GROUP 1 mile and a half Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Spanish Moon (El Prado) went to stud in 2011 at a fee of €1,500. This has risen to €5,000, the fee he cost last year and will command again in 2019. His rise in popularity has been due to the performances on the racecourse of his progeny, headed by a pair of fillies from his second crop born in 2013.

Daphne Du Clos started the ball rolling when she won a three-year-old bumper in France and transferred to Nicky Henderson. In early 2017 she was runner-up in a listed bumper at Cheltenham and went one better in a similar race at Newbury. Sadly we never saw her again.

Eleven months later and, having been placed second over jumps in France for Guillaume Macaire, Laurina made her debut for Willie Mullins in a mares’ maiden hurdle at Tramore a winning one. It was onwards and, more importantly, upwards after that and she has added, in chronological order, the Grade 3 Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse, the Grade 2 Trull House Dawn Run Mares Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse, and the Listed Unibet Mares’ Hurdle at Sandown.

Sold for €14,500 as a yearling at Osarus, Laurina returned to the same venue and sale two years later and realised just €8,000 when she was bought by Daniel Allard. He raced her in France. At the time of her sale as a yearling her half-brother Lamigo (American Post) had recently won a pair of listed handicap hurdles. Now Laurina, the seventh and best runner for her dam, is the family star.

Lamboghina (Alkalde) is the dam of Laurina and she won a couple of races in Germany at three. She is one of eight winners from Landina (Pentathlon), none of which earned blacktype.

In turn Landia is also one of eight winners for her five-time winning dam Landfrau (Frontal) and those winners include blacktype winners over jumps and on the flat in Germany. She is grandam of the 1992 champion Swedish juvenile and 1993 Norwegian Derby winner Lorofina (Orofino).

The best runner for her sire and easily the best runner in four or more generations on her female side, Laurina is a fascinating prospect still and it is clear she is still on the way up.