The mare Waldlerche notched a notable double on today’s card at Saint-Cloud with her first two foals gaining Group success;  Waldgeist won the Gr.1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Waldlied landed the Gr.2 Prix de Malleret.

Both are bred by Newsells Park Stud and owned in partnership with Gestut Ammerland, with Waldgeist recording his second win in Gr.1 company after landing the 1m2f Criterium de Saint-Cloud as a juvenile two years ago. 

Trained by Andre Fabre this four-year-old Galileo colt has been extremely consistent from two to four, and only narrowly finished second in last year’s Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club. 

“He has been getting stronger and stronger and when he ran in the Prix du Jockey Club he was still short of experience,” said Dietrich von Boetticher of Gestut Ammerland. “It was close that day and today, he always makes it exciting.”

Dietrich von Boetticher added about Waldlied’s success: “I think she still has some filling out to do. It’s wonderful to see her running on at the end like that, I like to see that.”

Waldlerche is a Gr.3-winning daughter of Monsun whose half-siblings include the Newsells bred Gr.1 St Leger winner Masked Marvel and Listed-winning miler Waldnah, and hails from Gestut Ravensberg’s brilliant middle-distance ‘W’ family.

Her dam, Waldmark, was bred by Ravensberg and raced by Newsells Park, finishing second in the 2003 Falmouth Stakes.  Waldmark is a half-sister to the 2011 Deutsches Derby winner Waldpark, and Waldvogel, who won a German Derby trial.

Their dam was the German St Leger scorer Wurftaube, one of nine winners from as many runners out of the winning Frontal mare Wurfbahn.