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Racing Post Article - Good Monring Bloodstock
Not many blue hen mares have a website dedicated to them, but the 1933-foaled Felstead mare Felsetta does.
Today's email, recognising a recent run of black-type success for this wonderful family, contains only a fragment of the information available on there.
I would recommend giving it a Google, as it contains lots of interesting titbits and is obviously a labour of love for the creator Barry Thompkins, a London taxi driver who became obsessed with the pedigree in the 1970s and has remained so ever since.
Felsetta's line, or at least one small branch of it, has blossomed again in the past few seasons, most recently with Maud Gonne Spirit's (pictured below) surprise victory in the Listed Listowel Stakes on Tuesday.
The six-year-old mare, bred by Mount Coote Stud and Mark Dixon, is by Intello and is the first foal out of the winning Cape Cross mare Bari, whose Listed-winning Dr Fong half-sister Brindisi is maternal granddam of both Luisa Casati, a five-year-old by Vadamos out of the unraced Duke Of Marmalade mare La Marchesa who took the Listed Daisy Warwick Stakes in May, and Dreamloper, a six-year-old by Lope De Vega out of the Listed-winning Teofilo mare Livia's Dream who beat the males to win the Prix d'Ispahan and Prix du Moulin last year.
The fact that Maud Gonne Spirit, Luisa Casati and Dreamloper all shone so brightly at an advanced age is no coincidence; for the Felsetta line was developed over many generations by Dick Hollingsworth, one of the last great British owner breeders, at Arches Hall Stud in Hertfordshire, which he took over upon his father's death in 1953.
When Hollingsworth jnr died in 2001, one obituary writer noted that "he adhered to the old-fashioned principle of trying to breed a winner of the Derby who would take the Gold Cup at four". Those were the days.
Bari and Brindisi were among seven winners bred by Dixon, a nephew of Hollingsworth who inherited his uncle's remaining stock and kept his spirit alive in breeding mainly for middle-distance excellence and stamina, out of the Listed-placed Zafonic mare Genoa.
Their other winning siblings included La Spezia, a Listed-placed daughter of Danehill Dancer from whom Dixon and Mount Coote Stud bred Doncaster Cup victor Thomas Hobson, and Torphichen, a Leicester maiden scorer who developed into a smart hurdler chaser.
Genoa was in turn one of six winners out of the Rainbow Quest mare Yawl, who carried Hollingsworth's famous crimson silks with silver braid and a typically nautical name to win the Rockfel Stakes and finish second in the Lupe Stakes, before being the subject of a gamble for the 1993 Oaks and going off favourite, only to fade badly after making the early running and finish a distant 12th behind Intrepidity.
Perhaps the plunge on Yawl was inspired by those old enough to recall her dam Bireme's heroics in the Epsom Classic in 1980. That Dick Hern-trained daughter of Grundy and the classy Ribot mare Ripeck represented the apex of Hollingsworth's long involvement in breeding, winning the Musidora and then the Oaks by two lengths from Vielle, in race record time.
Sadly, Bireme was never to run again, as she suffered from tendon issues and then one day during gentle exercise while recuperating she unshipped her rider and tore off into the countryside before crashing in a lane, resulting in severe cuts and bruises.
But she had at least put right a wrong, with Hollingsworth having come close to winning Classics with several members of this family without hitting the bullseye. In 1973 her Coronation Cup-winning half-brother Buoy finished second to Peleid in the St Leger, and two years later their 'nephew' Sea Anchor, out of their Nell Gwyn Stakes-winning half-sister Anchor, finished fourth in the Irish Derby.
A few decades earlier, Ark Royal, a half-sister to Ripeck's Park Hill Stakes-winning dam Kyak, had won the Lingfield Oaks Trial, Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Oaks and Park Hill but met with her only defeat when finding the fillies' Triple Crown winner Meld too good in the Oaks, and Ark Royal's half-sister Cutter - also out of Felucca, a daughter of Nearco and foundation mare Felsetta - ran third at Epsom.
