THIS column loves nothing better than a rags to riches story. The latest to cross my radar is the recent winner of the Listed BSS EBF Dick Hern Stakes at Haydock, Miss O Connor. Bought back by her breeder, Jim Browne’s Kilnamoragh Stud, as a yearling in 2016, she is unbeaten in three starts and races in the colours now of Lael Stables.

Trained by William Haggas, Miss O Connor is the latest in a list of stakes winners the Newmarket handler has had for Lael Stables. Previous winners include One Master, Superstar Leo, Enticing, Sentaril, Sun Central and Forever Popular.

Lael Stables is the racing operation of Pennsylvania-based breeders Roy and Gretchen Jackson. The Jacksons are best known as the owner-breeders of the then undefeated 2006 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who died from complications resulting from laminitis that developed following injuries sustained in the Preakness Stakes. Lael Stables also raced Showing Up, who teamed with Barbaro to make the Jacksons the first owners ever to start two undefeated runners in the Kentucky Derby. Showing Up went on to become a multiple Grade 1 winner.

Miss O Connor started her racing career with Johnny Feane, but not until this year as a four-year-old. She was sent to Gowran Park in May to make her belated debut in the colours of Ray McSharry and duly obliged against 14 opponents.

She was obviously held in high regard by her trainer who said afterwards: “She’s a lovely filly. She looked nice last year but was held up with a pulled muscle. It looked a smart race today and we were hoping to be placed, but she’s won well and hopefully now we can keep her right. She’s very smart.”

Well those words were prophetic, though in June she changed stables and ownership and joined Haggas after the trainer’s son Sam acquired her in Ireland. Following her recent stakes win, Miss O Connor’s rider Oisin Murphy was effusive in his praise for her, saying “she’s very relaxed in front and the mile looks to be her trip [her third win at the distance],” before adding that “she has enough size and scope to continue to improve.”

Magadar, the dam of Miss O Connor, was trained by Clive Brittain to win a six-furlong maiden at Newbury at two. She is a daughter of Lujain (Seeking The Gold) and is now responsible for three winners, all of whom have won more than once, as well as an unraced three-year-old daughter Simply A Breeze (Casamento) and a two-year-old colt by French Navy (Shamardal).

Magadar was bred by Darley and is one of 10 winners from the French listed winner Slow Jazz (Chief’s Crown). The best of these winners was Mister Cavern (Lion Cavern) and he was a dual listed winner in Italy, while she had a listed-placed two-year-old daughter Zoola (Iffraaj). Two non-winning daughters of Slow Jazz became stakes producers, Randomizer (Elusive Quality) breeding a listed winner in Iowa, USA, while the unraced Jazz Up (Cadeaux Genereux) is dam of Jazz Princess (Bahhare), winner of the Group 3 C L Weld Park Stakes at two and the Group 3 Athasi Stakes the following year.

Slow Jazz was one of three stakes winners for her dam, the very smart racemare Blue Note (Habitat), and the other pair won at Group 1 level. They were the full-siblings Zieten (Danzig) and Blue Duster (Danzig). Zieten was three years older than his own-sister and he was trained in France by Andre Fabre as a juvenile. He was unbeaten that season, including the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes. He was later trained by Hilal Ibrahim and John Gosden.

Zieten was retired from racing to stand at Haras du Logis. The best of his offspring included Seazun (Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes) and Torgau, the Cartier champion two-year-old filly in 1999. Zieten began to suffer from fertility problems and was retired from stud duty in 2009.

Blue Duster was the champion juvenile filly in Europe in 1995 when her victories included the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. She did not breed a runner even close to her own ability, but her daughter Blue Symphony (Darshaan) did sell for 1,000,000gns as a broodmare and she bred the smart winners Fantasia (Sadler’s Wells) and Pink Symphony (Montjeu).

Miss O Connor is from the third crop of Roderic O’Connor (Galileo) who stood his first four season at stud in Ireland at Ballyhane Stud, while also shuttling to Brazil. He then transferred to the National Stud in Newmarket for a season. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Roderic O’Connor won the Group 1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud at two, was runner-up in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and at three was successful in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas.

His first crop in Brazil included three Group 1 winners, Emperor Roderic, Voador Magee and El Shaklan, while in Europe he sired a pair of group-winning juveniles in his first crop, Biz Heart and Great Page.