With it being a bit quiet: TAKE THREE GIRLS

Not the late ‘60s BBC drama (with the Pentangle theme music and messrs Jansch and Renbourn playing great guitar) but the investment in three yearling fillies for a Mr Weinfeld by Richard Galpin at the 1977 Newmarket Sales. He didn’t pay an enormous amount for them (just under 100,000g in total) but they have turned out to be three of the most inspired investments ever made. The fillies went into training to race for Helena Springfield Limited, a fur merchandising company, and they looked good investments from the start.

Henry Cecil received 2 of the 3 and he gave these new owners their first runner when Odeon appeared. Odeon was by a relatively unknown US sire called Royal and Regal (from Vaguely Noble’s first crop) standing in England out of a non-winning mare called Cammina. This was not a particularly distinguished family but the mare was by that good broodmare sire Hornbeam out of a tough mare called Zanzara, who had been a prolific breeder of racing and winning foals. This was probably the reason Odeon cost 38,000g and she was a useful 2yo winning her maiden and running second to her very useful stable companion, Formulate, in the Ascot Fillies Mile. A nice start!

The second filly to appear was the cheapest of the three, an 18,000g purchase by Rarity out of an unraced Tudor Music mare called Singe. This basic pedigree didn’t scream class, which probably was the reason for the low price, but a bit of research is interesting. Rarity was one of the few sons of Hethersett to stand at stud. When Hethersett went to stud a lot was expected of him. A really good looking horse he’d won over 6f as a 2yo, been strongly fancied for the Derby, but brought down in the race, and, having recovered, won the St Leger easily. By Hugh Lupus, he represented one of the strongest sire lines of the time (Djebel-Tourbillon). Today it is all about Northern Dancer’s grandsons, but in the 50s and 60s through the work and patronage of Europe’s leading breeder Marcel Boussac, Djebel was almost the Northern Dancer of his day. Hethersett did not disappoint: but unfortunately he died after producing only 3 crops, which included Highest Hopes, Blakeney and Rarity (Rarity was some way behind the other two by the way). Hethersett’s death was a mortal blow to not only his breeder but also to the Hugh Lupus line. The female side of Weinfeld’s purchase was at first sight uninspiring. Tudor Music was a journeyman sprinter sire, even if a very good racehorse who would have been champion sprinter but for an even better colt called Song. The yearling’s dam was called Singe and this is where it gets interesting. Singe was by Tudor Music out of Trial by Fire, which made her half-sister to a horse that will be known to many NH enthusiasts, Deep Run. He was always a good horse and was second in the Dewhurst as a 2yo, won the Beresford Stakes as a 3yo, finished 2nd in the Irish St Leger, and as a 4yo was 2nd to Nijinsky in the Gladness Stakes. He of course went on to be an enormously influential NH sire. But Deep Run’s family is one of the best in the Stud Book and his dam was out of an Astor Stud mare called Mitrailleuse whose family produced many top horses including quite a few of those owned by the Moller brothers (including the 1000G winner Full Dress). The Rarity filly was named One in a Million and she surpassed her more expensive stablemate as a 2yo by winning the Blue Seal Stakes and then the Houghton Stakes for Cecil. She went into winter quarters unbeaten and 2nd favourite for the 1000G.

There is a pattern evolving here, and it is to buy a yearling filly by a seemingly second rate (though fairly well-bred) sire but with a strong breeding (and if possible good running) female line where the actual mare is a non-winner. The third filly was no different. By Jimmy Reppin out of the Majority Blue mare Blue Queen, she hardly caught the eye with her short pedigree. Jimmy Reppin was a very good horse but unfortunate to have horses like Sir Ivor, Petingo and Habitat as his contemporaries. At the time of his mating with Blue Queen he was standing at about 200gs a pop: but he was from the Djebel line. Blue Queen was a non-winning, once raced mare but was half-sister to 2 tough sprinters in Sandford Lad and Greenhill God (both by indifferent sires). Blue Queen was also in-bred to Djebel, something Boussac would have liked, and further back was a descendant of a mare called Scapa Flow. This Lord Derby mare was one of the most significant in the Stud Book being the dam of both Pharos (the sire of Nearco) and Fairway (the sire of Fair Trial and Honeyway). The purchased filly was named Reprocolor and went into training with Michael Stoute for whom she did not win as a 2yo but showed enough ability when placed in the Somerville Tattersall Stakes to suggest she’d be a better 3yo.

The owners must have really looked forward to the 1979 season and the season unsurprisingly started for them at the Craven meeting. First up was Reprocolor who, though a hot favourite, was narrowly beaten in a 7f maiden by Harry Wragg’s Romara. The next day One in a Million reappeared in the Nell Gwyn stakes and took on the 1000G favourite Devon Ditty, whom she easily beat and replaced as Guineas favourite. The next week Odeon, who was felt to be an Oaks contender, relatively spoilt the party by finishing only 4th in Epsom’s Princess Elizabeth Stakes.

