THE Brocklesby Stakes is the traditional opening two-year-old race of the British flat racing season. It was first contested in 1849 as an all-age, mile and a half race at Carholme racecourse in Lincoln, but became a five-furlong race for two-year-olds in 1875. It moved to Doncaster in 1965.

For people of a certain age, its best winners have included Deep Diver, Provideo, The Last Lion and Hearts Of Fire. This year it was won by the Richard Fahey-trained Show Me Show Me. Bred at the Harper’s Whitsbury Manor Stud, the winner is by their fantastically successful Showcasing (Oasis Dream) and the first foal of the six-time winner Springing Baroness, a daughter of Bertolini (Danzig).

SURPRISE

The first surprise when you look at the colt’s pedigree is that he should have made only £24,000 as a yearling last year at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. This was a sale with an average of more than £45,000 and a median of £35,000. After all, his sire now commands a fee of £55,000, and in the year of Show Me Show Me’s conception he stood for £25,000.

The clue may be in the fact that his dam was a six-race winner, but in Hungary. This is the country that gave us one of the greatest racehorses of all time, the unbeaten 54-race winner Kinscem (Cambuscan) who was successful all over Europe, including in England, and the best racehorse ever bred in Hungary. She raced in the second half of the 19th century.

Hungarian racing is not now so highly valued, regrettably, but a win is a win, and to win six times is noteworthy. Springing Baroness did her winning at the ages of four to six, perhaps another mark against her, but her victories were all at seven furlongs or a mile. She was sought out for repatriation to Britain as her half-brother Toocoolforschool, also a son of Showcasing, emerged in 2014 as a very smart juvenile, winning the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes.

Sadly Springing Baroness was barren to Adaay (Kodiac) in 2017 and last year she was covered again by Showcasing. Here Ed Harper takes up the story. “Believe it or not Springing Baroness foaled a full-sister to Show Me Show Me less than 24 hours after the race! She’s a lovely filly, looks a bit leggier than her brother. The mare is visiting Adaay this season as we are sending him a good deal of nice mares. For the second year in a row the nicest foals we have at home are by Adaay so we are making sure he gets every chance and he’s been very popular again with breeders not wanting to spend a fortune.”

WINNERS

Springing Baroness’ sire Bertolini won at up to Group 3 level and was runner-up in three Group 1 races, the Middle Park Stakes, Nunthorpe Stakes and Haydock Sprint Cup. He sired just a pair of Group 1 winners in 12 crops, the Cheveley Park Stakes winner Donna Blini, and the New Zealand-bred Juice, winner of their TB Breeders’ Stakes. He was responsible for 20 stakes winners in all.

Springing Baroness is one of three winners from the Hector Protector (Woodman) mare Spring Surprise, a winner at two who changed hands the following year for just 4,000gns. After the emergence of Toocoolforschool, she was sold again, this time in a private transaction to Joe Foley’s Ballyhane Stud for €70,000. She was in foal to Kodiac (Danehill) and the colt she produced made £210,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in 2017. Named Wartime Hero, he is with Ger Lyons and was runner-up in a Curragh maiden last year on his debut before tackling listed company. He is a horse who could be one to watch for in 2019.

Spring Surprise’s dam Tender Moment (Caerleon) won three times, taking until the age of four to do so for the first time. She was a prolific winner producer at stud, all but one of her 12 foals running and winning. However, the best performer was Beau Michael (Medicean) and while he was successful five times on the level, it was over hurdles and fences that he excelled, winning 10 National Hunt races at up to Grade 2 level over the smaller obstacles.