Bireme also remained Hollingsworth's only Classic winner, although his signature family came up with a couple of others he might have had in different circumstances. He gave Cutle, Cutter's 1953-foaled daughter by Saint Crespin, to Jakie Astor as part of a mare swap arrangement and Astor would breed from her his Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Sharp Edge and St Leger hero Cut Above, who took the scalp of Shergar at Doncaster in 1981.
At least Cutter's daughter Pirogue, fourth in the Ribblesdale, produced for Hollingsworth his Gold Cup hero Longboat. In a sign of how highly regarded the owner-breeder's bloodlines were, Juddmonte acquired Three Stars, a Star Appeal half-sister to Longboat, and bred from her their Irish Oaks winner Bolas.
All things considered, Hollingsworth would have been looking down with immense pride and satisfaction ten years ago when Dixon co-bred and raced with James Rowsell the Oaks winner Talent, who hailed from the first crop of New Approach and is out of Prowess, a Listed-placed daughter of Peintre Celebre and Yawl.
Talent's female line was a statement of intent from Dixon and his uncle, as she and her first three dams Prowess, Yawl and Bireme all competed in the Oaks.
The full list of Group or Grade 1 winners and champions, in all disciplines around the world, descending from Felsetta is jaw-dropping. Besides those mentioned above are Daffodil in New Zealand, Fenomeno in Japan, Indigenous in Hong Kong, and the likes of Mail The Desert and Norse Dancer in Europe. You can even throw in a Grand National winner in Bindaree for good measure.
It's a testament to the talent (no pun intended) and versatility that can come from a dedication to breeding to stamina.
It really is worth checking out the Felsetta bloodline website to find out more. Thompkins gets a Good Morning Bloodstock gold star for his diligence and - this is sincerely meant as a compliment - his downright nerdiness.
Of course where there is staying power and abundant class, you'll usually find Japanese interest, and so it was no surprise to see Dreamloper sell to Katsumi Yoshida for $2.7 million at the Keeneland November Sale last year.
Coverings lodged with Weatherbys Bloodstock Reports reveal that she subsequently headed to Britain from Kentucky, to be covered by Kingman for her first mating.
Today's email, recognising a recent run of black-type success for this wonderful family, contains only a fragment of the information available on there.
I would recommend giving it a Google, as it contains lots of interesting titbits and is obviously a labour of love for the creator Barry Thompkins, a London taxi driver who became obsessed with the pedigree in the 1970s and has remained so ever since.
Felsetta's line, or at least one small branch of it, has blossomed again in the past few seasons, most recently with Maud Gonne Spirit's (pictured below) surprise victory in the Listed Listowel Stakes on Tuesday.
The six-year-old mare, bred by Mount Coote Stud and Mark Dixon, is by Intello and is the first foal out of the winning Cape Cross mare Bari, whose Listed-winning Dr Fong half-sister Brindisi is maternal granddam of both Luisa Casati, a five-year-old by Vadamos out of the unraced Duke Of Marmalade mare La Marchesa who took the Listed Daisy Warwick Stakes in May, and Dreamloper, a six-year-old by Lope De Vega out of the Listed-winning Teofilo mare Livia's Dream who beat the males to win the Prix d'Ispahan and Prix du Moulin last year.
The fact that Maud Gonne Spirit, Luisa Casati and Dreamloper all shone so brightly at an advanced age is no coincidence; for the Felsetta line was developed over many generations by Dick Hollingsworth, one of the last great British owner breeders, at Arches Hall Stud in Hertfordshire, which he took over upon his father's death in 1953.
When Hollingsworth jnr died in 2001, one obituary writer noted that "he adhered to the old-fashioned principle of trying to breed a winner of the Derby who would take the Gold Cup at four". Those were the days.
Bari and Brindisi were among seven winners bred by Dixon, a nephew of Hollingsworth who inherited his uncle's remaining stock and kept his spirit alive in breeding mainly for middle-distance excellence and stamina, out of the Listed-placed Zafonic mare Genoa.
