Maycocks Bay

1998 Muhtarram - Beacon (High Top)

Maycocks Bay has exerted an incredible influence over Daylesford Stud.

One of the best sired by former Shadwell stallion Muhtarram, a durable son of Alleged trained by John Gosden, Maycocks Bay was bred by Bishop Wilton Stud out of Beacon, a daughter of High Top bred by Lord Halifax. Beacon possessed fine bloodlines as a daughter of Irish St Leger heroine Mountain Lodge and indeed, the further reaches of this family has come to include St Mark’s Basilica, Magna Grecia and Pearls Galore.

Foaled in 1998, Maycocks Bay was well bought by Lady Bamford as a yearling for just 32,000gns.

Although rarely out of the first three at two and three years, she took time to come to hand. But under the care of Michael Bell, she progressed rapidly at four while in foal to Vettori to rise from a mark of 68 to a career high of 92, which was awarded off the back of her win in the Silver Cup Rated Stakes at York.

Maycocks Bay hit the ground running at stud thanks to her second foal, the high-class Gull Wing. Like her dam, Gull Wing was a tough and high-class stayer for Michael Bell who rose through the handicap to taste stakes success. Her career highlight came in in the 2008 Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham while she also came within half-a-length of emulating her dam with a victory in the Silver Cup Rated Stakes at York.

The best was yet to come, however, in the shape of Maycocks Bay’s 2006 filly by Pivotal, Sariska. Also trained by Michael Bell, the statuesque filly served early notice that she was out of the ordinary when taking her sole two-year-old run, a competitive back-end maiden at Newmarket.

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, bravely held off the challenge of Midday to win and hand Lady Bamford a first Classic success.

If the Oaks was a showcase of her battling abilities, then the Irish equivalent flaunted her immense ability, with the filly never coming off the bridle under 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. Sariska and Gull Wing stand tall within Daylesford’s history and both have continued to add to its history at stud. Sariska joined the Daylesford Stud broodmare band in 2011 and is dam of the Listed-placed Snow Moon and 97-rated three-time winner Surya.

Gull Wing, meanwhile, preoduced the top-class trio Eagle Top, Wings Of Desire and The Lark, all of whom were by Sariska’s sire Pivotal and each exceptional middle-distance talents.

Currently, there are ten descendants of Maycocks Bay either within the Daylesford broodmare band or in training. Sadly Gull Wing and The Lark have died but Sariska, now retired, has a yearling by Kingman whilst her daughters Nahema, Sarita and Snow Moon are also at stud.

Produce record

Sariska

(06 f by Pivotal) Champion

Won 5 races inc. Oaks, Epsom Downs, Gr.1, Irish Oaks, The Curragh, Gr.1, Middleton Stakes, York, Gr.2, Musidora stakes, York, Gr.3; also 2nd Coronation Cup, Epsom Downs, Gr.1, Yorkshire Oaks, York, Gr.1.

Dam of Snow Moon (13 f by Oasis Dream), 3rd Lord Weinstock Memorial Ballymacoll Stakes, Newbury, Listed

Gull Wing

(04 f by In The Wings)

Won 3 races inc. Further Flight Stakes, Nottingham, Listed.                               

Dam of Eagle Top (11 c by Pivotal) won King Edward VII Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2, 2nd King George VI & Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1 and Hardwicke Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2; sire: Wings of Desire (13 c by Pivotal) won Dante Stakes, York, Gr.2, also 2nd King George VI & Queen Elizabeth II Stakes; sire: The Lark (10 f by Pivotal) won Park Hill Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.2, also 3rd Oaks, Epsom, Gr.1.