BRITISH-BRED GROUP 1 SUCCESS FOR FALLEN ANGEL AT THE CURRAGH
FALLEN ANGEL (GB), by Darley stallion TOO DARN HOT (GB), dug deep to win the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes for trainer Karl Burke and owner Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics. The grey filly now has three wins from four starts.
The two-year-old is a homebred for Parkin's Branton Court Stud and the first Group 1 winner for Dalham Hall-based first season sire Too Darn Hot. Fallen Angel is the fourth foal out of the late LAWMAN mare AGNES STEWART.
Bred by the Lloyd-Webber's Watership Down Stud, Too Darn Hot is out of their successful broodmare DAR RE MI (GB). The sire stood this season for £40,000 and has so far sired 14 individual winners including other notable Group 3 winners DARNATION and CAROLINA REAPER (GB).
Speaking with Great British Racing International earlier today, Joe Foley, bloodstock adviser to Branton Court Stud, described the breeding operation:
“A magnificent culmination of setting up a beautiful three hundred acre farm around his [Steve Parkin] home where his family lives. He and his family are very close to the mares and also help foal them and watch them as they grow. To win a Group 1 very early in the life of Branton Court Stud was very satisfying for Steve, his family and for the team.
“Branton Court Stud is very young in its lifetime. The first foal was born there around five years ago. It started with five or six mares and has grown to 30 very nice mares selected from his racing stock primarily. Most are Stakes-winning fillies and that was our ambition. We have DRAMATISED who won the Queen Mary last year and the Temple Stakes this year. This year’s crop already includes this filly [Fallen Angel], DOROTHY LAWRENCE (GB) who just missed in the Dick Poole last Thursday and STARLUST (GB) who won the Gr.3 Sirenia Stakes on Saturday for Jim and Fitri Hay and Ralph Beckett. So we almost had three Group winners in the last five days from a crop of 12 foals. It’s clear the farm is working well and is testament to a lot of people.”
Foley went on to explain the thinking behind Too Darn Hot:
“We normally like to start the race fillies off with proven sires and then use an unproven sire in the mare’s third or fourth year. It’s sort of a policy I like to do. If we’re using an unproven sire we are pretty keen to use high-class racehorses and Too Darn Hot was a high-class racehorse with a tremendous pedigree. He blended very well with this mare who is by Lawman.
“Sadly, Fallen Angel is the last foal out of Agnes Stewart, hence the name. The fact that her dam is no longer with us makes it all the more emotional. We have another daughter of hers, her first foal, a winning DARK ANGEL filly and we covered her this year. It is her first cover and because Fallen Angel was showing such promise, we covered her to Too Darn Hot.”
Fallen Angel will most likely head to Newmarket for the Fillies’ Mile on the 13th October.