The year 2021 coincides with the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Mumtaz Mahal (GB) (The Tetrarch {GB}), "The Flying Filly." And what better way for her descendants to celebrate this milestone by winning, and winning big, eight of the 74 Group 1 races contested in Australia this year.

Other notable broodmare figures, as producers of 2021's Group 1 winners:

� 37 (62.7%) are out of winning mares

� 18 (30.5%) are out of stakes-winning mares

� Three (5%) are out of Group 1-winning mares

The Northern Dancer (Can) (Nearctic {Can}) sire-line dominated the year; aside from the 18 Danehill (USA) (Danzig {USA})-line horses, there were four from other Danzig (USA) branches, 11 from Sadler's Wells (USA) (mostly Galileo {Ire} with five and High Chaparral (Ire) with four), three from Nureyev (USA), three from Fairy King (USA) and one each for Storm Cat (USA) and Try My Best (USA).

Of great interest there is that Sadler's Wells, Fairy King and Nureyev are all closely related.

The second most prolific line was that of Mr Prospector (USA) (Raise A Native {USA}) with eight winners; half of those being members of the Street Cry (Ire) (Machiavellian {USA}) branch.

The Halo (USA) (Hail To Reason {USA})-line provided three Group 1 winners and Sir Tristram (Ire) (Sir Ivor {USA}) four whilst with one each were Blushing Groom (Fr) (Red God {USA}), Thatch (USA) (Forli {Arg}) and Roberto (USA) (Bramalea {USA}).

Mumtaz still flying

But back to that elite blue hen mare. Four different descendants of Mumtaz Mahal's prolific daughter Mumtaz Begum (Fr) (Blenheim II {GB}) displayed their class at the elite level in 2021 - Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), Jonker (Spirit Of Boom), Selino (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and Hungry Heart (Frankel {GB}).

The first two of those are both members of the Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) branch of this ever flourishing family; that great mare's high-achieving daughter Cotehele House (GB) (My Swanee {GB}) being the fourth dam of two very different Group 1 horses - a G1 Melbourne Cup winner and a G1 Manikato S. winner.

Meanwhile the G1 Sydney Cup winner Selino is a descendant of Eight Carat's fourth dam Sun Princess (GB) (Solario {GB}) whose half-sister Bibibeg (Ire) (Bahram {GB}) is the ancestress of Hungry Heart.

Each of these four high-class gallopers are line-bred to the Mumtaz Mahal family; Verry Elleegant boasting a 4 X 4 cross of her own fourth dam Cotehele House, third dam of her sire who also carries strains of Nasrullah (Ire) (Nearco (Ity}), Mahmoud (Fr) (Blenheim II {GB}), Badruddin (Fr) (Blandford {Ire}) and Royal Charger (GB) (Nearco (Ity})... as well as Fair Trial (GB) (Fairway {GB}) and Aristophanes (GB) (Hyperion {GB}) who are both descendants of Mumtaz Mahal's half-sister Lady Juror (GB) (Son-In-Law {GB}).

Jonker's dam Hearts And Arrows (Kempinsky) is bred on a 4 X 4 cross of her fourth dam Eight Carat whilst his sire Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) also has strong Mumtaz influence via Abernant (GB) (Owen Tudor {GB}), Nasrullah and Royal Charger - as well as Lady Juror influence via Fair Trial, Aristophanes and The Recorder (GB) (Captain Cuttle {GB}).

Hungry Heart's sire Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) has Nasrullah, Royal Charger and Mahmoud as well as Aristophanes, Tudor Minstrel and Fair Trial whilst Selino's sire Champs Elysees (GB) (Danehill {USA}) carries multiple Mahmoud and Nasrullah strains whilst also having Lady Juror influence via her her son Fair Trial and her grandson Tudor Minstrel (Ire) (Owen Tudor {GB}).

Marchetta leaving her mark

Mumtaz Mahal is not the only great mare to have made her mark on Australian Group 1 results this year with three descendants of the influential Marchetta (GB) (Marco {GB}) between them winning five big races; Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), Think It Over (So You Think {NZ}) and Krone (Eurozone).

