Former European Champion Twice Over (Observatory) is one of a high profile crop of young sires set to be represented by their first two-year-olds this season.
While a number of Gr1 winners are set to have their first runners this season, none have more impressive racing credentials than does the charismatic Twice Over.

Bred by Juddmonte Farms and raced by Prince Khalid Abdullah, Twice Over won 12 races (from two to six) and earned more than £2.52 million in stakes.

His wins included nine stakes victories, with Twice Over scoring on both turf and tapeta. Twice Over won no fewer than four times at Gr1 level –and scored a notable back to back triumph when landing the Gr1 Emirates Airline Champion Stakes in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Twice Over’s other top level successes included the Gr1 Coral Eclipse and Gr1 Juddmonte International Stakes, and he was placed in a further eight Gr1 races. His placed efforts included a third to the legendary US champion Zenyatta (Street Cry) in the 2009 Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.

Other major races won by Twice Over included the Gr2 Al Maktoum Challenge, Gr2 Prix Eugene Adam, Gr2 Sky Bet York Stakes, and the Gr3 Craven Stakes.

Among the numerous Gr1 winners/champions that Twice Over defeated during his illustrious career were Aqlaam (Gr1 Prix du Moulin), Colonel John (Gr1 Santa Anita Derby, Gr1 Travers Stakes), Debussy (Gr1 Arlington Million), Fame And Glory (Gr1 Irish Derby), Girolamo (Gr1 Vosburgh Stakes), Mine That Bird (Gr1 Kentucky Derby), Paco Boy (Gr1 Lockinge Stakes, Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes, Gr1 Prix de la Foret), Raven’s Pass (Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Classic), Rip Van Winkle (Gr1 Sussex Stakes), Sariska (Gr1 Epsom and Irish Oaks), Summer Bird (Gr1 Belmont Stakes, Gr1 Jockey Club Gold Cup), and Vision D’Etat (Gr1 French Derby).

He was Champion Older Male in Europe in 2010, and Champion Older Male in Britain a year earlier.

From the same Mr Prospector male line as last season’s South African Champion Sire Trippi (End Sweep), Twice Over hails from a superb female line.

His first two dams are by the champion sires (and outstanding broodmare sires) Caerleon and Blushing Groom, and Twice Over’s dam Double Crossed is a half sister to the outstanding broodmare Clepsydra (Sadler’s Wells) –dam of the Gr1 winners Passage Of Time (Dansili) and Timepiece (Zamindar).

The champion traces back directly in female line to US Broodmare Of The Year Kerala (My Babu) –dam of US Horse Of The Year Damascus (Sword Dancer). One of the greatest racehorses in US history, the remarkable Damascus won 21 times including the Gr1 Preakness Stakes, Gr1 Belmont Stakes, and Gr1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. He also won the 1967 Gr1 Woodward Stakes by ten lengths over champions Buckpasser and Dr Fager.

Damascus, who is also broodmare sire of the outstanding sire Red Ransom (Roberto), became an outstanding sire, whose 70 plus stakes winners included the likes of Desert Wine, Highland Blade and outstanding sire Private Account.

Twice Over, whose first yearlings sold up to R1 000 000, has some exceptionally well bred first crop two-year-olds this season. His first crop of runners include siblings to recent Hong Kong Gr3 winner Horse Of Fortune (Stronghold), Italian classic winner Evading Tempete (Dubai Destination) and ill-fated Equus Champion Mother Russia (Windrush) , as well as progeny of such outstanding racemares as Equus Champions Escoleta Fitz (Fitzcarraldo) and Monyela (Fort Wood), and Galileo’s high class daughter Sidera.