Bushranger carries on family sprint tradition; Pedigree analysis on Bushranger Second Morny winner for his deceased sire.

Byline: TONY MORRIS

IN the days when 'all-rounders' were prevalent in the thoroughbred population, Deauville's 6f Prix Morny tended to feature on the route taken by many a future champion renowned for his class over middle-distance and staying trips.

The first outstanding French runner of the 20th century, Prestige, was one of its early winners in the course of a career which he completed unbeaten in 16 starts, and his even greater son, Sardanapale, won it emphatically by three lengths on the way to further renown as victor of both the Prix du Jockey-club and Grand Prix de Paris.

Chateau Bouscaut was another to win both the Morny and the Jockey-Club, and in the 1930s the winners of four Arcs de Triomphe - Pearl Cap, Brantome and Corrida (twice) - had all been successful in the Morny. In 1952 Auriban became the last to add a Prix du Jockey-Club victory to a win in Deauville's principal juvenile event.

Since then the Morny roll of honour has featured a number of distinguished names, such as Grey Dawn, Amber Rama, Nonoalco, Blushing Groom, Irish River, Green Forest, Arazi, Zafonic and Johannesburg, but who excelled at even 1m2f, other than Champion Stakes hero Vitiges?

The 2008 edition was different from many recent renewals in that it brought out 14 runners, the largest field since Filiberto accounted for 16 rivals (including Thatch) in 1972, persuading me and many others - wrongly, as it turned out - that he might develop into Ribot's last superstar as a three-year-old.

In the 1970s there were still some contenders for the Morny who promised to stay middle distances in the following year, but that is an infrequent occurrence these days. The pedigrees of Sunday's runners showed a strong bias toward speed, and it will be no surprise if few prove capable of getting 1m in decent company.

There was a lot to like about the performance of the winner, Irish-trained Bushranger, whose previous score in the Anglesey Stakes made him one of four Pattern winners on parade. Never far off the pace, he quickened nicely to grab the lead inside the last furlong and kept going too strongly for Gallagher, who had failed narrowly against Prolific in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood.

Third-placed Lord Shanakill, who had filled the same place in the Vintage Stakes, shaped like one for whom 1m should suit before long.

Bushranger is the second consecutive Morny winner for his deceased sire Danetime after Myboycharlie, who claimed a notable scalp in Natagora when he scored a year ago. Myboycharlie, another who had previously won the Anglesey Stakes, tried 7f in his only subsequent effort at two, and was not disgraced when third to New Approach and Rio De La Plata in the National Stakes, but he has been below par in a couple of Group 3 sprints against older horses on the Curragh this season.

As he runs in the colours of Derrick Smith, a partner in several other well-regarded youngsters, plans for Bushranger are understandably fluid at present, but it seems likely that he will stick to 6f, which would make the Middle Park his most logical objective.

Danetime came from the fourth crop of Danehill, conceived before anyone had any idea of what his sire might achieve. The only available evidence had come from the marketplace, where the first two crops of foals and the first group of yearlings had sold well to indicate that he might represent a bargain at the reduced price of Ir9,000gns.

As luck would have it, demand for Danehill's foals was down in 1994, although by then he had already been represented by a Group 1 winner (Kissing Cousin) in Britain and a Grade 1 winner (Danish) on grass in the States. Danetime changed hands for the below-average price of Ir13,000gns as a foal, but was a different proposition as a yearling, by which time his sire had become a sensation in Australia with a flurry of Group 1 scorers. On his second appearance at Kill, the colt realised Ir36,000gns.

Danetime never achieved star status as a runner, but he certainly paid his way, earning three times his purchase price in prize-money, and reportedly a whole lot more from the ring, when his owner, Michael Tabor, landed a colossal gamble with him in the Stewards' Cup. As he had become the first three-year-old to win the historic Goodwood sprint in 14 years, it was reasonable to suppose that he might be of Pattern calibre, and so he was, but he was never actually able to win, even at Listed level.

The best performances on Danetime's cv were his third (demoted from second) to Royal Applause in the Haydock Park Sprint Cup at three, and third again behind Elnadim in the July Cup at four. He had one final shot at Group 1 glory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, but fifth place behind the Japanese filly Seeking The Pearl was the best he could manage.

