Thistle Bird purchase proves a smart move for George Strawbridge

George Strawbridge’s decision to purchase Thistle Bird, one of the prime members of the late Lady Rothschild’s Waddesdon Stud dispersal at the 2019 Tattersalls December Mare Sale, was rewarded with the encouraging debut by Epictetus in the opening race at Newmarket on Friday.

The Selkirk mare, who is now 14, twice won the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom and finished her racing career with a Group 1 victory under George Baker in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.

She has already produced a handful of winners for Roger Charlton’s stable, with members of the Rothschild family retaining three-year-old Gleneagles filly Jumbly, a Listed winner who has been on the Classic trail the season.

View the result and watch the replay here

When Strawbridge paid 750,000gns for Thistle Bird via James Wigan’s London Thoroughbred Services, she was in foal to Kingman and carrying Epictetus.

Carrying his white and green silks, the 11-1 chance beat another promising Kingman colt Leadman by a length and a quarter.

The Rothschild family through Wigan acquired Thistle Bird’s dam Dolma, a stakes winner who was third in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, from trainer Nicolas Clement at the same sale in 2005 and she was bought by Emerald Bloodstock at the Waddesdon dispersal.

"James Wigan bought Thistle Bird for George Strawbridge, she was a top-class mare for Roger and he’s had that nice filly Jumbly out of her," said his winning trainer John Gosden. "To get a horse like this straight away - it’s all about the owner-breeders."

Thistle Bird produced another colt, this time by Lope De Vega, in May last year.

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