Chef-de-Race: Royal Academy
b.h., 1987 (Nijinsky II (CAN)-Crimson Saint, by Crimson Satan) 
(January 31, 2010)
by Steve Miller, with an introduction by Steve Roman

Introduction: The following is another in a series of articles by Mr. Steve Miller on the selection of chefs-de-race whose major influence has been outside of North America.  Mr. Miller is a Thoroughbred owner and correspondent from the UK and an acknowledged pedigree authority.  Using racing data from around the world, including data supplied by me for North American-raced descendants of Royal Academy, Mr. Miller undertook a comprehensive examination of Royal Academy's aptitudinal influence on the modern Thoroughbred. The result of the analysis is that Royal Academy has been named a split Brilliant/Intermediate chef-de-race. - Steve Roman, January 30, 2010

Academy shows shift to speed

ROYAL ACADEMY, son of the legendary Classic/Solid chef-de-race Nijinsky (CAN), out of the Crimson Satan mare Crimson Saint, was the most expensive yearling bought at public auction in 1988 at a cost of $3.5 million. Trained by master handler Vincent O’Brien, Royal Academy was Champion three-year-old in Ireland and Champion European three-year-old miler in 1990. He won four races at 6 furlongs to a mile, including the Group 1 July Cup (6 furlongs) at Newmarket and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park, ridden by the peerless Lester Piggott, who had returned from retirement in mid-October of that year – five years after retiring from the saddle – to take the ride. In a thrilling finish to the race Piggott switched on his mount at the right time to deny the grey Itsallgreektome, a fast finishing Priolo (winner of the Prix Jacques le Marois in France) and the previous year’s winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Steinlen. A little over three lengths covered the first eight home. Royal Academy had also finished runner-up to Champion Sprinter Dayjur in the Ladbroke Sprint Cup at Haydock and was beaten a neck by 2,000 Guineas winner Tirol in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, earlier in his race career. He headed the 7 furlongs-plus section of the 1990 International Classifications on 129. Timeform rated him 130.

Royal Academy entered stud duties in Ireland in 1991, followed by Australia in 1994, the USA in 1998 and Brazil in 2001. He is responsible for more than 140 Stakes winners. His Group/Grade 1 winners include: Bullish Luck, Bel Esprit, Oscar Schindler, Heroi Do Bafra, Val Royal, Kenwood Melody, Serious Speed, Naughty Rafaela, Express Way, Zalaiyka, Top Hat, Ali-Royal, Carmine Lake, Movie Star, Durban Thunder, Sleepytime, Macbeth, Magic Lamp, Lavery, Eyeofthetiger and Marenostrum. Other notable black type performers include: Regal Kiss, Phoenix Park, Deferential, Quays, Tears Royal, La Bella Dame, Royal Courtship, Honour The Name, Prince Of War, Sarson Trail, Patpong, Bolshoi, and Royal Discretion, among others.

Royal Academy has an average winning distance (AWD) for his progeny of 8.4 furlongs from the following winning sample of 319 (three-year-olds+). Two-thirds of these (212, 66.45%) have won at distances up to and including a mile, which indicates a strong prepotent aptitude to produce offspring for speed. Just 43 (13.48%) of the sample of 319 have won at distances of 12 furlongs or more.  

The same pattern is reflected among his best performing progeny worldwide.

Group/Grade 1 winners by Royal Academy (ranked in order of DI)

The Group 1 winners in the above table are characterised by performing at the highest level at distances up to and around a mile.

Bullish Luck raced in Hong Kong, Japan and Great Britain, winning 12 times on Turf. He was Hong Kong Horse of the Year in 2006 and winner of the Grade 1 Tokyo Yasuda Kinen at 8 furlongs.

Bel Esprit was Champion Sprinter in Australia, the winner of eight stakes races, including two Grade 1s at 6 furlongs and 7 furlongs. He is now a leading sire in Australia.

Kenwood Melody won at Group level in Australia and Hong Kong, including the Grade 1 Caulfield Guineas. Serious Speed was the winner of the 2007 1,000 Guineas at Caulfield.