WITHOUT a stakes win to his name, Danetime could not command a high fee when he retired to Tally-Ho Stud, but for Ir3,000gns he seemed a snip to small Irish breeders in 1998.

Danehill's northern hemisphere profile had risen by that time, and his dual Classic-winning son Desert King was on the Coolmore roster at Ir17,500gns.

Of course, Danetime was not favoured with quality mares at the outset, and quality products were not expected, but what was noticeable, as soon as his runners reached the races, was that he got tough, genuine stock.

To general surprise, he was Europe's leading first-season sire, with 19 winners of 32 races, outranking the much-vaunted Desert Prince, whose fee had been Ir20,000gns.

That was no flash in the pan, because Danetime's second crop consolidated his reputation, and it soon became clear that many of his progeny improved with age - an understandable development, given that he had himself shown his best form as a four-year-old. And those results inevitably increased his appeal in the marketplace; in 2006 three of his yearlings fetched six-figure sums, and in 2007 a dozen achieved that mark - remarkably so off a fee of only EUR6,500.

One of the latter group was Bushranger, sold for exactly 100,000gns at Doncaster in spite of a pedigree page which did not encourage optimism. His dam, an unraced half-sister to a minor winner in Turkey, had previously thrown nothing of any consequence, and the closest connection to a runner of any repute in his female line came under his third dam.

It is clear now that Danetime's early demise was a significant loss to the Irish breeding industry. He possessed the valuable gift of upgrading his mares.

SIRE DANETIME

Bred by Holborn Trust Co. in Ireland. Goffs Ir13,000gns foal, Goffs Ir36,000gns yearling. Won 3 (all 6f) of 15 races, viz. 1 out of 3 at 2 years, 2 (inc. Stewards' Cup) out of 7 at 3 years, 0 out of 5 at 4 years.

Also 3rd in Haydock Sprint Cup at 3 and July Cup at 4. RPR 95 at 2, 116 at 3, 119 at 4. Earned pounds 118,368.

Sturdy, good-topped individual, 16.0hh., with a quick action. Typical sprinter in appearance, but much better at 6f than at 5f, ineffective over longer trips. Could be coltish, sometimes sweated up. Acted on firm and good to soft.

Quite well bred. By a high-class sprinter and champion sire. Brother to Gr3-placed winner Dane River, half-brother to 4 other winners, inc.

1 Listed. Dam modest winner at 3, out of smart juvenile 6f winner who failed to train on. Next dam unraced, produced Listed winner Dam Busters, grand-dam of Irish champion 2-y-o Mantovani. Respectable family.

Died 2005. Stood at Tally-Ho Stud, County Westmeath, latterly at a fee of EUR6,500. Sire of 5 northern hemisphere crops of racing age, inc. The Kiddykid (Gr2), Miss Sally (Gr3), Dhanyata (Gr3), Le Cadre Noir (Gr3), Utmost Respect (Gr3), Vital Equine (Gr2), Domingues (Gr3), Myboycharlie (Prix Morny-Gr1), Bushranger (Prix Morny-Gr1). Also sire of Megatic (Kingston Town Classic-Gr1) from 3 crops conceived in Australia.

DAM DANZ DANZ

Bred by Stetchworth Park Stud Ltd in England. Unraced. Tattersalls Autumn 3,000gns 2-y-o.

Quite well bred. By a Gr1 winner and effective sire. Half-brother to a winner in Turkey, out of a winner of 3 races who was half-sister to Gr2-placed Listed winner Port Helene (dam of Gr2 winner and Gr1-placed Helen of Spain).

Grand-dam won 3 races, Listed-placed, 4th in Gr2, half-sister to Cheveley Park S. and 1,000 Guineas winner Night Off.

To stud at 3 years and dam of: Grigoriev (2001 c by Petardia; winner in Spain), unnamed (2002 f by Danetime; unraced), Fox Flight (2003 g by Brave Act; unplaced), Beckett Danz (2004 f by Beckett; winner in Italy), Becuille (2005 f by Redback; placed), Bushranger (2006 c by Danetime; Gr1 winner).

CONCLUSION

Precocious, speedy individual, likely to remain a sprinter.

CAPTION(S):

Middle Park Stakes challenge looks most likely for David Wachman's Prix Morny winner Bushranger