Promising filly Balsamine, a close relation of Swettenham Stud bred Group 1 winner Trust In A Gust, opened her account for Sheikh Mohammed in France on Thursday.

Balsamine (2f Street Cry – Balanchine by Storm Bird) won the Prix de Saint Lyphard (1700m) second time out at Pornichet.  She had been placed on debut behind subsequent Group 3 winner Alea Iacta (Invincible Spirit) at Longchamp on September 1.

Her dam Balanchine is a three-quarter sister to Subtle Breeze – the dam of Trust In A Gust.

Trained by Andre Fabre, Balsamine jumped to the front from an inside draw and straightened for home with a decisive advantage.  The Street Cry filly was kept in cruise control to easily account for Amboseli (Medaglia d’Oro) by three lengths at Pornichet on the Bay of Biscay.

Swettenham Stud owner Adam Sangster mentioned the importance of Balanchine after Trust In A Gust completed a Group 1 double in the Toorak Hcp at Caulfield on Saturday.

His father Robert Sangster sold Balanchine to Sheikh Mohammed and she went on to give the Dubai ruler his first-ever Group 1 victory in the 1994 English Oaks.

Adam bred Trust In A Gust after buying his dam Subtle Breeze for $140,000 at Robert Sangster’s dispersal sale at Keeneland in 2007.

Balanchine hasn’t been nearly as successful as a broodmare.  Her best foal to date has been Gulf News (Woodman) who was Group 2 placed behind champion colt Sulamani in the 2002 Prix Neil at Longchamp.

It’s a long way from the provinces to a classic but Balsamine will be given a chance to bridge that gap in the lead-up to next year’s French 1000 Guineas and French Oaks.

Sheikh Mohammed has never won a French 1000 Guineas but he has won the French Oaks with Indian Skimmer (1987) and West Wind (2007).

West Wind was by Machiavellian – the sire of Street Cry.  And her dam Red Slippers was bred by Robert Sangster.

BALANCHINE
First Group 1 winner for Sheikh Mohammed in the 1994 English Oaks