Armed guard for Kameko's breeze-up bound sister pinhooked for just $5,000

Kameko's Qipco 2,000 Guineas triumph was truly a global affair, with the son of Kitten's Joy bred and bought in the US, owned by Qatari royalty in Sheikh Fahad, and trained in Kingsclere, Hampshire by Andrew Balding.

The result also sent an almighty shockwave around the sleepy East Yorkshire village of Langtoft, where Church Farm's Roger Marley is preparing Kameko's three-parts sister for the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale (lot 346), which is being staged in Doncaster on July 1.

Despite being closely related to the Classic winner, the first-crop daughter of Calumet Farm's Big Blue Kitten was pinhooked from Keeneland's September Yearling Sale for the scarcely believable sum of $5,000.

But the youngster has appreciated so markedly in value thanks to the exploits of her older sibling that Marley joked he has sent his daughters, Hannah and Tilly, out with air rifles to keep guard over the filly.

Due diligence is essential when panning for pinhooking gold, and Atlantic Bloodstock had plainly done their research when unearthing the filly, who was catalogued as lot 4,352, on the tenth and final day of the mammoth Keeneland September Sale.

The filly's appeal was further concealed by the fact that Kameko, who had won and been placed in the Solario Stakes by this stage, was simply listed as a "two-year-old of 2019" in the Keeneland catalogue. He went on to win the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy on his final juvenile start.

Hannah Marley after putting the Big Blue Kitten filly out of Sweeter Still through her pacesCredit: Richard Marwood

"She was very, very late on in the sale and I think a lot of people had missed her even being in the catalogue," says Marley. "And at that stage maybe people wouldn't have been aware of Kameko.

"But she's had two massive updates since then, and because she was bought for the right price, the syndicate who own her are looking to go to Arqana and get a good profit. I believe there are five people involved so they're only in for $1,000 apiece. Whatever happens, there's going to be a good story behind the filly."

Two seismic pedigree updates are not the only source of optimism for Marley, who reports that the filly is pleasing him in her prep work. He also believes the interruptions to the sales schedule brought about by the global Covid-19 pandemic may prove to be a blessing in disguise for the April-born foal.

"I've had her since February," he says. "She's very straightforward, a strong, good-looking filly, she's not overly big but goes nicely. I believe she was quite weak when she was bought but she started to strengthen over the winter and has improved no end since she arrived here.

"She's just stepping up in her prep now. Because it was stop-start, the horses for the French sale never got as far as quickening up before lockdown began. It was only the ones for the earlier sales who had to stop.

"Once we got the idea that the sales weren't going to be until the end of June I threw eight fillies out in the field, and because the weather has been so sunny and dry they've absolutely thrived. She was one of those."

Roger Marley: 'She was very, very late on in the sale and I think a lot of people had missed her even being in the catalogue'Credit: Peter Mooney

Few would begrudge any breeze-up vendor a slice of good fortune in the current climate, with the entire sector having endured massive uncertainty over when sales would be allowed to take place. But with the sales schedule becoming clearer and racing resuming in Britain and Ireland, albeit behind closed doors, Marley has reason for a more optimistic outlook.

"Some of ours would have been well ready for the original dates and would have run, won and, under normal circumstances, now be heading to Royal Ascot," he says. "But obviously that meeting will have been and gone before we've had the chance to sell these horses.

"There are plenty of other good races for these horses to still be aimed at though. Getting racing back was massive because I don't think we could have had sales without racing going ahead. Hopefully owners will be allowed to go and watch their horses run once we're into July, that would make a huge difference."

Marley, who sells in partnership with John Cullinan of Horse Park Stud and counts Brando, Fox Champion and Mehmas among his past graduates, explained that a personal involvement with the Qatar Racing team ensured Kameko's success was one he would not forget in a hurry.

"I'm involved with the team in a background way as I do quite a bit of pre-training for Qatar Racing, and David Redvers sends quite a few horses up here," he says. "It was great to see that result for the team - it was a fantastic result for all involved."

More news:

Find out how the O'Brien family had an unlikely hand in the breeding of Kameko

Breeze-up dates rescheduled in response to revised racecourse fixtures

Where are they now: updates on the sales-topping yearlings of 2019

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