The three-time Grade 1-winning Captain Al mare Celtic Sea, who was an Equus Three-year-old Champion Filly and an Equus Champion Older female, is in foal to Coolmore stallion Starspangledbanner.
Starspangled banner is by Choisir and like Celtic Sea was a sprint-miler.
He won four Group 1s, the Caulfield Guineas and the Oakleigh Plate over 1100m in Australia, and then the Golden Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs at the Royal Ascot meeting and the prestigious July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket.
At stud he has produced four Group 1 winners, including Cox Plate winner State Of Rest and Millisle, who as a two-year-old was the best filly of her age in Europe.
Starspangledbanner has produced 27 individual stakes winner, including 17 individual Group winners.
Celtic Sea is owned by Antony Beck and will foal down at the Beck’s Gainesway Stud farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
She will then be sent to Gainesway stallion Karakontie (Bernstein).
This Japanese bred is by Bernstein out of a Sunday Silence mare. Bred and raced by the Niarchos Family, Karakontie was campaigned primarily in France, where he won a pair of group races at 2 including the seven-furlong Grand Criterium (G1). Karakontie trained on at 3 to capture the classic French Two Thousand Guineas (G1) before traveling to Santa Anita Park, where he defeated older horses in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) and recorded a 110 Beyer Speed Figure.
He has only produced one Group 1 winner to date, the Del Mar Oaks winner Appalachian, but he has among the highest percentage of stakes winners to runners of any Kentucky-based fourth crop sire.
Celtic Sea is bred by Mauritzfontein & Wilgerbosdrift, out of imported mare Ireland by Mark Of Esteem. She has a multiple winning Black Type half brother by Ideal World in training with Gavin Van Zyl, the chestnut gelding Donald McDonald.
-extract turftalk.co.za
