Waldlerche hails from a German family flourishing with remarkable vigour

Nothing is guaranteed in breeding. We can't foresee which combination of chromosomes a foal will inherit from its parents in the great genetic lottery, and then there are the effects of nurture and the vagaries of fortune that can throw even the most meticulously thought out mating plan off course.

It is that mystery that keeps the industry turning, though. If it was only the progeny of superstar stallions and mares who succeeded on the track and at stud, and less flashily bred runners didn't sometimes outshine those with elite pedigrees, there would be no dream to sell.

For all that, often blood will out, and obvious candidates to excel in the breeding shed do just that. Take Kingman, for example: a champion son of Invincible Spirit and Classic heroine Zenda, he was always fancied to make it as a blue-chip sire and is rapidly on his way to doing so. Or Dar Re Mi, a multiple Group 1-winning daughter of Singspiel and Prix Vermeille scorer Darara who has produced a string of high-class offspring headed by Too Darn Hot.