Foaled at the dawn of the 21st century, Leroidesanimaux, whose racing and breeding career spanned three continents and whose influence has spread across the world, embodies a global era, where bloodlines and bloodstock cross timezones and the equator with ease.
It is 21 years to the day since the son of Candy Stripes (USA) was foaled in Brazil, a country not famous for producing globally influential thoroughbreds. As it now stands, he has produced winners in 30 individual countries. From the United States to Japan and from Dubai World Cups to maiden races in Russia, the progeny of Leroidesanimaux have greeted the judges.
The late Leroidesanimaux (Brz), sire of Zaaki (GB)
Now in Australia, five years after his untimely death, he is making waves with Zaaki (GB), an imported gelding who is a ruling favourite for Australia's greatest weight-for-age race, the G1 Cox Plate, having flourished in his new environment for trainer Annabel Neasham.
Prior to Zaaki, the other connection Leroidesanimaux has had to the Australian thoroughbred scene is as the sire of Animal Kingdom (USA), the Kentucky Derby-winning sire who stood at Arrowfield Stud and produced a G1 Australian Derby winner.
But beyond the exotic name, which literally means 'The King Of The Animals', you do not have to dig too far to see why this Brazilian-bred stallion has been able to produce two genuine stars in his ten seasons at stud in the United States and Great Britain.
In the family
While Candy Stripes may have been a Champion sire in Argentina, it is through his Juddmonte-bred mare Dissemble (GB) (Ahonoora {GB}) that the power of Leroidesanimaux's pedigree really comes to the fore.
Dissemble was a half-sister to the hugely influential Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), who would prove one of the most remarkable producers in modern thoroughbred history with five Group or Grade 1 winners, Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill {USA}), Intercontinental (GB) (Danehill {USA}), Cacique (Ire) (Danehill {USA}), Champs Elysees (GB), (Danehill {USA}) and Heat Haze (GB) (Green Desert {USA}).
Hasili (Ire), second from left, was the dam of five individual Group or Grade 1 winners | Image courtesy of Juddmonte Farms
She is also the dam of Champion stallion Dansili (GB) as well as Group 1 producer Raise The Flag (GB), who stands at White Robe Lodge in New Zealand. Furthering the connection to this part of the world, Heat Haze (GB) (Green Desert {USA}) is the dam of G1 Metropolitan H. winner Mirage Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as well as stakes winner Ironclad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Dissemble's other half-sister Arrive (GB) (Kahyasi {Ire}) was also a Group 1 producer with Promising Lead (GB) (Danehill {USA}), while another half-sister Skiable (Ire) (Nininski {USA}), is the grandam of Australian stakes winners, and stallions, Scissor Kick and Sharkbite.
Dissemble, who was sent to Brazil, would produce six winners, including Brazilian Grade 1 winner Uapbyo (Brz) (Blush Rambler {USA}) but it was her colt by Blushing Groom's (Fr) son Candy Stripes, foaled in 2000, who would prove the true heir to the international pedigree.
On the track
Leroidesanimaux started his career in his homeland, breaking his maiden at his second start with an 11.5l win before finishing runner-up in a Grade 1 race. He was then purchased by TNT Stud, who brought him to California under the care of legendary trainer Bobby Frankel.
Affectionally tagged Leroy, he would win eight of his 10 starts in North America, claiming his first Grade 1 victory in the Citation H. at Hollywood Park in November 2004, before adding the G1 Frank E Kilroe Mile H. the following March.
A memorable 7.75l success in the G1 Atta Mile at Woodbine would follow before he was narrowly held out by Artie Schiller (USA) in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Mile in what proved his final start. That defeat didn't prevent him being crowned American Champion Male Turf horse at the Eclipse Awards in 2005.
Leroidesanimaux (Brz) won eight of his 10 starts in North America
From the barn
Leroidesanimaux would begin his stallion career at Stonewall Farm in 2006 and the Candy Stripes sireline got a substantial boost later that year when another of his sons, the Shadwell-owned Invasor (Arg), won four-straight Grade 1 races, including the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic, while the following year he would win the G1 Dubai World Cup.
Leroidesanimaux's first crop from Stonewall Farm would produce two Graded winners, in Always A Princess (USA) and Leroy's Dynameaux (USA) but it was his second crop which would define his career, with two Grade 1 winners emerging.
Una Cabeza (Arg) would reward TNT for importing Leroidesanimaux's bloodlines back into South America with the filly winning a Grade 1 in Argentina, but it was Animal Kingdom (USA) who would best embody his sire's champion qualities, and launch his bloodlines further onto the international stage.
Animal Kingdom (USA), winner of the G1 Kentucky Derby and G1 Dubai World Cup
Bred and raced by Team Valor, Animal Kingdom flourished as a 3-year-old under the training of Graham Motion and would post a dominant win in the 2011 G1 Kentucky Derby. Injuries would curtail his career, but he was able to get back to his best to win the G1 Dubai World Cup in 2013, by which time he was part-owned by Australia's Arrowfield Stud.
Animal Kingdom stood at the famous Hunter Valley stud for four seasons and among his Australian-bred stakes winners are G1 Australian Derby victor Angel Of Truth as well as Oleksandra, who would win a G1 Jaipur S. at Belmont.
Leroidesanimaux's stallion career, which initially saw him moved from Kentucky to Florida, took another international twist at the same time his Kentucky Derby-winning son was striking out in his own breeding career.
Lanwades Stud in Newmarket had secured him in a deal with Hallmarc Stallions, which was much heralded at the time.
"Leroidesanimaux represents the reintroduction of the Blushing Groom sireline to the UK,” Lanwades owner Kirsten Rausing said. “With his pedigree, toughness, durability and marvellous racing form on both turf and dirt, he will be an immensely important addition to the European breeding industry.
“With his (Leroidesanimaux) pedigree, toughness, durability and marvellous racing form on both turf and dirt, he will be an immensely important addition to the European breeding industry." - Kirsten Rausing in 2013
“His pedigree makes him a suitable mate for Galileo, Danehill and Mr. Prospector-line mares. He’s the outcross stallion European breeders have been waiting for.”
He would only produce two full crops at Lanwades Stud before his death at age 16 after a paddock accident.
Across the world
Furthering the global theme, the two stakes winners Leroidesanimaux produced in his time at Lanwades have both won in Australia.
The Anthony Freedman-trained import Le Don De Vie (GB) claimed the Listed Warrnambool Cup in May but around about the same time, Zaaki announced himself as a potential star for Neasham.
Leroidesanimaux's (Brz) son Zaaki (GB) won his second Group 1 on Saturday and is the clear favourite for the G1 Cox Plate | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Bred by Rausing, he was initially a 40,000 gns (AU$79,000) Tatts October Yearling Sale purchase for Ahmad Alotaibi. He would prove a more than useful galloper, running several stakes placings for Sir Michael Stoute as a 3-year-old and then, after being gelded, winning a pair of Group 3 races in his 4-year-old season.
After seemingly losing form, he was offered through the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, where Neesham and Blandford Bloodstock secured him for 150,000 gns (AU$296,000) on behalf of an ownership group led by Carl Holt.
Zaaki was an unlucky sixth in the G1 Epsom H., on his Australian debut and then lost a race because of a positive swab, but since then Zaaki has taken all before him, winning his next five races, including a 7l romp in a G1 Doomben Cup and Saturday's comfortable win in the G1 Underwood S.
The next chapter of the careers of both he and his globetrotting sire may be written in the famous 2040-metre race at Moonee Valley on October 23.
