DAVID Howden and David Redvers (below) now race the five-year-old mare Gorgeous Noora in partnership. They purchased her for 200,000gns just a few months ago at the Tattersalls December Sale when she was offered from the retiring Luca Cumani’s Bedford House Stables. At her sale time she had won three races and been placed a number of times.

She has since added a pair of extra victories, but most significantly one of these was last weekend in the Listed Betway Hever Sprint Stakes at Lingfield Park. She warmed up for this with a runner-up effort in the Listed Betway Cleves Stakes, also on the Lingfield all-weather.

Her December valuation can now be significantly adjusted upwards and it is no surprise to learn that she is due to be covered by the southern hemisphere sire sensation Zoustar (Northern Meteor) at Tweenhills Stud shortly.

Gorgeous Noora is a daughter of Raven’s Pass (Elusive Quality) who enjoyed a red-letter year in 2018 when he finally got his long overdue first Group 1 winner, Royal Marine winning the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for two-year-olds on Arc weekend. Gorgeous Noora is also the first foal and winner for her dam Aneedah (Invincible Spirit).

Aneedah is based at Rathbarry Stud where Gorgeous Noora was bred in partnership. The connection with the Co Cork farm began in 2009 when Rathbarry Bloodstock Services paid 100,0000gns for Aneedah as a foal, the filly having been bred by Sunderland Holdings. She was listed as unsold in the ring as a yearling at 170,000gns but she appeared in training with John Gosden in the name of Ali Saeed. A winner at two and listed placed at Ascot, she was bought again by Rathbarry as a four-year-old for 220,000gns.

Her first foal, Gorgeous Noora, helped to recoup all costs as she sold to Tony Nerses as a yearling for 370,000gns. This year Rathbarry will possibly be looking forward to selling the yearling filly out of Aneedah by Australia (Galileo) – or perhaps she could be retained as a future racing and breeding prospect. Her pedigree is certainly an improving one.

Aneedah is a full-sister to Muthmir and he was not far off being Group 1 winning class. He was placed at that level in both the King’s Stand Stakes and the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp, while his eight career victories included the Group 2 Prix du Gros-Chene twice and the Group 2 King George Stakes. They are both out of the listed winner Fairy of The Night (Danehill) and she is the dam of another group winner in My Titania (Sea The Stars), successful at that level as a juvenile.

Fairy Of The Night is a half-sister to the Grade 3 Orchid Stakes at Gulfstream Park winner Dress Rehearsal (Galileo). She also won a listed race at Limerick and has crossed successfully also with the Irish National Stud’s Invincible Spirit (Green Desert), producing the 2018 Galway listed winner Baby Pink.

From a breeding point of view, it is noteworthy that Fairy of The Night’s own-sister Night Fairy (Danehill) was a minor winner but she bred the dual Group 3 winner Majestic Queen (Kheleyf), an €18,000 yearling buy by Brian Grassick Bloodstock who later sold to John Ferguson at the 2015 Goffs London Sale for £825,000.