Wednesday, 23 May 2012: There were two good reasons to recall the deeds of one of the gems of Australian breeding, the mighty mare Dark Jewel, at the Scone carnival last weekend.
They were the running of the race that pays tribute to Dark Jewel's glory as one of the great matriarchs of Australian breeding , the $200,000 Listed Dark Jewel Classic, and the $500,000 Inglis Guineas for three-year-olds.
A highly competitive event that draws runners from the huge pool of graduates from Inglis yearling sales, the Guineas was taken out in smashing style by Pampelonne, an emerging new star for the Dark Jewel family.
Bred by one of Black Caviar's owners Neil Werrett and sold to his trainer Tim Martin for $140,000 at the Sydney Easter sale, he is raced by veterinarian and industry leader Alan Bell.
Pampelonne was following on from a good win in the Listed Gosford Guineas and has won four times and been second twice in six career starts.
He is a son of
Coolmore's former visitor Rock Of Gibraltar, the Ireland bred Danehill world champion miler, and Jesterjewel, a winner at 1000m at Moonee Valley and a Listed placed mare.
Jesterjewel is inbred to Dark Jewel 4x4 and carrying three Golden Slipper winners, Baguette, Rory's Jester and Vain, in her immediate pedigree.
She is by Rory's Jester, a paternal grandson of Baguette (Rego x Dark Jewel) from Shiny, an Adelaide winner by Forest Glow from the Sydney winner Polished, a daughter of the maiden Star Facet.
By the imported Never Say Die sire Sostenuto, Star Facet was the second last of the 11 foals produced by Dark Jewel and was preceded by eight winners, including successful G1 runners Baguette (15 wins; by Rego), Heirloom (9; Rego) and Cabochon (15; Edmundo), and G2 winner Birthright (8; Rego) and multiple Listed winner Betelgeuse (13; Wilkes).
Star Facet and Polished was bred by Sandy Tait and his sister Jill Nivison on the Tait family's property near Jugiong and Gundagai in southern NSW but all the Dark Jewel stakes stars were bred by their parents Griff and Daisy Tait.
They founded a breeding dynasty when they purchased Dark Jewel after she won three minor races in Sydney.
She was bred using Star Kingdom in his second season in Australia and Red Lace, an unraced mare by Excitement, the Hurry On imported sire responsible for Melbourne Cup winner Russia.
Red Lace, a mare bred by St Aubins Stud at Scone, was owned in her early broodmare career by Lionel Israel of Segenhoe stud. He sold yearlings in Sydney out of her, but with little success.
Pampelonne's $300,000 Scone Guineas prize cheque has taken his sire Rock Of Gibraltar's Australian sired progeny statistics, including overseas runners, for 2011-12 to 127 wins and $3.3 million including $2.3million in Australia.
Standing for eight seasons at
Coolmore Australia from 2003-2010, he is responsible for about 750 living foals including many fillies who could help uplift the quality of Australian breeding.
Rock Of Gibraltar is one of five
Coolmore sires who between them provided seven winners at the two day Scone carnival. The other sires were
Choisir (three winners), Danehill Dancer,
Fastnet Rock and Encosta de Lago.
Fastnet Rock increased his already commanding lead in the current sires' premiership race when the Gai Waterhouse trained Upon This Rock won the Dark Jewel Classic.
Bred by G. Watson and sold through the Willow Park draft for $225,000 at the Gold Coast, Upon This Rock is the third stakes winner from the four runners from the Albert O'Cass bred Bite The Bullet mare Joleur.
She won only one of her 23 starts, a maiden at Goulburn.
