The Antarctic
When it comes to sprinters, they don’t come much better than Battaash. A multiple Group winner at the ages of three, four, five and six, he displayed terrific speed in winning most of Europe’s top five-furlong events. In the process he set track records at York, Sandown and Goodwood, prompting Timeform to award him annual ratings of 136, 133, 136 and 128. No wonder M.V. Magnier was prepared to bid 750,000gns to secure Battaash’s younger brother in 2021, and this colt, named The Antarctic, also developed into a Gr.1 performer.
The Antarctic’s sire Dark Angel is one of the elite stallions to have sired 100 black-type winners, including no fewer than 65 Group winners.
Dark Angel owes much of his success to broodmares from the DANZIG male line. The Antarctic and Battaash come from the GREEN DESERT branch. Dark Angel has also sired the dual Gr.1 winner Alfareeq from a CAPE CROSS mare and Gr.1 July Cup winner Lethal Force from a DESERT STYLE mare. He has also enjoyed a productive partnership with daughters of OASIS DREAM, and two of his Gr.1 winners have 2nd dams by OASIS DREAM. INVINCIBLE SPIRIT will be back in the fourth generation of The Antarctic’s foals, so there is ample scope for more GREEN DESERT blood. The highly successful young sire Havana Grey – out of a Dark Angel mare – has several Group performers with 3 or 4 lines of GREEN DESERT. Sioux Nation, another very successful young sire, has black-type winners inbred to OASIS DREAM and GREEN DESERT.
The Antarctic can also be expected to do well with DANEHILL line mares.
The top-class miler Charyn is one of Dark Angel’s three Group winners out of KODIAC mares while Gr.1-winning miler Persuasive has a dam by Danehill Dancer’s son CHOISIR.
Daughters of SHAMARDAL have a fine record with Dark Angel, producing 11% black-type winners, including dual American Gr.1 winner Althiqa and Gr.1 winner Mysterious Night. FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND, another son of GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, sired the dam of Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Khaadem.
Many of Dark Angel’s best winners have two lines to MR PROSPECTOR and several are inbred to Mr Prospector’s son MACHIAVELLIAN. Mares from the GONE WEST branch of the MR PROSPECTOR line have done well, with MR GREELEY being the broodmare sire of multiple Gr.1 winner Raging Bull and ZAMINDAR siring the dam of classic winner Mangoustine. IFFRAAJ mares have Listed winners by two sons of Dark Angel. WOOTTON BASSETT mares are a likeable option.
DUBAWI mares have three Group performers by Dark Angel, including Gr.2 winner Real World.
A GALILEO mare produced dual Gr.1 2yo winner Angel Bleu to Dark Angel, and a son of his sired the smart Marshman from another daughter of Galileo. Mares by AUTHORIZED, a son of MONTJEU, have three Group winners by Dark Angel, including a Gr.1 winner, so daughters of CAMELOT could benefit from The Antarctic’s speed. A HIGH CHAPARRAL mare produced Gr.1 winner Fev Rover to another son of Dark Angel.