Almandin (Monsun) gave yet another significant boost to the German breeding industry when he triumphed in Tuesday’s Gr1 Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington.

The six year-old bay gelding is the second German bred to land the Melbourne Cup in the past three years–and both, are by the late, great German sire Monsun (Konigsstuhl). (Monsun also sired the Irish bred Fiorente who landed the Melbourne Cup back in 2013).

Monsun, who was blind during the final years of his stud career, was a top class racehorse, whose 12 victories (from 2000-2400m) included a trio of Gr1 wins –notably the Preis Von Europa twice. He also finished second in the Gr1 Deutches Derby (German Derby).
Retired to Gestut Schlenderhan in 1996, Monsun quickly established himself as an outstanding sire. Champion Sire in Germany on four occasions, the champion’s 112 odd stakes winners included the above mentioned trio of Melbourne Cup winners, Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Shirocco, US champion racemare Stacelita, French champion Manduro, G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Novellist, Gr1 Gold Cup heroine Estimate, and recent G1 Prix Du Moulin hero Vadamos.

Monsun’s Gr1 producing sires include Manduro, Shirocco and former champion German sire Samum.

Almandin’s nine dams were all bred in Germany. He is out of the lightly raced Tiger Hill mare Anatola –a stakes winner over 2400m. Anatola, for whom Alamdin is a first Gr1 winner, is also dam of ill-fated Gr2 Gerling Preis winner Atempo (a full brother to Alamdin).

His second dam, the stakes winning Avocette (Kings Lake) is dam of G1 Preis Der Diana (German Oaks) winner Amarette –a daughter of Almandin’s sire Monsun.

This is the same family as former Gr1 Deutsches Derby winners Alarich (Mangon) and Alpenkonig (Tamerlane), and former top-class US sire Mr Leader (Hail To Reason).

Alpenkonig added further glory to this family by siring Gr1 Preis Der Diana winner Slenderella.
 

Image from Flemington Racecourse