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Half-sisters to Amazing Maria and Nichols Canyon to clash on debut

Pair will line up in the fillies' novice stakes at Catterick on Saturday

A Golden Horn half-sister to the dual Group 1-winning miler Amazing Maria and an Exceed And Excel half-sister to the exceptional hurdler Nichols Canyon will line up against each other on debut in the 7f at Catterick on Saturday.

Like Amazing Maria, Golden Hind is trained by David O'Meara and will carry the same distinctive silks of owner-breeder Sir Robert Ogden, with Shane Gray booked for the ride.

Ogden bred Amazing Maria and Golden Hind out of the winning Tale Of The Cat mare Messias Da Silva, who he sourced for $700,000 at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Calder Selected Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

The mare has produced three winners to date led by Amazing Maria, a tough grey mare who won both the Falmouth Stakes and Prix Rothschild as a four-year-old.

Secret Smile, meanwhile, was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock out of the Dalakhani mare Zam Zoom, who is best known as the dam of the outstanding hurdler Nichols Canyon, whose eight Grade 1 hurdle wins preceded his untimely death from a fall in the 2017 Leopardstown Christmas Hurdle.

Nichols Canyon proved incredibly versatile, winning elite events from two to three miles, including a 12-length triumph in the 2016 Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown and a memorable success in the 2017 Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Zam Zoom is also noted as a Flat broodmare, with Nichols Canyon having been saddled to two Listed wins on the level by John Gosden, before he was switched to the yard of Willie Mullins, and her winning New Approach daughter Bright Approach having finished third to Anipa in the 2014 Cheshire Oaks.

Secret Smile caught the eye of Mark Johnston at 22,000gns at last year's Tattersalls Book 1, with only four other yearlings selling for less than that amount at that particular auction.

Franny Norton will get the leg-up on the Barbara and Alick Richmond-raced filly.

Of those with experience, the Karl Burke-trained and John Dance-owned Gleneagles filly Bound For Heaven, a £140,000 purchase at last year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, can improve on her debut seventh on the Newcastle all-weather in September.


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Ollie O'DonoghueRacing Post Reporter

Published on 18 October 2019inNews

Last updated 20:10, 19 October 2019

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