'She leaves a lasting legacy' - Blue Diamond Stud announces death of top broodmare Pearling

Blue Diamond Stud has announced the death of its top-class broodmare Pearling, the dam of triple Group 1 winner Decorated Knight, at the age of 17, having produced a Frankel filly foal.

In a tweet, the operation said:  "Very sad to lose Pearling this week. She was one of the first mares to join Blue Diamond and gave us a true star in Decorated Knight. She leaves a lasting legacy with us and we are lucky to have three of her daughters."

Purchased by Tony Nerses from Highclere Stud for 1,300,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2011, she then sold to Blue Diamond from New England Stud for 2,400,000gns at the same sale in 2018. 

Pearling's leading progeny is Decorated Knight, a son of Galileo whose three Group 1 successes came in the Jebel Hatta, Tattersalls Gold Cup and Irish Champion Stakes. The 11-year-old currently stands at the Irish National Stud. 

Pearling also produced the winning Frankel mare Ambrosia, already the dam of a winner in the promising Justify filly Aunt Shirley. She had sold to Winstar Farm for 1,300,000gns at the Mares Sale in 2018.

A regally bred daughter of Storm Cat and Mariah's Storm, Pearling was a full-sister to the great Giant's Causeway as well as blue hen You'resothrilling, the dam of top-flight winners Gleneagles, Marvellous, Happily and Joan Of Arc, and the Group 1-placed Taj Mahal, Vatican City, Toy and Coolmore. 

From a truly outstanding family, Pearling was also a full-sister to the Group-placed Freud, Tumblebrutus and Tiger Dance, as well as a half-sibling to other Group-placed performers in Hanky Panky and Butterflies, both by Galileo. 

Pearling looks set to have her legacy continued in the future with a four-year-old Galileo daughter called Blue Diamond - who produced a Siyouni colt foal this year and has been covered by Dubawi - as well as a two-year-old Kingman filly called Haute Couture in training with John and Thady Gosden. She had been due to return to Frankel.

Read more

'He has taken to his new role extremely well' - first mares scanned in foal to Stradivarius 

Nina Carberry moving into the fast lane with Goffs Dubai consignment