have Another (Ire), 125, f, 2, Dragon Pulse (Ire)–Jessie Jane (Ire), by Dylan Thomas (Ire). (£32,000 Ylg '17 DBSPRM). O-Paul & Clare Rooney; B-Manister House Stud (IRE); T-Mark Johnston. €12,000.
3–Peace of Paris (Ger), 125, f, 2, Helmet (Aus)–Peace of Glory (Ger), by Sholokhov (Ire). O-Stall Turffighter; B-Gestut Etzean (GER); T-Markus Klug. €6,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 1HF. Odds: 6.30, 3.20, 2.30.
Also Ran: Sharoka (Ire), Rip Van Lips (Ire), Man On the Moon (Ger), Kilbarchan (Ger), Molly Massimo (Ger). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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