Cherubic another cheapie to cheer Richard Kent

Only two months after Cherubic was picked up by Richard Kent for 10,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, the daughter of Dark Angel stormed to a seven-length victory at Southwell on Tuesday on her first start for the Mickley Stud man.

Cherubic was sold by her previous trainer Charlie Hills with some uninspiring form figures, having failed to trouble the judge in five starts and struggling to a best Racing Post Rating of 52.

But Kent saw through that and, after purchasing the three-year-old, sent her to David Evans, who saddled her to win at Southwell.

The event was only a Class 6 handicap, but Kent's achievement of finding a filly with so much improvement in her for so little money should not be underestimated – especially as this is the third time in as many years he has managed the feat with Tattersalls December cheapies.

Englishwoman, bought for 2,000gns in 2015, was transformed from twice-raced maiden into a four-time winner with a best RPR of 80, while Heartstone, secured for 8,000gns a year later, went from being unable to win in ten starts before her sale to winning at Chepstow.

Englishwoman and Heartstone were, like Cherubic, bought out of Hills' yard and transferred to Evans.

Explaining what drew him to his latest shrewd purchase, Kent said on Monday: “She's by Dark Angel, and it's very hard to find an ungenuine one by him.

“She's a big, tall filly and looked like she had gone a bit weak, but she was very athletic and obviously hadn't been gunned, so I thought she was worth a chance.”

Regarding Cherubic's future, he added: “She'll go up seven or eight pounds for her win, but that's fine as we want her to be higher rated. She might go to grass for a while as she's still coming into herself.

“It would be lovely to keep her as a broodmare; I've nine by Dark Angel and I'd be more than happy to have ten, although every horse is always for sale at the right price.”

If Kent does retain Cherubic to breed from in future, he will have a mare with a fine pedigree.

The filly was bred by Marston Stud out of Doula, a winning daughter of Gone West and champion US two-year-old filly Phone Chatter. Her half-sister, the smart Amazing Beauty, is the dam of Mongolian Falcon, a Group 2 winner in Australia.

Meanwhile, Dark Angel is showing signs of being as influential in distaff pedigrees as he is in sire-lines. With his oldest crop aged only nine, his daughters have already produced the stakes winners Havana Grey and Hikmaa, plus Superlative Stakes third Great Prospector.

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