Montjeu Daughters Show The Way
When Montjeu died in 2012 the world lost a great racehorse and sire, but his daughters have made more than a name for themselves at the stud.
This was underscored on Saturday when Panthalassa (out of Montjeu-dam Miss Pemberley) won the $20,000,000 Gr1 Saudi Cup and Winter Cloud (out of Montjeu-daughter Montelissima) beat male competitors to take the Gr3 City of Cape Town Cape Of Good Hope Win Kindergarten.
Montjeu – legacy of the winner on the field
A six-time Gr1 winner, Montjeu left behind more than 120 stakes winners, including English derby winners Motivator, Authorized, Pour Moi and Camelot.
Montjeu was also responsible for Arc/King George winners Hurricane Run, Melbourne Cup heroes Green Moon and a host of other top league winners.
His successful sires include Camelot, Tavistock, Motivator and Authorized, although his legacy may have been diminished by the untimely death of his brilliant son, St Nicholas Abbey.
The only blow to Montjeu’s good record at stud was that his stallions were, on the whole, far superior to his fillies. Of his 31 Gr1 winners, only six were female, with Montjeu stallions dominating their female counterparts on the track.
His star daughters included a pair of Irish Oaks bracelet and Chiquita winners, as well as Prix Royal Oak winner Montare and Canadian International Queen Sarah Lynx.
On Saturday, Panthalassa (out of Montjeu-dam Miss Pemberley) won the $20,000,000 Gr1 Saudi Cup and Winter Cloud (out of Montjeu-daughter Montelissima) beat male rivals to win the Gr3 City of Cape Town Cape Of Good Hope Nursery to win.
Enthusiastic connections welcome Saudi Cup winners Panthalassa (Image – Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia)
A son of Lord Kanaloa, six-year-old Panthalassa, who also competed for first place at the 2022 Gr1 Dubai Turf, comes from the same female line as former South African sires Anytime and Spanish Harlem, and the winner of the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 Lady Of The House (Dynasty ) and their star dam Overarching (Arch), among many others.
His dam Miss Pemberley comes from the High Estate mare Stitching – a half sister of the Gr2 winner Great Dane.
Montjeu mare Montelissima has proven to be a top quality broodmare for Drakenstein Stud, with Winter Cloud being her second Cape Nursery winner. The latter’s daughter, Clouds Unfold – a What A Winter sister of Winter Cloud’s own – won the Gr3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery in 2018 before claiming four more Graded Stakes wins, including back-to-back Gr1 Majorca Stakes runs.
Winter Cloud (Grant van Niekerk) wins the COCT Gr3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery (Image – Chase Liebenberg)
Interestingly, neither Miss Pemberley nor Montelissima have ever won a race.
Montjeu is no stranger to posthumous success as a broodmare sire – to date his broodmare daughters have produced more than 120 stakes winners including English Classic winners Anapurna (Investec Oaks) and Legatissimo (Qipco 1000 Guineas), three-time Gr1 winner Miler Charm Spirit , and Gr1 Darley July Cup winner Starman.
His Gr1 winning daughter Montare has proven particularly successful and has already produced group winners Journey (Gr1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes), Indigo Girl (Gr2 bet365 May Hill Stakes) and Mimikyu (Gr2 Coral Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes).
Montjeu mares have worked with a variety of different stallions including Frankel, Savabeel, Choisir, Invincible Spirit, Dutch Art, Le Havre and Dubawi, all of whom have sired at least one Gr1 winner out of Montjeu daughters.