Singspiel's Dar Re Mi kicked off the G1-winning streak for Darley's European stallions back in March when, on the first Dubai World Cup night held at the spectacular Meydan racecourse, she flew to victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic. This was her third victory at the highest level, having also won the Pretty Polly Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks the previous year.
Just a month later in Hong Kong, Able One (by last year's leading sire in Europe Cape Cross) posted a truly magnificent performance to take the Champion Mile at Sha Tin. Able One has been a wonderful flagbearer for Cape Cross in Hong Kong, having won this race three years ago and has now amassed over £1 million in prize money.
The first weekend in May marks the start of the British Classic season with the Guineas meeting at Newmarket and Makfi, from the first crop of Dubawi, maintained his unbeaten record in tremendous style when taking the 2,000 Guineas (pictured). Having impressed in the G3 Prix Djebel the previous month, the decision to cross the channel by trainer Mikel Delzangles certainly proved astute as taking the lead a furlong from home, Makfi sped clear of his rivals (who included two previously unbeaten G1 winners) and romped home to win by a length and a quarter.
The very next day saw another Darley stallion record his first G1 winner of the year when Halling's outstanding son Cutlass Bay notched his fifth straight win and third at Group level, landing the Prix Ganay at Longchamp.
On 16 May, Longchamp once again proved a successful hunting ground for the Darley stallions when Lope de Vega (by Europe's leading first-season sire of 2009 - Shamardal) swept home to take the Poule D'Essai Des Poulains. The consistent colt, trained by Andre Fabre for owner-breeders Gestut Ammerland, completed the French Classic double three weeks later, winning the Prix du Jockey Club - the first horse to win both races since Shamardal himself.
Refuse To Bend, who now stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud but remains in Darley ownership, sired his first G1 winner on 23 May when HH The Aga Khan's Sarafina landed the Prix Saint-Alary. Like Lope de Vega, she became a dual G1 winner three weeks later when taking the Prix de Diane - a remarkable feat considering this was just her third racecourse appearance.
King's Best has been enjoying an outstanding year and recorded his fifth winner at the highest level on 30 May when Eishin Flash demonstrated a blistering turn of foot in the home straight (covering the last three furlongs in just 32.7 seconds) to win the Japanese Derby in front of over 125,000 racegoers at Tokyo.
Closer to home and just a week later, Workforce became undoubtedly King's Best's greatest winner yet, becoming the fastest ever winner of the Derby at Epsom. The lightly-raced colt (who had appeared on a racecourse just twice before the first Saturday in June) took the Blue Riband in the most spectacular fashion, winning by seven lengths and in a new record time of 2:31.33 - almost a second faster than the previous record set by Lammtarra in 1995.
Storming Home, now standing at Darley's base in Japan, recorded his first G1 winner on 13 June when his second-crop son Jakkalberry beat a quality field to take the Gran Premio di Milano. The four-year-old colt (from the same crop as last year's Ribblesdale Stakes winner Flying Cloud), has finished out of the frame just twice in ten starts, winning on six occasions.
Across the pond, the Darley America stallions have been performing just as well as their European counterparts, with Elusive Quality, Medaglia d'Oro and Street Cry all adding to their already impressive records.
Elusive Quality, famed for his record-breaking offspring, opened his 2010 G1 account in February when Quality Road broke his own track record at Gulfstream Park to win the Donn Handicap by an astounding twelve and three quarter lengths. He has since increased his haul of G1 victories to three, winning the Metropolitan Mile at Belmont Park last month.
Medaglia d'Oro has sired more G1 winners than any other stallion in the northern hemisphere this year and was the first Darley stallion to record a winner at the highest level this year when Gabby's Golden Gal landed the Santa Monica Handicap at Santa Anita Park. Warrior's Reward became his sire's second G1 winner of the year on 3 April when winning the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct and Champagne d'Oro became Medaglia d'Oro's second consecutive winner of the G1 Acorn Stakes earlier this month.
Street Cry has been a consistent source of G1 winners since retiring to stud and 2010 has been no exception. Victor's Cry became the eleventh G1 winner for his sire on 1 June (the same day that Quality Road won the 'Met Mile'), sweeping to victory in the Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park.
The incomparable Zenyatta, now in her fourth year of racing, further extended her unbeaten run to 17 on 13 June when winning the Vanity Handicap for a record third time. This outstanding mare has now won eleven times at this level and is undeniably one of the greatest racemares to set foot on a racecourse.