This was to be the first of 9 outings Odeon made as a 3yo, surprisingly winning only one of them, the listed Galtres Stakes at York. But she never finished worse than 4th in those 9 runs and came 2nd in both the Nassau Stakes and Park Hill Stakes, and 3rd in the Musidora Stakes, Sun Chariot Stakes and Princess Royal Stakes. She went to the owner’s newly established Meon Valley Stud at the end of the season.

One in a Million ran only 4 times as a 3yo. As a lighly-framed filly she did not thrive or stand-up to training unlike her stablemate and the bloom was off her by June. However before that she duly won the 1000G and she did manage to win the Coronation Stakes on the disqualification of a filly she’d have thrashed a month earlier. Her last race was a disappointing unplaced effort in the July Cup. She joined Odeon at stud.

Reprocolor soon got into winning ways and when she took Newmarket’s Pretty Polly Stakes and then the Lingfield Oaks Trial it was obvious she was a filly of some merit. She followed up by winning the Lancashire Oaks beating the Oaks 3rd Britannia’s Rule and finished 3rd herself in the Yorkshire Oaks behind Connaught Bridge (who had beaten her stablemate Odeon in the Nassau). In racing ability she may have edged Odeon, but amazingly the result was that the Meon Valley Stud was established with 3 Group level mares from their first 3 purchases.

How did they do at stud? Rather well, and the least successful was Odeon who is now represented at the stud by 2 mares. Odeon’s most successful offspring was Shirley Superstar, who when sent to Caerleon produced the Oaks winner Lady Carla (sold by Meon Valley). The 2 remaining mares are both granddaughters of Shirley Superstar.

One in a Million has 9 mares representing her at the Meon Valley Stud. Her best offspring was Milligram. Born in the same year as Miesque, Sonic Lady and Forest Flower she still managed to win 2 Group 1s with the Coronation Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and finish 2nd in 3 others. Today Milligram has her granddaughter Kissogram at the stud, a filly who won the Sun Chariot Stakes. One in a Million also was also the dam of Someone Special who turned out to be a prolific mare and who produced the Juddmonte and Sun Chariot Stakes winner One So Wonderful, amongst others.

But both of these mares have been eclipsed by Reprocolor. She was a success from the start and as a root mare is one of the stars of the Stud Book. Currently she has 22 representatives at Meon Valley, which is a large number of descendants in one stud by any standard. The most famous descendant is probably the admirable colt Opera House (by Sadlers Wells and winner of the Eclipse/King George double) who is out of Reprocolor’s daughter Colorspin (by Shirley Heights), who won the Irish Oaks for the stud. His half-brother Kayf Tara won the Ascot Gold Cup and is a good NH stallion. But Colorspin also produced Zee Zee Top (Prix de l’Opera winner) who in turn produced Izzi Top. Other important horses were Necklace, Bella Colora and Cezanne amongst countless others. The family goes on.

Meon Valley Stud always sell their colts, and now sell the majority of their fillies. For example they have only 3 2yo fillies in training in 2014. Their yearlings are eagerly picked over at the best sales every year.

Often we get carried away with stallions but this is a story that shows mummy plays a part too. And sometimes the mummy may not be so obvious as a route to excellence, as in the case of Reprocolor and her pedigree. I’m sure luck has a lot to do with it but these purchases were inspired and there was always something in the pedigree of those three which gave hope. It paid off big-time.

 

Hi, Bustino. Good Article!
The mare, Zanzara, must have been in my passive memory because, as soon as I saw the name, I recalled her son, Showdown, who romped away with the Coventry Stakes as a 2 year old. Everyone thought he was a cert for the 2000 Guineas, but he had a poor three year old season- and then was top miler as a four year old.
Zanzara also sired Sam Armstrong's Nunthorpe winner, Matatina, who was later heavy odds on for the July Cup but was edged out by Scobie on Daylight Robbery for Arthur Budgett.

 

Thanks Bustino. Some very familiar names mentioned there. Certainly strengthens my thoughts on putting our Dancing Brave granddaughter to a decent thoroughbred stallion. She is currently in foal (repeat mating) to produce a show jumper http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pRRXmlV0eq0

Not sure whether to go for NH or flat though. Plenty of time to decide (had thought of Youmzain)

 

Yes Tam, Zanzara was a wonderful mare having 18 live foals. Showdown may have been the best but Matatina (by Grey Sovereign) wasn't bad as she's listed as Champion Sprinter (bit before my time), and she also was dam of again Sam Armstrong's New Chapter, who was a nice horse and won the Lincoln for Jack Hylton.
Showdown was big down under, or should I say was a big success as a sire in Australia.

You never know Ron. Look at her pedigree and see if there's anything hidden there.

 

Cheers Bustino. This is the pedigree:

Sire: True Brave by Dancing Brave (US) out of True Lady (US) - by Le Fabuleux out of Dancerina (US) by Never Bend (US)

Dam: Josee II
Sired by: Beaudelaire (US), son of Nijinski (Ca) out of Bitty Girl - by Habitat (US)
Out of: Babolina by Tropular, son of Troy

Any views on that would be gratefully received.