Trained by John Gosden, Eagle Top came agonisingly close to Group 1 success when nosed out of victory in the 2015 King George. 

The colt actually took the lead inside the final furlong but came up against a determined foe in Postponed - a multiple Group 1 winner himself - and it was only in the final stride that he fell a nostril short. In one of the great finishes to the race’s storied history, the pair were well clear of the third. 

This admirable campaigner also romped to victory in the 2014 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and ran placed in the 2015 Hardwicke Stakes. 

Following a single season at Hedgeholme Stud, Eagle Top now stands in the Czech Republic.  

Another of Maycocks Bay’s lasting gifts to the stud was as the dam of Gull Wing, a high-class stayer for Michael Bell whose career highlight came when successful in the 2008 Listed Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham.

A progressive and tough filly, she won three races overall, rising from an opening mark of 75 to 99 in the process. 

As befitted her pedigree and talent, Gull Wing later became a remarkable producer for Daylesford, notably as the dam of the top-class Eagle Top, Wings Of Desire and The Lark, all of whom were by Sariska’s sire Pivotal. 

Gull Wing died in 2020 and leaves behind a yearling colt by Kingman. 

Sariska reigns as the crowning achievement of Daylesford Stud, something made all the more appropriate by the fact that she is a daughter of early purchase Maycocks Bay, a tough mare from a fine Lord Halifax family who rose through the ranks to win at Listed level. 

Like her dam, Sariska was trained by Michael Bell. A statuesque filly, she made just the one start at two when winning a competitive back end maiden at Newmarket. It was a performance that went into many notebooks and as hoped, Sariska developed into a Classic filly the following spring, with a wide-margin win in the Musidora Stakes sealing her place at the head of the Oaks market. 

From there, she lined up as a favourite for the Oaks and in a show of class and determination, was brave in holding off the challenge of Midday to win and hand Lady Bamford a first Classic success.  

By contrast, her win in the Irish Oaks was a performance of overwhelming superiority, with the filly never coming off the bridle under a confident Jamie Spencer to saunter home by three lengths. In victory, she became only the 12th filly in history to pull off the Epsom-Irish Oaks double. 

Eagle Top’s brother Wings Of Desire didn’t let the side down, striking at Group 2 level before emulating his sibling by running second in the King George. 

Wings Of Desire made rapid progress during the spring of 2016 to win the Group 2 Dante Stakes at the expense of subsequent Group 1 winner Deauville. Trainer John Gosden was effusive about the colt’s prospects following the race, saying: “He is freakish. He showed me things early on that made me think 'goodness', but he's very laid back and his two favourite activities are eating and sleeping.” As such, he was supplemented for Derby and justified that expense by running a fine fourth to Harzand - becoming the first British-trained horse home in the process.  

This fine performer also ran second to Highland Reel in the King George. Wings Of Desire retired to stand at Heversham Stud in South Africa, where his first crop are two- year-olds.  

The line belonging to the wonderful Stage Presence provided Daylesford with many memorable moments headed by the Classic success of homebred Star Of Seville. 

The rangy daughter of Duke Of Marmalade showed promise as a juvenile when the six-length winner of a Doncaster maiden and having made the anticipated progress from two to three, sat among the best of her generation at three when successful in the Prix de Diane and Musidora Stakes. Her win in the Prix de Diane paid particular credit to her talent and durability, with it coming nine days following her run in the Epsom Oaks. 

With her talent and pedigree, Star Of Seville is an exciting mare going forward for Daylesford. She has yearling and foal colts on the ground by Dubawi and is back in foal to Britain’s leading sire. 

Yet another high-flying member of the Maycocks Bay dynasty, The Lark won two races and was Classic-placed for Lady Bamford. 

Trained by Michael Bell, she won her second race as a two-year-old and after running third on her reappearance in the Listed Swettenham Stud Fillies’ Trial at Newbury, ran an excellent third to Talent in the Oaks. That performance came just four years on from the victory of her close relation Sariska in the race and can be marked up, given that she made good headway to be closest at the finish having been trapped on the rail at a crucial time. 

