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The late champion racehorse and sire Montjeu left his mark on the second day of The Championships at Randwick, the son of Sadler’s Wells being responsible for two of the feature Group One winners.

Montjeu’s imported son Gallante became the late stallion’s seventh Australasian G1 winner when he recorded his first local win in the $2 million Sydney Cup at his seventh start in this country.

Montjeu, who has left 31 G1 winners worldwide, also features as the broodmare sire of Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Lucia Valentina, one of five G1 winners produced by his daughters.

The Irish-bred Gallante, winner of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp in 2014 when trained by Andre Fabre, is the latest imported success story for leading owner Lloyd Williams and his private trainer Robert Hickmott.

He became the fifth European-bred to win the Sydney Cup in the last six years when he led home a first three finish for European stayers, beating Chris Waller’s imported pair Libran (Lawman) and Grand Marshal (Dansili), the 2015 Sydney Cup winner.

He is also the fourth Sydney Cup winner for Team Williams after Major Drive (1987), Gallic (2007) and Mourayan (2013).

Gallante struggled to find his European form in Australia last year but was gelded and has since made strong improvement in his three starts this term.

"Six months ago if we could have booked a seat to send him back we would have,” said Nick Williams.

“He’s had the ultimate gear change. He’s been gelded and that has made all the difference because he had a shocking attitude.

“We knew he was a great stayer but he needed some give in the ground.”

Hickmott, who has been with Williams in various roles since 2001 before graduating to head trainer in 2010, has now won 11 Group One races for the Victorian owner including the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, two Sydney Cups, The Metropolitan, Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes and Turnbull Stakes twice.

Bred in Ireland by Lynch Bages and Camas Park Stud, the 5YO Gallante (Montjeu x Crazy Volume by Machiavellian) now boasts a record of four wins from 14 starts and earnings of $1,934,830.

He is a brother to a G2 winning hurdler Plinth (Montjeu) and Irish winner King Of Aragon (Montjeu) and is the best of four winners out of his winning dam Crazy Volume, a half-sister to the G3-placed Endless Expanse (Red Ransom), Unique Pose (Sadler’s Wells) and Easy Sunshine (Sadler’s Wells).

Their dam Desert Ease (Green Desert) is a Listed-winning half-sister to the G3 winner Two-Twenty-Two (Fairy King) from the Irish champion stayer Easy To Copy (Affirmed), a sister to Irish 1000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner (Affirmed).

The next dam is Moyglare Stud’s foundation mare Talking Picture (Speak John), the American champion two-year-old filly of 1973.

Crazy Volume has a two-year-old colt by Fastnet Rock and a yearling filly by High Chaparral.