THERE is something special about a first winner, and the connections of Cappella Sansevero, especially Michéal Orlandi, must have been over the moon when Pierre Lapin gave their sire his first winner recently. Not only that, the Ballyphilip Stud-bred two-year-old colt is a half-brother to the champion sprinter and now Darley stallion Harry Angel (Dark Angel).

The first son of Showcasing (Oasis Dream) to become a sire, Cappella Sansevero was well supported by Irish breeders in his first season in 2016 when he covered around 100 mares. He had already made headline news as a two-year-old in 2014. He was sold for £1,560,000 at Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot, and was second the following day in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes. He won four of his eight starts that season and was placed in three of the other four, all at group level.

Cappella Sansevero beat Group 1 winner Dick Whittington at Naas before landing the Listed Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh, which he won by over three lengths.

After his sale he won the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh, was a close third to Dick Whittington and Kool Kompany in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh and then ended his racing career with a creditable fourth to Charming Thought, Ivawood and Muhaarar in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket, with Kool Kompany behind him.

Pierre Lapin (the French for Peter Rabbit) sold for 140,000gns as a yearling to Roger Varian from Paul and Marie McCartan’s Ballyphilip Stud. Group 1 winning sibling Harry Angel was bred by Paul and Marie’s CBS Bloodstock. From just a dozen starts the latter won the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket and the Group 1 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock. He and Pierre Lapin are two of the three winners from the Cadeaux Genereux (Young Generation) mare Beatrix Potter. She too was bred by Paul McCartan and sold as a yearling for €120,000 before being reacquired.

Her appeal as a broodmare was that her half-brother Xtension (Xaar) won the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at two, was runner-up in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes to Canford Cliffs and third in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes. At three he was third in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat and fourth to Makfi in the 2000 Guineas. He moved to Hong Kong where he won some £2.3 million and landed the Group 1 BMW Champions’ Mile twice.