A look at the lineage of Aft Cabin, who raced into Guineas contention on Wednesday
Aft Cabin raced into the Caulfield Guineas picture with his brilliant win at Sandown on Wednesday but it was not the first time a member of the family has made jaws drop with an early-season win in Melbourne.
The son of Astern and Shelters, a daughter of Lonhro and the Danehill mare Hut, is a three-quarter-brother to Multaja (Medgalia d'Oro), who showcased her talent with an explosive 3YO Fillies Handicap win at the first metro meeting of the 2018/19 season.
Second in that 1000m race at The Valley was subsequent dual Group 1 winner Pippie and third was three-time Group 2 placegetter Fidelia.
Multaja didn't win again in the spring of her three-year-old season but returned next campaign to win the G3 P.J. Bell Stakes (1200m) and Listed Coughlan Stakes (1200m).
She is one of two Stakeswinners from Shelters, who the year before producing Multaja had Veranillo, a colt also by Medaglia d'Oro, who won the Listed Lonhro Plate (1100m) at his second start and placed twice in G2 Golden Slipper lead-ups before finishing eighth in the Slipper.
Multaja and Veranillo are among four siblings of Aft Cabin's to race, none of whom won beyond 1300m or even raced over 1600m – the distance of the $3 million Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, for which Aft Cabin is now $11 equal second favourite in TAB's market.
Aft Cabin's Sandown win came over 1400m with his only other start resulting in a narrow second placing over 1200m at Warwick Farm on July 27.
It was a win that suggested the James Cummings-trained colt will have no problem with running a strong 1600m, something members of the extended family have also done.
Shelters is a brother to Benfica, who is by Lonhro, the winner of the G1 J.J. Atkins (1600m) in 2011.
Hut's half-sister Dalquarren (Canny Lad) is the dam of Neroli (Viscount), who won the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes when it was a 1500m race run at Rosehill in 2009, which was followed up by a fifth placing – beaten 1-1/4 – in the Doncaster Mile (1600m) won by Vision And Power.
