Pedigree Insights: Al Wukair

That old phrase about horses for courses was in evidence again as Al Wukair thrust his nose ahead at exactly the right moment in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois two days ago. Deauville was the scene of the first Group 1 success by this progressive colt, just as it had been for his sire Dream Ahead, winner of the 2010 Prix Morny. The sequence continues with Dream Ahead's sire Diktat, who set off down the road to becoming Europe's champion older sprinter of 1999 with his first G1 victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest.
The Jacques le Marois has itself been won in the past by three consecutive generations of another male line, thanks to Dubai Millennium in 1999, Dubawi in 2005 and Makfi in 2010.
Part of the explanation for these sequences is that Deauville, despite its being a glamorous seaside resort, is not immune to rain during the month of August. According to Timeform, the 1999 wins by Diktat and Dubai Millennium were respectively gained on soft and heavy going. The ground was dead for Dubawi's win, good for Dream Ahead's and soft for Makfi. It was soft again for Al Wukair. In other words, these sequences owed something to an inherited ability to handle give in the ground–not that Dream Ahead was a one-dimensional mud-lark. True, he strolled home nine lengths clear in the G1 Middle Park S. on soft going but the ground was on the firm side when he added three further Group 1 successes as a 3-year-old. Nor does Al Wukair need soft ground, though he clearly handles it very well. The ground was on the firm side when he ran on strongly to take third place behind Churchill and Barney Roy in the G1 2000 Guineas.
Al Wukair spearheads the 86-strong second crop by Dream Ahead which also includes the listed winners Visionary and Tisbutadream, as well as Boos and Dream of Dreams, who were Group 2-placed at two years. His larger first crop has produced seven horses which have either won or placed at group level, including the Group 2-winning sprinter Donjuan Triumphant and Group 3 winner Final Frontier.
He is clearly doing quite well, but it was always likely that Dream Ahead's stallion career would not be plain sailing. Although he was talented enough to share the title of champion 2-year-old with Frankel before becoming the champion 3-year-old sprinter, the excellence of his racing career had to be weighed against a couple of less attractive aspects.
He had to shrug off the stigma of having been cast off by Darley for as little as $11,000 as a weanling, and there was also the generally disappointing stallion career of his sire Diktat. On the plus side, his grandsires Warning and Cadeaux Genereux both ranked among the stalwarts of the British industry and his first three dams–Land of Dreams, Sahara Star and Vaigly Star–were all very talented sprinters with plenty of juvenile ability.
Like many a young sire, Dream Ahead saw the size of his book fall over his first three years at Ballylinch Stud. It fell to 89 mares in his third season in 2014 before some impressive prices at the 2014 yearling sales contributed to a resurgence in 2015, with136 mares. However, there was a change of plans in December last year. Having been advertised as standing at Ballylinch once again in 2017, it was announced that Dream Ahead had been leased to France to stand at Haras de Grandcamp.
This made good sense, as Dream Ahead and his sire Diktat had jointly gained three of their Group 1 successes in France. France was also the setting for some of the best efforts by his leading son Donjuan Triumphant, winner of the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and runner-up in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. The Grandcamp team had probably also been impressed by the fledgling Al Wukair. After a winning debut in September, he had accounted for the useful fillies Gold Luck and Hebah to take the Prix Isonomy, a listed race over a mile. The initial deal was reportedly for Dream Ahead to stand for a year at Grandcamp, but Al Wukair's Group 1 success in France surely makes an extension likely.
As I mentioned earlier, Dream Ahead excelled over six and seven furlongs, as might be expected of a colt of his pedigree. However, Al Wukair is a different type. Andre Fabre had at one stage intended to aim him at the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club and Frankie Dettori believes a mile and a quarter is within the colt's compass.
A glance at the colt's pedigree explains why. His second dam is Caerlina, a daughter of Nijinsky's Prix du Jockey-Club winner Caerleon. Mention of Caerlina's name revives memories of a wonderful sequence for the Nijinsky clan in Europe's 1991 middle-distance classics.
Over an eight-day period in June, the Prix du Jockey-Club, the Derby, Oaks and Prix de Diane all fell to horses either sired by sons of Nijinsky or produced by one of his daughters. Green Dancer started the sequence when his son Suave Dancer handed out a four-length defeat to the future Arc winner Subotica in the Jockey-Club. Next came the five-length Derby success of Caerleon's son Generous. The Oaks produced an even more impressive performance, when Jet Ski Lady–out of Nijinsky's daughter Bemissed–romped home 10 lengths clear. Finally, it was the Prix de Diane, which saw Caerlina prove too strong for Magic Night, a filly who went on to win the G1 Prix Vermeille and to finish second in the Arc and the Japan Cup.
It's a reminder of how quickly things can change in the bloodstock world that the Nijinsky male line has virtually died out in Europe and North America. This fairly rapid drift towards extinction is all the more surprising in view of the fact that the brilliant Nijinsky sired more than 20 Group 1-winning sons. Among them were three winners of the Derby, plus winners of the English, Irish and French 2000 Guineas. He also sired two winners of the King George and an Arc winner, and his sons sired two winners each of the King George and the Arc. His sons also featured winners of the Kentucky Derby, the Prix du Jockey-Club and even the Breeders' Cup Sprint.
The Prix de Diane represented the pinnacle of Caerlina's career, though she had earlier finished second in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and third in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Caerlina's dam, the Top Ville mare Dinalina, represented a quality female line tracing back to Dorina, a top-class racemare whose victories included 1926 Prix de Diane. Dorina also landed the Grand Criterium and Prix Vermeille, as well as finishing second in the Arc.
Dorina became the ancestress of several top-notch winners, including the classic winners Honeylight and Crepello for Sir Victor Sassoon, as well as the Gold Cup winner Twilight Alley. Another branch did well for the Aga Khan, with Al Wukair's fourth dam Shahinaaz becoming the dam of the high-class stayer Karadar (Doncaster Cup) and second dam of the champion older mare Kartajana, whose wins featured the G1 Prix Ganay.
As Karadar and Twilight Alley showed, this family is not short of stamina. When Wendylina, a half-sister to Caerlina, was mated to the champion sprinter Oasis Dream the outcome was Sri Putra, who showed very smart form at up to a mile and a half.
It is going to be interesting to see how Al Wukair's career develops, but he has surely already booked himself a place at his owner's Haras de Bouquetot. His prospects won't be harmed by the fact that his dam, the 2-year-old mile winner Macheera, is a daughter of Machiavellian. Machiavellian mares are responsible for such popular stallions as Shamardal, Dark Angel and Zoffany.
There could be more to come, as the young, unproven stallions with a dam by Machiavellian include the 2015 Prix Jean Prat winner Territories and last year's July S. and Richmond S. winner Mehmas. The latter having carried the same Al Shaqab colours as Al Wukair.