It is quite remarkable the frequency in which Denise's Joy can be traced back through the bloodlines of racehorses that return to the winner's stall at meetings around Australia each year, an obvious endorsement of her significant and lasting impact upon the local breeding industry.

Even last week at the Melbourne June Weanling Sale her influence was to the fore when her grandson by Encosta de Lago out of the stakes producing Clifton Gardens, by Mighty Kingdom, commanded $100,000 ringside, easily claiming the mantle of highest priced weanling.

And so it was also last Friday at Doomben when another one of her descendants, three-year-old filly Annigoni, broke through for her first race win when she proved far superior to her rivals in the Smart Media Maiden Plate (1350m).

Once again disadvantaged by an unfavourable draw (she has never drawn better than barrier 10) Annigoni was well ridden by accomplished Queensland jockey Glen Colless who was eventually able to position her midfield with cover, after confronting her wide gate, before kicking strongly in the straight to register a classy maiden win.

Trained by John Morrisey on the Gold Coast, the bay was having her fourth race start since debuting on May 10 at Eagle Farm where she claimed fifth after finishing strongly from the rear of the field. Her other two starts have yielded unlucky second-placing's at the Gold Coast and Doomben where she got too far out of her ground on both occasions.

Her apparent preferred racing pattern of getting back and powering home, coupled with her breeding, suggests she should only improve once she is stepped up in distance.

Annigoni, which is wittily named after arguably the greatest painter of the twentieth century, Italy's Pietro Annigoni, is sired by Nureyev's French classic winning son Peintre Celebre, which translated means "celebrated painter", and resides at Coolmore Stud where he commenced stud duties in 1998.

Named European Horse of the Year in 1997, Peintre Celebre swept all before him that season annexing the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Prix du Jockey Club and Grand Prix de Paris with champion jockey Frankie Dettori declaring him the fastest horse he had ever been associated with.

Annigoni, who counts Denise's Joy as her fourth dam, is out of Crowning Jewel, by Bletchingly, and is a half-sister to the multiple stakes winning mares Wild Queen and So Gorgeous as well as the South Australian G3 Christmas Handicap winner Cumbria, by Lake Coniston.

The brilliant five-year-old Wild Queen, by the Riverman stallion Loup Sauvage (USA), is trained by Gai Waterhouse and is a winner of the G3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup, Listed Angst Quality Handicap, Millie Fox Stakes, Safilo Cup and Gosford Belle Of The Turf Stakes.

So Gorgeous, by Brief Truce, was one of the best Victorian fillies of her generation winning the G2 Ascot Vales Stakes and Edward Manifold Stakes, G3 Adelaide Guineas and Tranquil Star Stakes and the Listed Quezette Stakes during the 2000/01 racing season.

She has subsequently embarked on a breeding career and is the mother of the very promising Fusaichi Pegasus two-year-old colt Tipungwuti, trained by Mark Kavanagh, who ran a courageous second in the Talindert Stakes during the autumn behind Golden Slipper heroine Miss Finland. She also has an unnamed yearling colt by Carnegie and an unnamed weanling filly by Red Ransom.

Other members of this amazingly successful family include Great Lover, Jewel In The Crown, Euphoria, Christmas Tree, Joie Denise, Joie de Vivre, Arlington Road, Joie de Grise, Sunday Joy, Thorn Park, Bentley Biscuit, Presenting, Mary Marvel, Tuesday Joy, World Joy, Fleet, Joie More, Planet Hollywood, Christmas Spirit, Winning Hit, Light Up The World, World Peace, Conatus, Doctor's Order's, Sandridge Bay, Eastern Star, Jolly and Miss Minden.

Phew.......what a family! Annigoni certainly has the odds stacked genetically in her favour.

© Cyberhorse 2024 Peter Mullen Published 04/07/06