Their other winning siblings included La Spezia, a Listed-placed daughter of Danehill Dancer from whom Dixon and Mount Coote Stud bred Doncaster Cup victor Thomas Hobson, and Torphichen, a Leicester maiden scorer who developed into a smart hurdler chaser.
Genoa was in turn one of six winners out of the Rainbow Quest mare Yawl, who carried Hollingsworth's famous crimson silks with silver braid and a typically nautical name to win the Rockfel Stakes and finish second in the Lupe Stakes, before being the subject of a gamble for the 1993 Oaks and going off favourite, only to fade badly after making the early running and finish a distant 12th behind Intrepidity.
Perhaps the plunge on Yawl was inspired by those old enough to recall her dam Bireme's heroics in the Epsom Classic in 1980. That Dick Hern-trained daughter of Grundy and the classy Ribot mare Ripeck represented the apex of Hollingsworth's long involvement in breeding, winning the Musidora and then the Oaks by two lengths from Vielle, in race record time.
Sadly, Bireme was never to run again, as she suffered from tendon issues and then one day during gentle exercise while recuperating she unshipped her rider and tore off into the countryside before crashing in a lane, resulting in severe cuts and bruises.
But she had at least put right a wrong, with Hollingsworth having come close to winning Classics with several members of this family without hitting the bullseye. In 1973 her Coronation Cup-winning half-brother Buoy finished second to Peleid in the St Leger, and two years later their 'nephew' Sea Anchor, out of their Nell Gwyn Stakes-winning half-sister Anchor, finished fourth in the Irish Derby.
A few decades earlier, Ark Royal, a half-sister to Ripeck's Park Hill Stakes-winning dam Kyak, had won the Lingfield Oaks Trial, Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Oaks and Park Hill but met with her only defeat when finding the fillies' Triple Crown winner Meld too good in the Oaks, and Ark Royal's half-sister Cutter - also out of Felucca, a daughter of Nearco and foundation mare Felsetta - ran third at Epsom.
Bireme also remained Hollingsworth's only Classic winner, although his signature family came up with a couple of others he might have had in different circumstances. He gave Cutle, Cutter's 1953-foaled daughter by Saint Crespin, to Jakie Astor as part of a mare swap arrangement and Astor would breed from her his Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Sharp Edge and St Leger hero Cut Above, who took the scalp of Shergar at Doncaster in 1981.
At least Cutter's daughter Pirogue, fourth in the Ribblesdale, produced for Hollingsworth his Gold Cup hero Longboat. In a sign of how highly regarded the owner-breeder's bloodlines were, Juddmonte acquired Three Stars, a Star Appeal half-sister to Longboat, and bred from her their Irish Oaks winner Bolas.
All things considered, Hollingsworth would have been looking down with immense pride and satisfaction ten years ago when Dixon co-bred and raced with James Rowsell the Oaks winner Talent, who hailed from the first crop of New Approach and is out of Prowess, a Listed-placed daughter of Peintre Celebre and Yawl.
Talent's female line was a statement of intent from Dixon and his uncle, as she and her first three dams Prowess, Yawl and Bireme all competed in the Oaks.
The full list of Group or Grade 1 winners and champions, in all disciplines around the world, descending from Felsetta is jaw-dropping. Besides those mentioned above are Daffodil in New Zealand, Fenomeno in Japan, Indigenous in Hong Kong, and the likes of Mail The Desert and Norse Dancer in Europe. You can even throw in a Grand National winner in Bindaree for good measure.
It's a testament to the talent (no pun intended) and versatility that can come from a dedication to breeding to stamina.
It really is worth checking out the Felsetta bloodline website to find out more. Thompkins gets a Good Morning Bloodstock gold star for his diligence and - this is sincerely meant as a compliment - his downright nerdiness.
Of course where there is staying power and abundant class, you'll usually find Japanese interest, and so it was no surprise to see Dreamloper sell to Katsumi Yoshida for $2.7 million at the Keeneland November Sale last year.
Coverings lodged with Weatherbys Bloodstock Reports reveal that she subsequently headed to Britain from Kentucky, to be covered by Kingman for her first mating.
