BDS throwing weight behind Decorated Knight in 2020
9 January 2020
Group 1 performers Gilt Edge Girl and Princess Loulou are among the strong group of mares slated to visit Decorated Knight from Blue Diamond Stud in 2020.
In a show of the belief held in Decorated Knight by the stud, Blue Diamond is set to send 22 mares to the multiple Group 1 winner, who will stand his third season at the Irish National Stud for €9,000.
Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye heroine GILT EDGE GIRL, dam of Listed winner Time’s Arrow, was bought for €200,000 in conjunction with the Irish National Stud at the Goffs November Sale.
She was joined several weeks later by champion sprinter MINCE, another daughter of Danehill Dancer who was purchased out of the Waddesdon Stud dispersal for 130,000gns.
Other notable purchases of 2020 set to visit Decorated Knight include:
*the Listed-placed MANASAROVA, by More Than Ready
*PENLIGHT, a Shamardal half-sister to Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso
*RIVERCAT, a winning Kitten’s Joy relation to Nathaniel and Playful Act
*Group 3 winner SWEET GENTLE KISS
*STAR OF BRISTOL, a Speightstown half-sister to top miler and sire Mastercraftsman bought for €300,000
*ZOTILLA, a half-sister to Classic winner Flotilla
Other Blue Diamond mares on Decorated Knight’s book include:
*PRINCESS LOULOU, a Group 1-placed daughter of Pivotal and dam of the exciting Newmarket debut winner Louganini
*NESSINA, dam of Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes winner Ajaya and the highly talented Extra Elusive
*LADY WINGSHOT, Group 3 winner
*ROSE OF MIRACLES, a Dalakhani relation to Goldikova
The support afforded to Decorated Knight, and the resulting opportunities for the horse, were highlighted by Kelsey Riley in the TDN on January 8.
“Breeders who use Decorated Knight at the Irish National Stud in his early years can take comfort in the fact that the triple Group 1 winner’s co-breeder Imad Al Sagar has heavily supported the horse with his high-class broodmare band and has pledged to continue to do so,” Riley wrote.
“It is plain to see why Al Sagar is so confident his stallion will succeed. While he didn’t hit his best stride until five, he stayed there long enough to win the G1 Jebel Hatta, G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and G1 Irish Champion S. Just as significantly, he is out of Mariah’s Storm’s daughter Pearling (Storm Cat), which means he has two important sires under his second dam: the champion sire Giant’s Causeway and Gleneagles. Available the last two seasons for €15,000 and €12,000, Decorated Knight is down to €9,000 – a big package for not a lot of money. And buyers seemed to like his foals this year: his seven sold averaged 54,509gns/€64,121 (3.6x his opening fee).”
Indeed, Decorated Knight’s first foals were extremely well received last year, selling for up to 190,000gns. The colt in question is out of Group 3 winner Princess Noor and was bought by Jamie Railton at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.
Decorated Knight‘s foals also sold for up to €66,000 at the Goffs November Sale.
Decorated Knight won eight races including the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes, Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and Group 1 Jebel Hatta. By Galileo, he is out of Pearling, a sister to Giant’s Causeway.
“I have complete belief in Decorated Knight,” Imad Al Sagar explained to the Racing Post last November. “He’s a very special horse with a very special pedigree – his close relation Gleneagles is one of the most successful progeny of Galileo so it’s a stallion’s family.
“I myself have sent him 28 mares and we have some very nice foals. You can see his stamp on them – they’re similar to what he was like as a foal.
“If I don’t believe in him, why should others? Now I have to choose the trainers carefully to give him the maximum possibility of success.”
