Homebred Decorated Knight wins the G1 Jebel Hatta
4 March 2017
Decorated Knight turned in an impressive performance to land to take the Jebel Hatta at Meydan on Saturday, sweeping past the majority of the field under Andrea Atzeni to land his first Group 1 in style.
The colt, who is the first foal out of Pearling, made history as the first Group 1 winner bred and raised at Blue Diamond Stud during its short history.
Decorated Knight went into the race in good form for Roger Charlton, having won his seasonal debut, the Listed Winter Derby Trial Stakes at Lingfield last month. As a result, he was sent off 2/1 favourite for the Jebel Hatta, and duly obliged by putting his excellent turn of foot to good use to run down Folkswood and win going away.
“Decorated Knight has got a good turn of foot, he showed that at Lingfield, and he picked up well at the end,” said Andrea Atzeni. “He had a good draw, he jumped good, travelled well into the race with one clear run on the outside. He saw the trip out well, that was great.”
Decorated Knight, who was winning his fourth stakes race overall, is the first foal out of Pearling, a daughter of Storm Cat who joined the stud when purchased by Tony Nerses at the 2011 Tattersalls December Sale.
Pearling boasts a pedigree out of the top drawer as a sister to champion Giant’s Causeway, subsequently a multiple champion sire for Coolmore in America, and the Group 2-placed Freud, himself a leading sire in New York.
Decorated Knight and Blenheim Warrior as foals at Blue Diamond Stud
Another sibling, Cherry Hinton Stakes winner You’resothrilling, is the dam of top miler Gleneagles, Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Marvellous and Group 3-winning juvenile Coolmore.
Pearling is also a sister to stakes-producing sires Tumblebrutus and Roar Of The Tiger and out of the remarkable mare Mariah’s Storm. The daughter of Rahy won ten of 16 starts including the Grade 2 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes, Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Stakes and a quartet of Grade 3 events. A remarkably tough mare, eight of her wins were secured after she fractured a cannon bone when failing to finish in the Alcibiades Stakes as a two-year-old.
It is also the immediate family of Classic-placed colt Storm The Stars.
Pearling’s three-year-old, the Frankel filly Ambrosia, was placed last year for Roger Varian.
Pearling returns to Galileo in 2017.
