‘A Knight to remember for Blue Diamond team’
25 March 2017
Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar with Decorated Knight
Emma Berry of The TDN caught up with Saleh Al Homaizi, Imad Al Sagar and Tony Nerses ahead of Decorated Knight’s run in the Group 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan on March 25.
The son of Galileo, bred by Blue Diamond Stud out of Pearling and trained by Roger Charlton, is bidding for back-to-back Group 1 victories following his thrilling success in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta on March 4. He is the winner of six of his 12 starts overall.
“Of course having a Group 1 winner is what every breeder dreams of and especially for the age of our breeding operation – it’s not been so long that we have owned the stud,” Saleh Al Homaizi told the publication.
“After the early success we had with Araafa and Authorized and many others, we felt that the best way to go forward and to be able to get the best bloodlines was to breed our own, because long term that potentially gives you a better chance of getting Group horses, and that’s what happened with Ajaya––we bought his dam in foal, carrying him.
“The sales are very tough and getting tougher––you have to pay so much money for the better pedigrees.”
He adds: “I remember when we bought Pearling, Tony was at the sale and he rang me to say this is the only mare we should buy. It was good advice. We paid a lot of money for Pearling of course but now she’s worth so much more.”
Decorated Knight is the first foal out of Pearling, a Storm Cat sister to multiple Group 1 winner and leading sire Giant’s Causeway as well as leading New York stallion Freud and Group 2 winner You’resothrilling, the dam of Group 1 winners Gleneagles and Marvellous.
Pearling also has a three-year-old filly by Frankel named Ambrosia, who was placed for Roger Varian last year.
She is set to return to Galileo.
