Veteran Breeder Gives Brigantin His Chance

Veteran Hunter Valley breeder Arthur Wright has given the classy import Brigantin his chance as a sire at his East Dunlop Stud near Merriwa.

Brigantin is the tenth sire to stand for 88-year-old Wright during a breeding career that began in the 1950s.

In 1956 the then 28-year-old Wright mated El Ziet, an English imported son of the high grade Bahram sire Persian Gulf from Pageantry, a descendant of the great European mare Sceptre, with mares that resulted in eight yearlings in the catalogue for the 1959 Easter sale at Newmarket.

El Ziet, a winner of 11 races in Australia including the Rosehill Cup, sired nine Stud Book foals in his first season at East Dunlop Stud and a dozen in his second.

They included South Australian Derby winner Royal Ziet (19 wins) and several Sydney and provincial winners that included Hapoah (43 wins), El Plain (36), El Zami (25), Elpen (16) and All Royal (16).

The US-bred Brigantin, by Cozzene, was a G1 performer in England (third in the Ascot Gold Cup) and France (third Prix du Cadran) before he landed in Australia where his staying form included a fourth in the Sydney Cup.

Brigantin won five races up to G2 including the Swiss Derby and G2 Prix Du Lutec at Longchamp and was placed 13 times, earning $662,387.

Brigantin had the distinction of being weighted four times for the Melbourne Cup but failed to get to the post in any of them through setbacks.

He was third in the Geelong Cup at his Australian debut and later was second in the Newcastle Cup and Gosford Cup and third in the Australia Day Cup at Randwick.

His sire Cozzene, by Grey Sovereign’s grandson Caro, is from a daughter of Prince John, the third paternal sire of Success Express.

Now deceased Cozzene won 10 races, including the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1985 when he was named US Champion Male Turf Horse.

He went on to sire over 600 winners (84 stakes winners) of 2077 races and $119 million, earning the US Champion Sire title in 1994.

Maternally Brigantin is the best of five winners from six named foals produced by Banyu Dewi, a German bred mare who was a G2 winner in the US.

Banyu Dewi is a half-sister to German champion Banyumanik (Perugino) and is by Poliglote, a Sadler’s Wells G1 juvenile winner in France and a sire of over 500 winners including Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Solemia and the dams of 200-plus winners including four at G1 level.

Banyu Dewi has close blood ties with the late world class Sadler’s Wells sire Montjeu as both are from mares by Top Ville, a French Derby winner who sired G1 winners for the Aga Khan.