Crowned Eclipse Champion three-year-old, Bernardini was a truly outstanding racehorse, successful in the G3 Withers Stakes on just his third start, before taking all before him in the G1 Preakness Stakes - one of America's coveted Triple Crown contests. This win set the wheels in motion for a historic G1 treble as he followed up with victories in the G1 Travers Stakes and G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Bernardini landed G2 Jim Dandy Stakes between his wins in the Preakness and the Travers Stakes - a race which he won by nine lengths - and upon his retirement to stud, hopes were high that he would be as successful in his new career as other previous winners of this race, including fellow Darley stallion Medaglia d'Oro.
To date Bernardini has sired 13 winners, headed by G1 winners Biondetti and AZ Warrior. He is also sire of fellow Group winners To Honor And Serve and Theysken’s Theory; plus another Black type performer in Stay Thirsty. These early achievements are exceptional, especially when you note that the last northern hemisphere first-crop stallion to sire more juvenile G1 winners than Bernardini was none other than the great Danzig.
Bernardini has 20 yearlings catalogued in the 2011 Magic Millions Premier Yearling Sale, and with numerous potential highlights it is hard to speculate which of his lots will provide the son of AP Indy with his top price.
The very first yearling by the triple G1 winner to go through the ring was the Glastonbury Farm-consigned lot 23, which was knocked down to Anthony Cummings for $80,000 . The bay filly is the first living foal of the unraced Woodman mare Bigw, a half-sister to G3-winning, G1-placed Galapagos Girl and her G3-winning half-sister Procrastinate, who in turn is the dam of G1 winner Laisserfaire and the Listed-winning, G1-placed pair of Foreplay and Darley stallion Time Thief
The results of the second day of the sale gave the son of AP Indy some impressive prices. Out of the G1 AJC Oaks winner Kenbelle, the Millbrook-consigned lot 261 was knocked down to BBA Ireland for $100,000.
The last lot offered on day two for the Eclipse Champion three-year-old was the Southern Cross Breeders-consigned lot 333. Out of the Danehill mare Miguelita, from the family of Stakes winners Brocco Babe, Rebecca Sharp, Hidden Hope, Mystic Knight and Miss Pinkerton, the bay colt was knocked down to Mr J. B. Cummings for $300,000; the highest priced paid for a yearling by a first-season sire
Another filly sure to hold significant residual value is the Willow Park-consigned lot 628. Out of the Stakes-winning Zabeel mare Zalinda, the bay filly is a half-sister to the G1-performing Redoute’s Choice stallion Fast ‘N’ Famous, from the immediate family of Stakes winners Altrista, Alinsky, Capestad and G1 VRC Derby winner Hit The Roof.
The night session of the sale - due to take place after the Magic Millions race day - will hopefully see the Rothwell Park-consigned half-sister to this season’s G2 Waterford Crystal Mile winner Sound Journey make her presence felt in the ring. Entering as lot 620, the filly is from the family of the G1-performing full Zabeel siblings Cronus and Pravda.
Another colt from the draft of Rothwell Park, who incidentally offer three Bernardini yearlings in total, goes through the ring as the second last lot of the night session. The brown colt (lot 673) is out of a Zabeel half-sister to Cape Cross’s G1-winning daughter Gaze and offers buyers a pedigree some of the best local and international blood.
Once the sale on the Gold Coast has been completed, there will still be plenty of Bernardini yearlings available, with no less than ten catalogued for the New Zealand yearling sale series, three at the Inglis Classic sale, 13 at the Inglis Premier sale and he currently has in excess of 35 entered for the Inglis Easter yearling sale.
To view up-to-date yearling pedigrees, videos, interviews and latest news on Bernardini - or any of the other five Darley first-season sires - please click here.