The filly later gained a deserved Pattern success in the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

The Lark’s first foal is three-time winner Magical Morning, a progressive four-year-old for John and Thady Gosden who regularly holds his own in heritage handicaps. She also has a two-year-old Frankel colt named King Eagle with Michael Bell. 

The purchase of the winning All’s Forgotten proved to be an inspired move. As is so typical of Darshaan mares, the Sadler’s Wells line turned out to be an able suitor, in her case Galileo to whom she produced three high-class horses in Shantaram, Forever Now and To Eternity. 

Shantaram was the eldest of the trio and trained by John Gosden, broke through with a wide- margin success in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy having previously run the Derby runner-up Main Sequence to three-quarters of a length in the Group 3 Lingfield Derby Trial. 

Shantaram now stands in Ireland at Coolagown Stud. 

King Of Comedy possessed bags of ability, as he showed when a fast-finishing second to Circus Maximus in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. 

Events conspired to work against him that day, so can be considered unlucky; as it was, he had the likes of Too Darn Hot and Phoenix Of Spain behind him. 

He also won the Listed Heron Stakes and filled the frame in the Group 1 Juddmonte International.

He was retired to stand at Novara Park Stud in New Zealand for the 2021 season.  

Another talented staying colt, Forever Now enjoyed his finest moment when successful in the 2014 Listed March Stakes at Goodwood. 

This tough colt also wasn’t disgraced in his bid to emulate Shantaram’s Bahrain Trophy win when third in the 2014 renewal. 

Forever Now currently stands at Norton Grove Stud and his first crop are two-year-olds. 

Perhaps the most important foal out of All’s Forgotten, however, is To Eternity, the six-length winner of the 2016 Listed Chalice Stakes at Newmarket. 

That emphatic win came off the back of a year-long absence and she later backed it up with a third in the Group 3 Princess Royal Stakes. 

Those performances as well as her place as a black-type daughter of All’s Forgotten naturally makes her an extremely exciting mare for Daylesford going forward, and she has been given every chance with young stock by Siyouni and Lope De Vega to run for her. Her first foal, a two-year-old colt by Siyouni named True Testament, is with Andre Fabre. 

A fantastic association between Lady Bamford, John Gosden and the Bahrain Trophy also featured the victory of homebred Mr Singh in 2012. 

The colt boasted two generations of Daylesford breeding as a grandson of foundation mare My Ballerina via her daughter Sundari, who ran third in Lady Bamford’s colours in the 2001 Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes. 

Mr Singh was the best runner out of his dam by virtue of his win in the Bahrain Trophy while he was also second in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. 

Yet another winner of the Bahrain Trophy, Feel Like Dancing’s victory followed hot on the heels of Mr Singh in 2013. 

Bred at Daylesford Stud out of Maid Of Killeen, also the dam of top miler Indian Ink, Feel Like Dancing won on debut at Newbury and later ran second to Leading Light in the Group 3 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot. 

His win in the Bahrain Trophy capped his career and sealed a place at stud, in his case in France before a shift to Whytemount Stud in Ireland.  

Tropbeau is one of those durable performers who has held her own at the top level over a lengthy period of time. 

Bought for €180,000 as an Arqana May breezer, Andre Fabre sent her out to win three races as a two-year-old, including the Group 2 Prix du Calvados and Group 3 Prix Six Perfections. She signed off that year by running third in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and entered Classic calculations the following spring with an authoritative win in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte. 

As it turned out, Tropbeau is more effective over distances around 7f, so her performance when fourth over a mile in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches was highly creditable.  

She was kept in training for 2021 and was last seen running an excellent second against colts and geldings in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. 

Breeze-up purchase Pamplemousse made an immediate impression when winning first time out for Andre Fabre at Chantilly; so impressive was her four-and-a-half length success that she was designated a ‘TDN Rising Star’.

