'For her to do what she did is the cherry on top and is why we're doing it'

A daughter of Frankel winning on the late, great Bobby Frankel's birthday and named after trainer Chad Brown's first employee - McKulick's Belmont Oaks success appeared to be written in the stars.

The filly's barnstorming victory in Saturday's Grade 1 was not only an emotional triumph for Brown but also a memorable first top-level success for Adrian and Philippa O’Brien's Hazelwood Bloodstock, an outlet based in Exning, Newmarket and one that started not too long ago.

General manager Adrian O'Brien said: "We have only been going for six and a half years and [dam] Astrelle was only a maiden when we opened our doors, so she has done remarkably well in that time."

Hindsight is a fine thing after her Grade 1 win for Brown and Klaravich Stables, although the team at Hazelwood Bloodstock evidently thought plenty of the filly from the moment of her birth on March 19, 2019.

O'Brien said: "I pulled up her foaling report here and 'a quality filly and a great result' was my final comment. We liked her from the get-go and she's always had a very even temperament, the Frankels in general are very good and she was no different.

McKulick: 'We liked her from the get-go and she's always had a very even temperament.'Credit: Hazelwood Bloodstock

"We've had quite a few Frankels pass through our relatively small numbers. We have exceptional clients with exceptional bloodstock so they deserve to go to the best. This filly was typical of Frankel in her appearance, maybe a little small as a yearling but that's typical of the mare as she's not very big in stature. She's probably thrown more to the sire than the dam."

McKulick's first success at Graded level was remarkable in more ways than one as she is the third Group or Graded winner from as many runners for her dam, the Makfi mare Astrelle who was a dual winner and second in the Oh So Sharp Stakes for Marco Botti and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum after selling to Johnny McKeever for just €30,000 from the SGA September Yearling Sale in 2013.

Just a ten-year-old, Astrelle quickly got rolling in her second career when her first foal Fearless King won the German 2,000 Guineas in 2020. The son of Kingman has since retired to take up stallion duties at Gestut Helenenhof.

Astrelle has also produced Just Beautiful, the winner of the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes for Ivan Furtado last year before selling to BBA Ireland for 625,000gns at last year's Tattersalls December Mare Sale. The daughter of Pride Of Dubai moved to Paddy Twomey for Moyglare Stud Farm.

He continued: "I'm very pleased for the breeder of McKulick [Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum's Essafinaat] as he's a wonderful supporter of racing and breeding in the UK, Australia, America and Dubai as well.

"We're so privileged to have a client like him and Astrelle is now in rarefied air, she's an absolute superstar and we're so delighted to have her. I can't recall too many mares who have got off to such a brilliant start at stud, we're very proud of her."

Astrelle's next foals have plenty to live up to in the hoofprints of their illustrious siblings, although given their dam's simply outstanding record, further big-race glory cannot be ruled out.

O'Brien said: "She's got a Cracksman two-year-old colt who was bought last year by Alastair Donald on behalf of King Power Racing and is in training with Andrew Balding. She also has a Calyx yearling filly who will be retained and a filly foal by Pinatubo at foot."

Plans for next year's covering are a touch premature but O'Brien hints he would not mind returning to the source that has produced such an exciting and talented filly.

Astrelle (yellow silks): Group-placed filly and now the dam of McKulick, Fearless King and Just BeautifulCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

He said: "We haven't got too far in those discussions but I think it's fairly obvious who I'd like to send her back to, but that's a discussion for the breeder and a conversation we'll have much later in the year I'd expect."

In what proved a twist of fate, McKulick almost did not meet her date with destiny in Park Paddocks' sales ring, as O'Brien explained: "She was almost retained by her breeder to race, initially we didn't have her on the list to go to the sales but then the plan changed."

McKulick ultimately found her way to Tattersalls for Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale, where she made 180,000gns to American agent Mike Ryan, who had also picked up subsequent Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed In Italian, a daughter of Dubawi, for 475,000gns from the previous year's sale.

"She could have been racing in the UK but I'm delighted for Mike Ryan, who's a superb judge of horseflesh and has bought two from us now at the sales in this filly and one called In Italian," O'Brien continued. "Both of them are very good and hopefully he will be back. He and Chad have been terrific supporters of our consignment at Book 1 so we're thrilled for them."

While there has been some concern over the large selection of yearlings making their way Stateside in recent years, O'Brien is very much a supporter of agents and owners from all over the world making their presence felt at the premier yearling event.

He explained: "I welcome them with open arms as they are a significant force at the Book 1 sale, why would we not welcome them to bolster the market? Global racing is such a small place these days, whether we're winning in the UK or Australia or America, we all know what's going on in every jurisdiction. If it strengthens the market then I'm all for it."

Adrian O'Brien: 'For McKulick to do what she did is the cherry on top and is why we're doing.'Credit: Laura Green

O'Brien is also looking ahead to this year's yearling sales - albeit with the smallest hint of nerves - with a particularly strong bunch to present at Book 1 including a number by Dubawi from excellent families.

He said: "We're very fortunate to have a strong bunch of yearlings to sell this year, we will have our biggest Book 1 draft ever with ten catalogued including a Dubawi brother to our Book 1 sale-topper Noble Dynasty and a Dubawi colt out of a sister to Highland Reel in Via Condotti.

"I'm nervous but excited at the same time. It's an exciting year for us and we are really looking forward to it. It's great to produce sale-toppers and quality stock but for McKulick to do what she did is the cherry on top and is why we're doing it."

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