Val Royal was the winner of six stakes races, winning at Group level in France and the US, including the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont.

Zalaiyka won the Group 1 Poule d’Esai des Pouliches at Longchamp. Carmine Lake was a notable sprint performer winning the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at 5 furlongs at Longchamp.

Lavery won the Group 1 Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes at 6 furlongs at Leopardstown.

Ali-Royal, out of the Chief Singer mare Alidiva, won at distance up to 9 furlongs, including the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and was runner-up in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, both at 8 furlongs. Sleepytime, a full sister to Ali-Royal, won at distances up to a mile, including the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Durban Thunder, Express Way, Marenostrum and Movie Star also won at Grade 1 level at a mile.

The DIs for these, as a group, are much too low, largely as an effect of their paternal grandsire Nijinsky II (CAN) being a Classic/Solid chef-de-race and consequently an influence for stamina. To achieve more accurate figures for this selection the prepotent speed influence for Royal Academy needs to be factored in.

In addition to the Group 1 winners by Royal Academy outlined above, those successful at Group 2 and 3 level, at sprint distances and/or at a mile, include: Deferential, Honour The Name, La Bella Dame, New Regina, Onward Royal, Paradise Queen, Patpong, Phoenix Park, Regal Kiss, Royal Courtship, Sarson Trail, Tears Royal, Bolshoi, Court Folly, El Maimoun, Gotta Have Her, Oprah Winney, Royal Chalon, Royal Discretion, Charmview, James Levine, Millennium Diamond, Notre Dame, Piccadilly Circus, Royal Millennium, Dream Impact, Raheeb, Recapitalize, Royal Sash, Art Master, Painter’s Row, Academic Angel, Avorado, CD Europe, Circle Of Gold, Double Happiness, Equal Rights, Flame Of Athens, Impressionist, Key Royal, Quiet Royal, Terrific Challenge, Tiger Royal, etc.

As mentioned, from a winning sample of 319, two-thirds (212, 66.45%) have won at distances up to and including a mile [Dr Roman’s stakes winning statistics for Royal Academy show 70.8% winners in this same distance bracket of up to and including a mile] while 43 (13.48%) of the sample of 319 have won at distance of 12 furlongs or more [and just 4.9% in the same bracket from Roman’s statistics].

Royal Academy’s sons at stud include Ali-Royal and Bel Esprit. He is a broodmare sire of over 40 stakes winners, including: Fastnet Rock, Rule Of Law, Rabiya, Finsceal Beo, etc.

Royal Academy’s influence seems best described by a split Brilliant/Intermediate (B/I) designation. With this factored in, the figures and order described in the previous table adjust to:

Group/Grade 1 winners by Royal Academy (with B/I designation factored in)   

The Dosage readings, with the B/I designation factored in, here see a quite dramatic transformation and reflect the sort of readings you would expect from sprinters and milers, rather than middle-distance performers, which appeared to be described in the original table.

The anomaly is Champion European Stayer Oscar Schindler, the winner of 4 stakes races in Great Britain and Ireland, twice winner of the Group 1 Irish St. Leger at 14 furlongs at the Curragh and winner of the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at 12 furlongs at Royal Ascot. Oscar Schindler is out of the Northfields mare Saraday. The female line traces back to the fourth generation Classic/Solid chef-de-race Herbager, an influence for stamina. Herbager and his son Sea Hawk (not a chef-de-race) appear to have added a stouter element to Oscar Schindler’s bottom line through the mares Etoile Gris and her daughter Saraday.

Heroi Do Bafra won Grade 1s in Brazil at 10 furlongs and 12 furlongs and Eyeofthetiger, Macbeth and Match Point also won at middle-distances at Grade 1 level. However these are the exceptions rather than the rule. A compelling and concentrate majority in the table and taken from the general population of mature winners (three-year-olds+) were most effective at sprint distances or around a mile.

On the basis of this data I am happy to assign a split Brilliant/Intermediate (B/I) designation to Royal Academy, setting the Classic/Solid influence of his own sire (Nijinsky) into appropriate context within the pedigree and making him the latest chef-de-race and 211^th in the series.