Lys Gracieux

[First Published: February 2020]

COX Plate winner and Japan’s Horse of the Year for 2019 Lys Gracieux (JPN) is a granddaughter of Sunday Silence and carries three crosses of the diminutive Lyphard in her seven generation pedigree. She also claimed the title of Japan’s Champion Older Mare in 2019, defeating reigning Horse of the Year Almond Eye in both categories.

She has now won seven races from 1600m-2500m including the Nakayama Arima Kinen, Hanshin Takarazuka Kinen (both also in 2019) and Kyoto Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Gr.1 level in Japan, where she is also a four-time Gr.1 runner-up and once third at that level, as well as placing second in the Longines Hong Kong Vase-Gr.1. Lys Gracieux is a daughter of Dubai Sheema Classic-Gr.1 winner Heart’s Cry (Sunday Silence-Irish Dance by Tony Bin), who won five races to 2500m and was Champion Older Horse in Japan in 2005 and Champion Older Male Stayer in the UAE in 2006. He was also a runner-up in the Japan Cup-Gr.1 and third in the Ascot King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes-Gr.1. Lys Gracieux, bred by Northern Farm and owned by U. Carrot Farm and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, is the best of Heart Cry’s more than 730 winners (41SW).

She is also the best of five winners produced by her dam Liliside (American Post), a Listed winner at St Cloud and a sister to another French Listed winner and producer Lily America. American Post is a grandson of Arctic Tern, whose dam Bubbling Beauty is a half-sister to Cosmah (dam of Halo) and Natalma (dam of Northern Dancer), giving Lys Gracieux a rare treble of the famous half-sisters, all daughters of Almahmoud, whose sire Mahmoud is closely related to Abernant, sire of Dilly-Sally (Hyperion 3mx3f), fifth dam of Lys Gracieux, as they are both grandsons of Mumtaz Mahal. This is family 1l, tracing to Valve.

Lyphard, who appears 4fx5fx4f, won the Prix Jacques le Marois-Gr.1 and Prix de la Foret-Gr.1, is an RF to Scapa Flow (5mx5m) via sons Pharos and Fairway. Small in stature but big of heart, he was twice Champion Sire in France and achieved champion sire status when he transferred to the US and also became a champion broodmare sire. He died in 2005, aged 36 years and 31 days and is best known as the sire of champion Dancing Brave. Lys Gracieux carries a fourth line of Northern Dancer via Sadler’s Wells.

Her dam carries a double of Mill Reef, a son of Never Bend and also has Never Bend’s half-bother Bold Reason. Lys Gracieux also has deep line breeding to Almahmoud and many multiples of Selene and Mumtaz Mahal.