Pearl hunting expedition to Tattersalls paying off for Liz Crow

The possibility of finding a filly of the calibre of runaway Breeders’ Cup winner Aunt Pearl seemed a remote one as Liz Crow familiarised herself with the rhythm of the 2019 Tattersalls yearling sales.

If navigating the labyrinthine stable complex and understanding novel pedigrees had been challenge enough for an American on her buying debut at a British auction, she could not seem to land a blow in the ring either.

"Our first day of Book 1 was a little bit depressing," Crow recalls. "We were like, 'Wow, maybe we came over here a book too soon’. We were really getting knocked around by the likes of Chad Brown, Mike Ryan, Godolphin and Shadwell on everything we were looking to buy.