Kheleyf opens his 2012 juvenile winner’s account in style

Kheleyf, sire of no fewer than 110 two-year-old winners from his first four crops, recorded his first juvenile winner of 2012 in outstanding fashion on 27 March when his son Penny’s Picnic romped to a six-length victory at Saint-Cloud.

In winning the four-and-a-half furlong Prix du Debut, the colt follows in the footsteps of last years G2 Prix Robert Papin winner and G1 Morny second Family One, plus G3-placed Stakes winner Captain Chop.

Bred by Francis Montauban, Penny’s Picnic is out of the Kingmambo mare Zerky, a full-sister to multiple Group winner Penny’s Gold. Zerky has a yearling filly by Kheleyf and has been scanned in foal to Iffraaj this year.

Kheleyf’s current crop of two-year-olds are the produce of arguably his best book of mares yet, being out of 74 Stakes winners or dams of Stakes winners. He stands at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.