The champion mare Emancipation (Bletchingly), as winner of the first-ever Coolmore Classic run at Group 1 level, set a high standard for those that were to follow her. A winner of 19 of her 28 starts, including six at the top level, her influence as a broodmare has arguably exceeded her racetrack efforts.
In the 36 years that have elapsed since she won what was then called the Rosemount Wines Classic, there have been 16 stakes winners to feature her on the female lines of their pedigree, across four generations.
Emancipation herself produced one stakes winner in the Group 2 victor Royal Pardon (NZ) (Vice Regal {NZ}) and her daughters produced another seven black-type winners, including three at Group 1 level, Rumya (Red Ransom {USA}), Virage De Fortune (Anabaa {USA}) and Railings (Zabeel {NZ}).
Emancipation the winner of the first-ever Coolmore Classic run at Group 1 level
There are also five stakes winners who count Emancipation as their third dam, while the fourth generation from Emancipation has produced the Group 1 winner Stratum Star (Stratum) as well as his Group 3-winning three-quarter brother Prague (Redoute's Choice).
The fourth generation from Emancipation produced the Group 1 winner and Widden stallion Stratum Star
None of the subsequent winners of the Coolmore Classic winners can quite live up to that level of success, but in its early days of Group 1 status, the race unearthed some excellent broodmares.
Of the first 23 winners of the race at the elite level, up to and including 2006, 15 of them went on to produce stakes winners in their own right, while another three have had daughters who have produce stakes winners.
"The first seven winners of the race at Group 1 level all produced stakes winners in the breeding barn. " - Bren O'Brien
In fact, the first seven winners of the race at Group 1 level all produced stakes winners in the breeding barn.
Strawberry's rich legacy
The winner of the 1988 edition, Strawberry Fair (Whiskey Road {USA}), proved quite the blue hen. Having produced Listed winner Galaxy Fair (Bletchingly) in Australia, she then had Taineberry (Centaine) win a Group 2 in South Africa.
From Taineberry, her daughters and grand-daughters, there were nine South African stakes winners including Grade 1 winners Silvano's Pride (Saf) (Silvano {Ger}), Redberry Lane (Saf) (Western Winter {USA}) and Solo Traveller (Western Winter {USA}).
G1 CF Orr S. winner Barkada (pictured) was also out of a daughter of Strawberry Fair in Biscotte
G1 CF Orr S. winner Barkada (Spectrum {Ire}) was also out of a daughter of Strawberry Fair in Biscotte (Marscay).
There are four winners of the Coolmore Classic since 1984 who have gone on to produce Group 1 winners in their own right.
The most recent was 2001 winner Porto Roca (Barathea {Ire}), the dam of G1 Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The next generation of that family also produced a Group 1 winner with Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}) out of Porto Roca's daughter Fiorentina (Dubai Destination {USA}).
Stallions and Cox Plate winners
1997 winner Assertive Lass (Zeditave) is arguably the most influential winner of the race from a breeding perspective given she produced an unbeaten Group 1 winner who would go on to be a very successful stallion in Reset (Zabeel {NZ}), who sired 33 stakes winners of his own while at Darley, including five Group 1 winners. Assertive Lass produced three stakes winners in all.
Red Express (Sovereign Red {NZ}) won the 1989 race, then titled the Orlando Wines Classic, and would produce four winners, the most significant of which was the G1 Cox Plate winning mare Dane Ripper (Danehill {USA})
The other Coolmore Classic winner to produce a Group 1 winner to date is Shindig (NZ) (Straight Strike {USA}), whose third foal Shinzig (Danehill {USA}) would win a G1 CF Orr S.
G1 Cox Plate winning mare Dane Ripper (pictured) was out of Red Express who won the 1989 Coolmore Classic race
Skating to success
Skating (At Talaq {USA}), who would win the 1993 edition, would become a very influential broodmare, producing three stakes winners, two of which would become stallions in Bradbury's Luck (Redoute's Choice) and Murtajill (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).
Her daughter Skates (Danehill {USA}) carried on those bloodlines and also produced a trio of stakes winners including G1 Golden Slipper S. winner and now Coolmore stallion Vancouver (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) and G1 Robert Sangster S. winner Juste Momente (Giant's Causeway {USA}).
All in all, there have been eight stakes winners produced from Skating's family.
"All in all, there have been eight stakes winners produced from Skating's family. " - Bren O'Brien
The other mare on the honour board whose daughter has produced a Group 1 winner is 1985 winner Avon Angel (NZ) (Avon Valley {GB}). G1 Railway S. winner Great Shot (Magnus) is her grand-son, one of five stakes winners in that family.
1992 winner Acushla Marie (NZ) (Lord Ballina) didn’t produce a stakes winner herself, but there were black-type victors in the next two generations, including G1 winner Hucklebuck (Elvstroem), who is a grand-grandson of that mare.
Pages still being written
Obviously, the passage of time has allowed these mares to continue to build their considerable legacies and those winners of the Coolmore Classic in recent times are still developing their extended pedigree pages.
Since 2006, only two winners of the race have produced stakes winners, with Eskimo Queen (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}) (2008) the dam of Group 2 winner Dreamforce (Fastnet Rock) and Aloha (Encosta De Lago) (2011), the dam of Group 2 winner Libertini (I Am Invincible).
Emancipation's 1984 victory came in a season where she was crowned as Australian Champion Racehorse Of The Year and the superstar Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}) is the only other to have done that same double.
In fact, the mighty Kiwi mare did it twice, winning the race in 2000 and 2002, both seasons where she was crowned Champion Racehorse. Typhoon Tracy (Red Ransom {USA}) won the Coolmore Classic in 2009 and would win Champion Racehorse in the subsequent season, 2010/11.
They stand out as the two champions of their eras, but neither had substantial influence as broodmares. Sunline had four foals, two of which won on the track, while Typhoon Tracy sadly died in 2012 when foaling for the first time.
