Mark-ups continue for Lady Gorgeous as daughter takes Group 1 glory

A swoop by renowned agent Mags O'Toole for both Pretty Gorgeous and her dam on the very same day at Arqana in December 2018 continues to have the most spectacular of consequences, as the daughter of Lawman clinched the Group 1 bet365 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket on Friday.

O’Toole bought the French-bred as a foal for €55,000 from her breeders Haras du Cadran, and paid €40,000 for the Compton Place mare Lady Gorgeous, a Listed-placed maiden winner for Mick Channon.

Less than a year later, Pretty Gorgeous was consigned by Ciaran 'Flash' Conroy's Glenvale Stud at Tattersalls Book 1 and moved into Joseph O'Brien's care for 525,000gns.

Already a winner of the Group 2 Debutante Stakes for powerful US owner John Oxley, she had finished second to regular rival Shale in the Moyglare before making her own top-level breakthrough with a characteristically gutsy performance.

Most interestingly from a sales perspective, with next week's Tattersalls Book 2 fast approaching, is the presence of her Shalaa half-brother in the catalogue.

Mags O'Toole (pictured with Noel Meade) bought Pretty Gorgeous as a foalCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

The yearling was consigned by Norelands at Park Paddocks as a foal, being picked up by Peter and Ross Doyle for 90,000gns and is being offered again as lot 915 from Pier House Stud.

Pretty Gorgeous is the fourth foal of Lady Gorgeous, who already has French ten-furlong Listed winner Alwaab on her CV. She also has a Zoffany colt foal and made her most recent visit to No Nay Never.

O'Brien's filly was also becoming a belated sixth Group 1 flagbearer for her sire Lawman, a reliable source of talent who has been standing at Haras de Grandcamp for the last two seasons after moving from Ballylinch Stud.

The Prix du Jockey Club winner has been better-known for his Classic winners Just The Judge and Harbour Law, but he also sired Futurity winner Marcel and had a Fillies' Mile runner-up six years ago when Agnes Stewart ran Forever Together close on the Rowley Mile.

While the rest of the opening afternoon of the Dubai Future Champions Festival was very much garlanded in the blue and white of King Power Racing with three of the five Group winners, it was also an occasion of note for breeder and bloodstock agent James Wigan.

The Wigan family bred Angel Power, the progressive and easy winner of the Darley Pride Stakes out of the Aussie Rules mare Burning Rules, while James Wigan is a part-owner of Jane Chapple-Hyam's unbeaten Oh So Sharp Stakes victress Saffron Beach.

She was the second Group winner in the career of increasingly-impressive Ballylinch recruit New Bay, following that of New Mandate at the same course a fortnight ago in the Royal Lodge.

Meanwhile at Compiegne on Friday, there was another stakes winner for a broodmare who would not be seen anywhere near a sales ring.

Zarkava, one of the most priceless assets of the Aga Khan's studs after an unbeaten career culminating in the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, has taken a little while to settle into her role in the paddocks.

Her fourth foal, Zarak, was her first to see the track but ended up a Group 1 winner, and his first yearlings have been selling in recent weeks.

Zarkava now has her third black-type scorer in the shape of Siyouni filly Zaykava, who dealt with the heavy ground to land the Listed Prix Charles Laffitte in ultimately comfortable style.

Trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre had reported that the three-year-old had suffered a minor hold-up before her debut at the same track in early July.

Should connections draw stumps on a winning note, a two-year-old half-brother by Sea The Stars, named Zaskar, waits in the wings.

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