Beautifully bred Special Lady springs a 50-1 shock on debut at Newcastle

Special Lady sprang a 50-1 shock when cruising to a comfortable success on debut for Newmarket trainer John Butler at Newcastle on Thursday.

The filly raced prominently in the Ladbrokes Where The National Plays Novice Stakes over seven furlongs on the Tapeta surface and eased to the lead a furlong from home, before being pushed out to score by two and a quarter lengths.

View full result and watch race replay

Special Lady beat into second Union, a Roger Varian-trained son of New Approach who had impressed when winning a similar contest over course and distance last month and was sent off the 4-9 favourite to follow up.

Jockey Barry McHugh reported after the race: “I think she's pretty decent. She went through the gate very well, travelled, and Johnny [Butler] just said get her switched off and ride her and see where you go from there.

“She gave me a nice feel when cantering down but she looked the part and I think she'll have quite a big future. She's quite a highly-strung filly and she just needed to settle, but the way she slipped through the gears was nice.”

Although Special Lady was overlooked by punters, she has an impressive pedigree and had six-figure values attached to her at auction.

She was bred in Kentucky by Michael Edward Connelly from the late Pioneerof The Nile, a son of Empire Maker who won the Hollywood Futurity and Santa Anita Derby and left his mark at stud by supplying the likes of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah, champion two-year-old Classic Empire and this month's Grade 3 Robert B Lewis Stakes winner Thousand Words.

Special Lady was conceived in the covering season immediately after American Pharoah's momentous three-year-old season, when Pioneerof The Nile's covering fee rocketed from $60,000 to $125,000.

Sadly, the sire died suddenly from a heart attack at WinStar Farm last March aged only 13.

Unsurprisingly, considering her dam was deemed worthy of being covered by Pioneerof The Nile at a six-figure fee, Special Lady has a strong distaff pedigree too.

She is out of the unraced Mineshaft mare Miner's Secret, who has also produced Conquest Titan (by Birdstone), a Listed winner at Woodbine and runner-up in the Holy Bull Stakes, and Coal Front (by Stay Thirsty), a dual Grade 2 winner in the Amsterdam Stakes and Godolphin Mile.

Coal Front is embarking on his stallion career this year, having been retired to Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky at a fee of $5,000 and made part of the operation's popular Share The Upside programme.

Miner's Secret's four-year-old son Laafy (by Noble Mission) was a $150,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Rabbah Bloodstock and is a dual winner for Sir Michael Stoute, including when defeating the smart Not So Sleepy to take a valuable handicap at Nottingham last August.

Miner's Secret also has a two-year-old colt by American Pharoah, sold to Robert C Baker and William Mack for $375,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and subsequently named Ram.

The mare, inbred 3x3 to both Mr Prospector and Seattle Slew, is descended from Moyglare Stud foundation mare Grenzen, ancestress of Group/Grade 1 winners Casual Conquest, Go And Go, Refuse To Bend, Media Puzzle and Twilight Agenda.

Special Lady was not sold at $335,000 as a foal at Keeneland and failed to attain her reserve again when bidding reached $390,000 for her at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale last May.

She carried the silks of Anita Nicol to victory at Newcastle on Thursday.

More news...

Cracking America is tough even when you're a champion and Frankel's brother

Tattersalls Ireland appoints Taragh Brady as sales and marketing executive

Five pedigree talking points from this year's Dublin Racing Festival