One of Pencarrow’s finest producers – the Group 1 winning Zabeel mare Grand Echezeaux - has foaled a striking colt by New Zealand’s 2011/12 Champion Sire O’Reilly.

The regally-bred colt is a half-brother to the five-time Group 1 winner and Group 1 producing sire Darci Brahma (Danehill), and also the exciting colt Burgundy (Redoute’s Choice) who won three stakes races as a three-year-old last season.

“He’s a big colt,” commented Pencarrow Stud Manager Leon Casey. ‘He’s 62 kilograms so there is a lot of him.

“He is very typical of the type that Grand Echezeaux throws so he is a lovely colt with plenty of bone and natural muscle.”

“He is the 32nd foal of the season so we are exactly half-way through foaling our mares.”

A daughter of Zabeel and Pencarrow’s foundation mare Richebourg (Vice Regal), dam of Hong Kong International Cup winner Romanee Conti (Sir Tristram) and grand-dam of the four-time Group 1 and Melbourne Cup winner Ethereal (Rhythm), Grand Echezeaux is a Group 1 winner herself in the Group 1 South Australian Oaks.

The progeny of Grand Echezeaux has proven popular in the Karaka sale ring with her four colts – all offered by Pencarrow Stud – selling for an average price of over $1.2 million.

In 2004 her first colt, Darci Brahma, made $1.1 million at the Karaka Yearling Sales. In 2006 her Stravinsky colt, Saperavi, was purchased for $2.2 million and in 2010 her Redoute’s Choice colt, now the four-year-old Burgundy, was purchased for $1.3 million.

Grand Echezeaux produced a filly last season by Encosta de Lago which will be retained by the stud, and her Pins colt, sold at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2011 Karaka Premier Sale for $350,000, has been named Libation and races in Lloyd Williams colours in Australia.

A number of mares have already tested in-foal this season including Filante Etoile (Soviet Star) and Vega Sicilia (Rodrigo De Triano) who have both been served by the multiple Group 1 winning son of High Chaparral in So You Think.

Mojave Aster (Zabeel) is in foal to Redoute’s Choice; making any resulting progeny a sister in blood to the stakes winning Pencarrow raced mare Papilio (Redoute’s Choice).

The Pencarrow raced Group 3 Taranaki Gold Cup winner Our Ella Belle (Encosta de Lago) is also in foal to Fastnet Rock.