Zaaki's sire Leroidesanimaux (Brz) (Candy Stripes {USA}) has both Turn-To (Ire) (Royal Charger {GB}) and Borealis (GB) (Brumeux {Fr}) from the Marchetta family, Think It Over's sire So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}) has Turn-To and Marco Polo II (Fr) (La Pacha {Fr}) and Krone's sire Eurozone (Northern Meteor) has Klairon (Fr) (Clarion {Fr}) and Turn-To.

More recent in history is Northern Dancer's famed daughter Fanfreluche (Can) who had two Group 1-winning descendants this year - Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) whose dam is bred on a 4 X 4 cross of Fanfreluche - and Duais (Shamus Award).

Another family to have played a big part in Group 1 success this year is that of the formidable mother/daughter team of Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) and Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}).

With the latter being the dam of Northern Dancer and the third dam of Danehill it is little wonder that she pops up over and over - especially when noting that the Northern Dancer sire-line provided 41 (69.4%) of the 59 individual Group 1 winners for the year with 18 of those hailing from the Danehill branch.

After almost half a century of trying to breed and race a good horse, Ian Perkins wasn't going to ship him off to Hong Kong for a briefcase full of cash when he finally found him.

The octogenarian hobby breeder, who runs a 20-acre property at Naracoorte in South Australia's southeast, knocked back several sizeable offers for a young galloper by Press Statement after his first trial and debut win.

Some called him crazy, but Perkins remained steadfast in his belief that the gelding, the Peter Hardacre-trained Press Down, could be something special.

Now a rising five-year-old, Press Down will chase Perkins' biggest win on the track when he tackles the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Final (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.

"When we trialed this horse, we got an offer from Hong Kong," Perkins said.

"Peter was half keen but I just said for him to tell them that he wasn't for sale.

"Then we won our first race and they upped the price a bit and he came to me again and I told him not to bother even asking, the horse wasn't going to be for sale.

"I'm 84 next month so this will be over very soon.

"We're racing to get a good horse and when I do, why would I go and sell him? To buy another one and hope that he's a good horse?"

For Perkins, the Press Down story started when he raced a filly called Sculptor's Daughter in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

She produced 13 named foals, including the modestly performed Quick Score mare Chesterfield.

A maiden win at Bordertown was the highlight of her racing career but Perkins decided to keep the family tradition going by breeding from her.

While none of her eight progeny to race scaled any lofty heights, they won 22 races between them, including Invincible Spirit mare Down The Corridor.

Perkins only ever really has one broodmare at a time and he decided that Down The Corridor would be the one to fly the flag.

It was her mating with Press Statement that produced Press Down.

Perkins said the decision to send the mare to the former Vinery Stud stallion, as well as ex-barn mate All Too Hard more recently, was motivated by a desire to replicate an in-breeding philosophy he'd read in a book.

Easy Date, the dam of Snippets, appears on both sides of Press Down's pedigree.

"Sculptor's Daughter was where it started - I raced her with Bob McKay and then I bought his share and started breeding with her," he said.

"This fella is the best out of the family.

"I read this book and it was all about in-breeding to superior females.

"It was pretty hard reading, I'll tell you that, but I got the general idea of it and with this mare Down The Corridor, we tried to cross breed to Easy Date.

"Press Statement fit the bill so we tried him.

"He's left the country now, so we've been to All Too Hard, because he's got that same line on his dam side.

"I've got a weanling here at my place and I've got a yearling being broken in at the moment.

"He (Press Down) was a nice type from the start.

"When I sent him to get broken in and when he came back, he did a couple of laps around his paddock and I've never seen a horse move with such a long, relaxed canter.

"From back then I thought he'd make a nice horse."

Perkins wasn't wrong.

A debut win over 1000m at Murray Bridge was quickly followed by two Morphettville wins and a placing in the Listed Redelva Stakes in his second racing campaign.

Press Down has improved as an autumn four-year-old with a placing in the Group 3 Irwin Stakes, a dominant three-length win at Murry Bridge and a career-best performance to destroy his rivals in the Golden Topaz at Swan Hill.

Perkins is bullish that he can continue to improve as a five-year-old and potentially emerge as a contender in some of South Australia's premier sprint races.