It's well-established that the older a mare becomes, the less likely she is to produce a top-class runner, and particularly so in the case of mares that have never previously been represented by a notable performer. There are always exceptions, however, and we had a particularly noteworthy example in the shape of Gezora, who captured the June 15 Prix de Diane (French Oaks, G1).
Gezora was foaled when her dam, Germance, was 19 years old, is her dam's eleventh foal, and her first stakes winner. Those previous 10 foals were sired by such high-class runners and sires as El Prado, Bernardini, Elusive Quality, Sea The Stars, and Wootton Bassett, and although seven of these won races, the only one to earn black-type in any form was the Garance, a 2014 daughter of Teofilo, who finished second in a pair of French listed races, the Prix Casimir Delamarre and Prix La Sorellina.
That said, Germance, certainly began her stud career with all the credentials to become a significant producer. She came close to preceding her daughter as a Prix de Diane heroine, missing by 1 1/2 lengths in the 2006 edition, this being her sole defeat in her first six starts, outings that also saw her capture the Prix Saint-Alary (G1), Prix de la Nonette (G3) and Prix Penelope (G3).
A daughter of the very successful sire, Silver Hawk (who also appeared in another weekend "oaks" winner, the Delaware Oaks (G3) captress, Fondly, having a daughter of Silver Hawk as her third dam), Germance is out of the Caerleon mare, Gaily Tiara, a six furlong winner in Japan, who also produced two-time French listed scorer Gaily Game. Gaily Tiara's half-sister, Aiglonne—another by Silver Hawk and so three-quarters-sister to Germance—wasn't as good a runner as her close relative, although she did take the Prix Fille de l'Air (G3), but was a more successful broodmare, appearing as dam of the Prix d'Ispahan (G1) and Prix Hocquart (G2) scorer Mekhtaal; Democrate, winner of the Prix Hocquart (G2); Prix Thomas Bryon (G3) victor Normandy Bridge; and Aigue Marine, who took the Long Island Handicap (G3T) and Robert G. Dick Memorial (G3T), and herself dam of French listed winner Fenelon.
Majestic Role, the dam of Gaily Tiara and Aiglonne, was an untypically precocious daughter of Theatrical, winning the Tyros Stakes and running second in the Prix de la Salamandre (G1) at age 2. She is half sister to four other black-type scorers, including Fair of The Furze, winner of the Tattersalls Gold Cup (G2), dam of three stakes winners, including the Italian Derby (G1) winner White Muzzle, and granddam of Almutawakel, who defeated U.S.-trained stars Silver Charm, Victory Gallop, and Malek, and European classic winners High-Rise and Daylami in the 1999 Dubai World Cup (G1).
Gezora—who took the Prix des Reservoirs (G3) at age 2 and the Prix Saint-Alary (G2) in two starts this year—continues the impact of Wootton Bassett on the 2025 French classics. He's already responsible for Henri Matisse, who took the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches-French Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and the Prix du Jockey-Club-French Derby (G1), and Gezora is by Wootton Bassett's son, Almanzor.
Almanzor wouldn't have been a horse one would have expected to turn around Germance's stud career, especially since her Wootton Bassett daughter, Galway, could manage no better than one third in five starts. Almanzor was a better racehorse than his sire—from whose first crop he sprang—and he was the European champion 3-year-old of his crop, and top rated horse of any age in Europe, after a season that saw him win the Prix de Guiche (G3), Prix Guillaume d'Ornano (G2), Prix du Jockey-Club (G1), Champion Stakes (G1) and Irish Champion Stakes (G1). He hasn't, however, been anywhere near as good a sire as Wootton Bassett, and his first four European crops have produced only 12 stakes winners, his only previous winner at the highest level being Circle of Fire, who took the ATC Sydney Cup (G1) in Australia. Although he began his stud career in France, Almanzor also shuttled to Cambridge Stud, New Zealand, and he's a permanent resident of the famed Waikato nursery. He was the leading sire of 2-year-olds and leading freshman sire in New Zealand for 2021-2022, and he has 13 stakes winners, eight graded from his first three Southern Hemisphere crops, including Victoria Derby (G1) captor Manzoice.
The cross that Gezora represents, that of Iffraaj and sons and grandsons over mares by Roberto and sons and grandsons, have had limited opportunities, but has produced four other stakes winners from 73 starters, including the New Zealand grade one scorer, Lickety Split.
