Incarville Fourth Group 1 Winner for Wootton Bassett

Rising star stallion Wootton Bassett  notched his fourth group 1 winner in dramatic fashion May 24, when Incarville  surged home from an unpromising position to land the Saxon Warrior Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (G1) at ParisLongchamp.

The 3-year-old filly, who was bred by Naji Nahas and carried the familiar colors of Gerard Augustin-Normand, was already among Wootton Bassett's 31 stakes performers having finished runner-up in a brace of group 3s, but took a sizeable step forward to join Almanzor , Audarya , and Wooded  on the sire's list of elite scorers.

Incarville is from Wootton Bassett's sixth crop, meaning she was conceived at Haras d'Etreham in the year the son of Iffraaj 's fee leaped to €20,000, up from €6,000 in 2016.

Although he is standing his debut season at Coolmore at a career-high fee of €100,000, Wootton Bassett spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at a more humble berth of €4,000.

Despite covering lesser mares than the star-studded names he has received at Coolmore, he still sired the likes of Patascoy  and Wootton  from the 2014 book and Audarya from the 2015 book.

Incarville is the fifth foal out of Ilhabela, a winning daughter of Azamour  who has produced three other winners. Her daughter's top-level breakthrough adds further group 1 black type to a pedigree that is no stranger to success at the highest level.

Ilhabela, a €170,000 (US$241,213) yearling who was bought and trained by Incarville's handler David Smaga, is a half sister to Jean-Luc Lagardere's Vahorimix, who was promoted to first in the 2001 Dubai Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas, G1) after Noverre was disqualified for returning a banned substance in his post-race sample.

Another sibling, Vadorga, went on to become the dam of GAIN Irish St. Leger (G1) winner Voleuse de Coeurs . Although Vadorga was subsequently sold to the Irish National Stud, she had been among the stock that changed hands as part of the Aga Khan's lock, stock, and barrel acquisition of Lagardere's equine interests in 2005.

In turn, Ilhabela's dam is out of Vadsa, whose brood include the likes of Vadlava, dam of Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) winner Val Royal and his listed-winning sibling Vadlamixa, an ancestress of group 1 scorers such as Valixir, Vadamos, Vazira, and Vadawina. Further back it is also the family of the ill-fated Longines Prix de Diane (French Oaks, G1) heroine Valyra.

Azamour has now supplied two group 1 winners as a broodmare sire, with both victories coming in the Prix Saint-Alary after Siyarafina  also struck in 2019. His daughters have been responsible for five other stakes winners, including the Godolphin-owned and Charlie Appleby-trained Beyond Reason  and Volkan Star , both of whom also recorded their pattern race victories in France.