Super stayer Dunaden is the sole stakes winner by his sire Nicobar and the only black type performer in six generations of his maternal pedigree.

The French bred Dunaden recorded the tenth win of his 34 start career and remained unbeaten in Australia when he powered home over the top of a classy field in Saturday's G1 Caulfield Cup to go with his wins in last year's Geelong and Melbourne Cups.

The win adds another chapter to the remarkable Dunaden story.



He was bred by French aristocracy, sold for a mere 1500 euros as a weanling to Dutch owners who raised him in Holland before he was sent to Germany to be trained.

Dunaden won his maiden in Germany in a claiming event where was claimed by a Qatar based trainer of Arabians who raced him only once before he was spotted by bloodstock agent David Redvars.

Redvars negotiated his purchase for $200,000 on behalf of his current owner Sheikh Fahad al-Thani, who placed him with trainer Richard Gibson for a short time before finally turning him over to French trainer Mikel Delzangles.

And, as they say in the classics, the rest is history!

Now the winner of more than $A7 million with wins on the board in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong, Dunaden is a true international superstar who has belied his humble beginnings and far from fashionable pedigree.

His dam Duchess Of Alba, by Belmez, represents a maternal pedigree line devoid of black type until you strike the sixth dam Si Sage (Sicambre), a G2 winner in France.

His sire Nicobar, a son of the Ahoonora stallion Indian Ridge, was a G2 winner in UK and Italy but has been represented by only 23 named foals and just 13 runners for five winners.

Dunaden's pedigree includes crosses of Northern Dancer (Nearctic), Grey Sovereign (Nasrullah) and Klarion (Clarion).