First Group 1 winner caps Dundeel’s big weekend

Sheikh Hamdan’s colt Atyaab capped an action-packed 36 hours for Arrowfield’s young sire Dundeel when he won the R1 million Cape Derby 2000m G1 in South Africa on 26 January.

Bred by Arrowfield & John Leaver, Atyaab was bought for $260,000 by Shadwell Stud from the Stud’s 2017 Inglis Easter draft and is trained by Mike de Kock. He is Dundeel’s fourth stakeswinner and the fourth Group 1 winner to emerge – so far – from Arrowfield’s Class of 2017, after The Autumn Sun, Estijaab & Maid Of Heaven. 

Atyaab is also the fifth Group 1 winner found by Shadwell’s master buyer Angus Gold in Arrowfield’s Easter consignments, joining Mustaaqeem (2016), Rafeef (2014), Majmu (2013) and Reaan (2007).

The colt’s dam is the now 21 year-old multiple Group 2 winner Sylvaner (by Danasinga), whose late-career fertility and success, following her early stakeswinner Vesper, can be credited to both the care and the opportunities she’s received at Arrowfield. Sylvaner has a 2YO Dundeel filly (a $100,000 Inglis Easter purchase for the Bulla Thoroughbreds Trust), a 2018 Dundeel colt and a positive test to the six-time Group 1 winner. 

Dundeel’s big weekend began on Friday afternoon when Cutadeel (ex Dineeta by Dylan Thomas) showed why he’s the current New Zealand Derby G1 favourite, with a classy defeat of older horses, carrying topweight over 1600 metres at Pukekohe. 

On Saturday afternoon at Newcastle in Australia, the Paul Perry-trained 2YO colt Pandano (ex Milanesa by Snitzel) won by 3.8 lengths, joining Yourdeel and Castelvecchio to give Dundeel a perfect 3 debut winners from his first three second-crop runners. 

Yourdeel (ex Miss Zapper by Red Ransom) continued his good work on Saturday at Ellerslie in New Zealand by completing a notable trifecta for Jamie Richards and the Te Akau stable with a staunch dead-heat third in the $1 million Karaka Million 2YO Classic 1200m RL.

Finally, Star Thoroughbreds’ 3YO colt Dealmaker (ex Sport Chic by Redoute’s Choice) was a very close, if unlucky second over 1400 metres in his campaign opener at Randwick, and the Australian Guineas G1 on 2 March looks a realistic target for him. 

As for Atyaab, he will now be aimed at the R 2 million South African Derby G1 over 2450 metres at Turffontein on 30 March.

Book 1 of Karaka 2019 includes 7 colts by Dundeel, and his offering at next month’s Inglis Classic Sale numbers 23, including six fillies and six colts in the Arrowfield draft.