BRED by Peter Balding at his Throckmorton Court Stud, Hilitany was the highest-priced yearling in the first crop of Ubettabelieveit (Kodiac), sold to Hamish Macauley in Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

When Hilitany next appeared, it was under the O’Callaghan’s Tally-Ho Stud banner at last spring’s Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale, where he made a healthy profit, purchased for £300,000 by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. This price got him in among the top 10 lots at the sale. He joined George Boughey and raced for KHK Racing, but now competes under the renamed Victorius Forever, owned by brothers Sheikh Nasser and Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Beaten less than a length on his first run at Ffos Las, Hilitany then won a pair of novice events at Windsor, before being thrown in at the deep end for the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes. He was less than five lengths off the winner. Three starts in Meydan were somewhat disappointing this year, but back in England and Hilitany resumed his winning ways when taking the honours in the Listed Spring Cup at Lingfield, his first run over seven furlongs. This win, and any future success, will benefit the sale prospects of his yearling own-brother.

With crops of 75 or more from each of his first three years at stud, Ubettabelieveit will be well represented, and he had 13 winners with his first juvenile runners last year. His son Iriseach won at Del Mar before being beaten less than a length in a Grade 3 at the same track. The sire’s tally of winners has risen to 15, with four successful this year alone, and he now has his first stakes winner. Bred by Ringfort Stud, Ubettabelieveit stands for a reduced fee of £4,000 this year, after four years at £5,000, and if it is winners you want to breed, you can’t find much better.

Last year Ubettabelieveit’s yearlings realised up to 90,000gns (bought by Alex Elliott), while others were purchased by such as Amy Murphy, Jamie Piggott, Rabbah Bloodstock, Peter and Ross Doyle, Phil Cunningham, Highflyer Bloodstock and Rod Millman. Richard Kent stands Ubettabelieveit at his Mickley Stud in Shropshire, while John Walsh looks after nomination enquiries in Ireland.

Smart yearling

Hilitany is the seventh foal out of Sand And Deliver (Royal Applause). All of them have run and four are winners. When Hilitany was catalogued last year, just one of his dam’s winners was named on the page, Columnist (Ardad). He too was a smart yearling purchase, by Con Marnane for 8,000gns, and he sold as a breezer for a tasty £170,000 to Blandford Bloodstock. He was best at two, winning on his debut for Wathnan Racing, and was just denied in a blanket finish when third in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, beaten a nose and a head.

Sand And Deliver showed one glimmer of form at two, but little in six other starts. This was in contrast to her full-brother Finjaan (Royal Applause). Raced by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum who bred him, Finjaan stood five seasons as a stallion at Gazeley Stud with minor success. He was smart at two and three, winning the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes as a juvenile, and returned to Goodwood at three to add the Group 2 Lennox Cup. He was a short-head behind Intense Focus in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes in third, with Lord Shanakill finishing a nose in front of him in second.

Ubettabelieveit was another to show his best at two, trained by Nigel Tinkler. He won half of his six starts as a juvenile, including the Listed National Stakes at Sandown and the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster. He then travelled to Keeneland and finished third to Golden Pal in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Golden Pal the following year won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and stands at Ashford Stud.

No surprise

That Hilitany should become the latest stakes winner in his female line is no real surprise. Every generation has thrown up good winners, and a fine example is Hilitany’s third dam, Cheval Volant (Kris S). She won the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at two and trained on to add the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes the following year at Santa Anita.

Though none of her seven successful offspring earned any form of blacktype, Cheval Volant is grandam of Lahan (Unfuwain). In four starts she won three times, and after taking the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at two, she started her second season with victory in the Group 1 1000 Guineas.

Just over a decade after that classic win for Lahan, a champion emerged in the family, this time in the pedigree’s fourth remove. This was My Miss Aurelia (Smart Strike). She was the best juvenile filly in the USA in 2011, with half of her six wins gained at Grade 1 level. Unbeaten in four starts at two, she ended her first season with victories in the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. At three she added the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes, and was runner-up to Royal Delta (won six Grade 1s) in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic.

In spite of his value, support for Ubettabelieveit fell sharply last year, and those breeders who are expecting foals by the sire this spring could really benefit from a scarcity value when they come to sale time. There are some 75 yearlings by him on the ground.