ZAMINDAR SET TO BE AS GOOD A SIRE AS HIS BROTHER
ZAFONIC
Taken from the TDN
By Andrew Caulfield
The other grandson of Mr. Prospector to excel over the weekend
was Gone West’s son ZAMINDAR, who was discussed here a week
ago. I am considering changing roles to that of tipster, as last
week I wrote: ‘The chances are that there are more stakes winners
to come from ZAMINDAR’s 2004 crop, which also
includes the Italian stakes winner Sweet Wind Music. His highly
regarded daughter Coquerelle is among the entries for next Sunday’s
G1 Prix Saint-Alary, the main trial for the Prix de Diane, having
won her last three races in fine style. One of her wins was gained
at the expense of Cinnamon Bay, who is also expected to step up to
stakes company.
Cinnamon Bay duly gained her first stakes success in impressive
style four days later, and then the well-related Coquerelle took
the Saint-Alary to become ZAMINDAR’s second Group 1 winner
in the space of eight days, following Darjina’s triumph in
the French 1000 Guineas.
ZAMINDAR and his brilliant brother
Zafonic had The Minstrel as their broodmare sire, so it was
inevitable that breeders would try sending them mares with
pedigrees containing The Minstrel’s three-parts-brother Nijinsky
II. Zafonic had more than 20 foals out of mares by Nijinsky’s
top-class son Caerleon, which created 4x4 to Northern Dancer and
5x4 to Flaming Page. His best result was the Group 2 winner
Zipping, fourth in the 2002 2000 Guineas, but Zamindar has done
even better with Caerleon mares, which are responsible for the
unbeaten Coquerelle and the useful French three-year-old Lost
Ark.
In comparing Zafonic andZAMINDAR, it is
interesting that ZAMINDAR now has three Group 1
winners among the 263 foals in his first six crops (he has
another 51 coming on line in his 2005 crop). Zafonic, on the
other hand, sired four Group 1 winners among the 633 named
foals in his nine crops, the last of which is four years old
in 2007.
This statistic suggests strongly that ZAMINDAR has the
potential to be a better sire than his older brother, even though
Zafonic had comfortably the better form (Timeform rated Zafonic
fully 14 pounds superior to Zamindar). This also supports the view
that ZAMINDAR (always held in very high regard
by Andre Fabre) never revealed the full extent of his talent on the
racecourse, largely because of a reluctance to settle as a
juvenile.
Date:
22 May 2007