Not a win between them but just look at how this Stuart Williams duo turned out!

The British and French 1,000 Guineas winners were by two of Europe’s pre-eminent sires in Galileo and Siyouni. But while that is familiar territory, what odds the two fillies' dams having been trained by Stuart Williams with not a victory between them in 14 starts?

A huge price, surely, but that is exactly what came to pass, with Venetias Dream's daughter Dream And Do claiming the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Deauville, and Pikaboo's daughter Love prevailing at Nemmarket.

Venetias Dream managed a rating no higher than 51, her best effort from nine starts for Williams probably being a third in a lowly sprint handicap at Wolverhampton sprint in October 2012.

Pikaboo - top-rated 55 - managed a fourth in a Southwell sprint maiden in December 2006 on the first of three starts for Williams, having run twice for John Gosden.

As Williams pointed out, however, the two mares did have pedigrees to give themselves a chance in the paddocks.

“They’re both from very good families,” he said. “We had a half-sister to Venetias Dream called Dreamacha, who was quite a decent filly and we were unlucky not to get black type with her. One of my owners, Barry Root, from Essex Racing Club, had bred Dreamacha from what was at the time quite an old mare.”

The familiarity with Dreamacha and her dam led to Essex Racing Club buying Venetias Dream as a yearling for 4,800gns, but the daughter of Librettist proved unable to emulate the success of her 90-rated sibling.

“Venetias Dream was just never that sound at home,” explained Williams. “She missed a lot of her two-year-old career and we just couldn’t get her to produce anything on the track, even though she had shown us a little bit at home.

"We never got any joy out of her on the track and we just decided after a while to pull the plug.”

Dream And Do (noseband) shades the French 1,000 Guineas from Speak Of The DevilCredit: Scoop Dyga / France Galop

Just over a week after her final start, Venetias Dream was sold at the 2013 Tattersalls February Sale for 1,000gns - just over the minimum bid - to a Libyan buyer, Reda Tuhami.

At the time she was a half-sister to two stakes performers, with her grandam a seven-time stakes producer and grandam of German Group 1 winner Ransom O’War.

It wasn’t until Venetias Dream’s half-sister L’Enjoleuse produced winning top miler Charm Spirit that she was brought back from Libya as a much more valuable breeding prospect. In-foal to Siyouni, Venetias Dream returned to Tattersalls for the 2016 December Mares Sale, selling for 80,000gns.

Love’s dam Pikaboo, on the other hand, fetched a fair bit more as a yearling, securing a place in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and selling for 85,000gns to John Gosden when consigned by Peter Molony’s Rathmore Stud.

However, she was to be sold out of Gosden’s yard for 20,000gns to David Redvers after two uninspiring starts, and wound up with Williams.

Pikaboo did have a regal bloodline, hence her prestigious Book 1 entry. A daughter of influential broodmare sire Pivotal, her three-parts brother Arabian Gleam would subsequently become a triple Group 2 winner over seven furlongs. She would also have a strong foundation, hailing from the family of dual Guineas winner Don’t Forget Me.

Love strides clear in the 1,000 Guineas for Ryan Moore and the Aidan O'Brien stableCredit: Alan Crowhurst

“Pikaboo also had a very good pedigree,” said Williams. “David and I were at the sales when she was going through the ring and decided to buy her to try and win a race with her. Unfortunately, Mr Gosden couldn’t get her to win a race and neither could I - at least I was in good company!

“We kept her as a broodmare for a couple of years, where she went to some of David’s stallions at Tweenhills, starting with Ishiguru and then to Sleeping Indian. David, who was a major shareholder, decided after we’d sold the Lucky Story yearling to also sell the mare, when in foal in Makfi.”

The 22,000gns Lucky Story yearling turned out to be Lucky Kristale, a star filly for the George Margarson yard, winning the Duchess of Cambridge and Lowther Stakes - and so propelling Pikaboo into matings with Galileo after her acquisition by Coolmore.

“It was a little bit unfortunate but these sort of stories happen all the time in racing," reflected Williams.

"It’s coincidence the two fillies ended up with me. Mind you, perhaps I could make a strapline out of it - something like, 'Even if I can’t get your filly to win a couple of races, you might have a decent chance of breeding a Guineas winner!'”

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