SA Derby winner Legend Of Arthur is a half-brother to this year’s Gold Cup winner King Pelles and is a potential stamina sire (JC Photos)
Sarah Whitelaw
It is safe to say that champion King Pelles, winner of the 2025 G3 World Pool Gold Cup, has the bloodlines befitting a Gold Cup winner.
He was sired by champion Duke Of Marmalade, whose more than 50 other black type winners include Big Orange, winner of the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot back in 2017.
Another son of Duke Of Marmalade (whose sire Danehill sired the wonderful stayer Westerner among others) is Marmelo, who ran second in the 2018 G1 Melbourne Cup (over 3200 metres).
A half-brother to the G1 SA Derby winners Hero’s Honour (by Await The Dawn) and Legend Of Arthur (by Lancaster Bomber), King Pelles was produced by Grail Maiden, a four time winner, who won up to 2500m and who ran third in the Listed Winter Oaks (over 2200m). Coincidentally, Grail Maiden’s third dam Sorbus (disqualified after finishing first in the 1978 G1 Irish Oaks) also ranks as the third dam of Oasis Dream. The latter is the sire of Querari, whose son Master Redoute won the G3 World Pool Gold Cup in 2024.
Grail Maiden’s legendary sire Galileo has made a big impression on the Gold Cup at Ascot. Not only is Galileo the sire of Gold Cup winners Order Of St George (2016) and Kyprios (2022,2024), but his sons Teofilo (Subjectivist) and Frankel (Courage Mon Ami) have also sired winners of the Royal Ascot showpiece. Galileo’s supersire Sadler’s Wells was responsible for four time Gold Cup winner Yeats.
With Duke Of Marmalade now deceased, and commercial demands ensuring that speedy, precocious stallions are all the rage, one can but help wonder which South African stallions are most likely to come up with Gold Cup winners today.
Of the past ten Gold Cup winners, no fewer than six (Enaad, It’s My Turn, Dynasty’s Blossom, Paths Of Victory, Shangani and King Pelles) were sired by stallions now deceased. Current active sires responsible for siring at least one Gold Cup winner include Querari, Futura, Vercingetorix, and Ideal World.
Only two stallions, Erupt and Vercingetorix, had two runners apiece in the 2025 Gold Cup, with Erupt’s pair including 2024 runner up Shoot The Rapids and Vercingetorix’s runners led by 2025 runner up Holding Thumbs.
The late Dynasty and his sire Fort Wood both made a considerable impact on the Gold Cup. Dynasty’s progeny included the Gold Cup winners Ancestral Fore, Dynasty’s Blossom and It’s My Turn, while his sire was responsible for the Gold Cup winning champion Thundering Star.
Dynasty is also the sire of Futura, whose son Future Pearl won the 2023 G3 Gold Cup.
It’s My Turn was produced by Jallad’s Queen, whose sire Jallad sired the Gold Cup winners Major Bluff and Jeppe’s Reef.
Silvano was another star sire to make his mark on the Gold Cup. Not only is Silvano the sire of Gold Cup winners Aslan and Wavin’ Flag, but his son Vercingetorix is the sire of Nebraas.
A number of female lines have also made their presence felt in the Gold Cup. Royal Prerogative mare Wild Hyacinth ranks as the third dam of Gold Cup winners Future Pearl and Paths Of Victory, while the mighty Drohsky is ancestress of a number of Gold Cup winners including Aquanaut, Brave Persian and Speciality.
It is a sign of the times that the last Gold Cup winning colt in South Africa to retire to stud was Tropicante, winner of the 1989 Gold Cup. Hopefully, with a number of classically bred young stallions retiring to stud in this country, there will be more stallions capable of coming up with top-class runners over ground in the years to come.
Editor: King Pelles is a gelding, but his SA Derby-winning full brother Legend Of Arthur is still an entire and being by the successful late stallion Lancaster Bomber he could possibly make it as a stamina sire one day.