From there, Pamplemousse ran fourth in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes before signing off on a high with a win in the Listed Prix du Pont-Neuf at Longchamp.  

Pamplemousse possesses outstanding connections as a Siyouni half-sister to Group 1 winner Odeliz, She is now a valued member of the Daylesford Stud broodmare band with young stock by Muhaarar and Galileo on the ground and is currently in foal to Too Darn Hot. 

A granddaughter of top miler Sophisticat and descendant of the legendary American race me Serena’s Song, yearling purchase Suphala lived up to her illustrious heritage by winning the Group 3 Prix Chloe and Listed Prix Volterra for Andre Fabre.

Overall, she won four races, including twice at two, and was also a narrow second in the Group 3 Prix Imprudence. 

Suphala was retired to Daylesford Stud in late 2020 and visited Lope De Vega in 2021. 

Yet another successful breeze-up purchase, Queen Of Love was unbeaten as a three-year-old for Andre Fabre in 2020.

When her wins included the Listed Prix Coronation over the Classic-placed Speak Of The Devil. She has also been twice Listed-placed at four. 

A current success story, Thunder Drum has risen through the ranks for Jerome Reynier, going from Cagnes-Sur-Mer maiden winner to Group 3 heroine, when successful in the Prix du Royaumont, within the span of four starts.

Thunder Drum has been a highly progressive filly already this season but regardless of what the rest of her racing career holds, she is an extremely exciting potential addition to the stud as a daughter of Irish Oaks heroine Great Heavens, herself a sister to Nathaniel out of Lady Rothschild’s wonderful mare Magnificient Style. 

Owned by Lady Bamford and the Hon. Alice Bamford, Californiagoldrush was campaigned in California with Neil Drysdale. 

In five starts, she left a lasting impression as the winner of three races, notably the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes. She was also third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. 

A descendant of the great Salsabil, Californiagoldrush began her stud career in America, where visits to War Front and American Pharoah resulted in a pair of fillies. She now lives at Daylesford Stud.

French Group 2 winner Dream Peace was a high-profile acquisition for Daylesford Stud in 2013 and she has gone on to provide Lady Bamford with the ultimate reward in Soul Sister, the stud’s second homebred winner of the Oaks after Sariska in 2009.

Having been brought along steadily by John and Thady Gosden, the daughter of Frankel made her debut in the same Doncaster maiden won by Star Of Seville at the back end of her two-year-old year and went into many notebooks with a cosy success over Doom despite showing signs of inexperience.

Bad ground scuppered all chance when she reappeared in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury but she bounced back in brilliant fashion next time out with an authoritative victory in the Musidora Stakes at York, with her superb turn of foot taking her four lengths clear of the chasing pack.

Thus Soul Sister was well fancied to provide Frankie Dettori with a fairytale final ride in the Oaks and given a cool ride out the back, she fulfilled all those wishes, sweeping down the outside before stretching clear for an easy win. 

Dettori was understandably ebullient in victory. “It was a great feeling to hear the crowd and to win another Classic for the Bamfords, who have been great supporters of mine,” he said. “We got organised and sat quiet between the three and the one-and-a-half-furlong poles and then I was just hoping that if I pressed the button she would go – and she did go. She’s shown so much class.”

Soul Sister is one of no fewer than four stakes horses out of Dream Peace, a descendant of the 1981 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Arctique Royale via a famous Kilfrush Stud family also responsible for the top fillies Cerulean Sky and Moonstone. Soul Sister’s older full-brother, Dreamflight, was also a smart homebred for Daylesford, winning the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon, while another sibling, Herman Hesse, is Group 3-placed in Australia. Dream Peace has also bred the stakes-placed Questionare to Galileo.

Soul Sister’s story, of course, is far from over and with a number of top races to consider for the rest of the season, she will hopefully be able to add further to her already illustrious record.