Benny Andersson enjoyed a victory as both owner and breeder at Yarmouth on Wednesday evening, as the three-year-old Time Thief made a winning debut in a novice stakes over 2,000 metres.
Time Thief (Time Test) is trained by Tom Clover and won by half a length from the heavily backed favourite Liberate (Muhaarar), with a further 11 lengths back to Angel Breeze (Ten Sovereigns) in third.
Time Thief’s dam, Lavender’s Blue (Sea The Stars), also won on her own three-year-old debut, and later that season she landed the Atalanta Stakes (Gr.3) at Sandown and finished fourth behind Billesdon Brook (Champs Elysees) in the Sun Chariot Stakes (Gr.1).
As a five-year-old she struck both in a fillies’ Listed race at Kempton and in the Celebration Mile (Gr.2) at Glorious Goodwood.
She ended her racing career in 2021 and the following year was covered by the dual Group 2 winner Time Test (Dubawi) — the result being Time Thief.
Her next partner at stud was Camelot (Montjeu), and in 2024 Lavender’s Blue foaled a filly who was later sold for 320,000 guineas to Ralph Beckett at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1.
Lavender’s Blue is herself out of Benny Andersson’s Group 1-placed Beatrice Aurore (Danehill Dancer) and a half-sister to both the Jockey Club Cup (L) winner Moomba (Australia) and to Jessica Long’s three-year-old Tintarella Di Luna (Camelot), who shed her maiden tag at Klampenborg in July.
Beatrice Aurore is out of the Listed winner Mondschein (Rainbow Quest), who also produced, among others, the Danish Derby, St. Leger and Jockey Club Cup (L) winner Sibelius (Night Shift) and the Golden Mile (L) winner Vigelegere (Be My Chief).
Vigelegere in turn became the dam of, among others, the Oaks, St. Leger and Breeders’ winner Inaya (High Chaparral), who went on to produce Benny Andersson’s first Swedish Derby winner, Ayani (Starspangledbanner).
Other names from this remarkable family include big-race winners such as the Bloomers’ Vase (L) winner Ray (Rock Of Gibraltar) and her son Ray’s Moon (Sea The Moon), who won the Danish St. Leger in 2023.
