TRAINER Andy Slattery paid €12,000 for Solene Lilyette at the Goffs online February Sale this year.

The Moyglare Stud-bred four-year-old had raced seven times from Dermot Weld’s yard, but only on her final start did she manage to make it into the first three.

Being a daughter of Pivotal (Polar Falcon), and from an outstanding Moyglare family, would have made her attractive to breeders. After all, the Cheveley Park Stud stallion has established himself as a preeminent broodmare sire, his daughters producing a host of great racehorses. They include Magical, Cracksman, Advertise, Love, Hermosa, Fairyland, One Master, Hydrangea, Rhododendron, Mayson, Main Sequence and more.

Thankfully the Killenaule handler had other ideas, and in April he saddled the 25/1 shot to win a maiden over a mile at Limerick in the colours of Eimear O’Brien. Already the €12,000 was money well spent.

Three weeks later Solene Lilyette was out again, over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown, and she was in the winners’ enclosure for the second time.

Attention

This win caught the attention of potential buyers and when the filly next ran, at the Curragh at the end of June, she finished a creditable second. This time she sported the silks of Team Valor International LLC and Gary Barber, indicating that her future probably lies in racing in the USA. Thankfully she has not headed stateside yet, and this week she boosted her value significantly when winning the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Hurry Harriet Stakes at Gowran Park.

Solene Lilyette is the best of three winners from Supernovae, a winning daughter of Dalakhani (Darshaan) who was herself sold to the Wallace’s Grenane House Stud for €16,000 in 2017. They are the breeders of this year’s classic winner Mother Earth.

Supernovae is a daughter of Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes winner Dress To Thrill (Danehill), the best winner produced by the Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Trusted Partner (Affirmed).