HAVING opened her winning account in a nine-furlong maiden at Hanshin on March 15th, the three-year-old Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) filly Des Ailes stepped up in class at the weekend to land the Listed Sweetpea Stakes at Tokyo over the same trip.

She is the first foal, winner and runner for the 2014 dual classic winner Avenir Certain (translates as certain to come up), a daughter of the prominent French stallion Le Havre (Noverre). He stands at Haras de Montfort & Preaux and this year his fee is €50,000. Avenir is one of four Group 1 winners he has sired, alongside Suedois, La Cressonniere and Villa Marina.

Bred by Shadai Farms, Des Ailes has a two-year-old full-sister, as yet unnamed. Their dam was exported to Japan after a racing career that saw her unbeaten in her first six starts, though she failed to add to that tally when she remained in training at the age of four. Bred by Elizabeth Vidal, Avenir Certain was sold as a yearling for €45,000 to her trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and she raced for Antonio Caro and Gerard Augustin-Normand.

She won twice at two and a minor race on her seasonal debut at three before causing a minor upset in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas. She doubled her classic score when adding the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks and plans were laid for an Arc challenge later in the year. She warmed up for that with victory in the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette, but she was some six and a half lengths off Treve in the Arc, finishing eleventh.

Disappointing on her first two starts at four, she showed some of her true form on a trip to Newmarket where she was third to Amazing Maria in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes and then, on proved to be her swansong, she was runner-up to Odeliz in the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet in Deauville.

Avenir Certain is the best of three winners from Puggy (Mark Of Esteem), a Darley-bred filly who sold as a yearling to Willie Browne at Tattersalls Ireland for €16,000 and he resold her for 75,000gns at the Doncaster Breeze-Up the following spring to the Swedish trainer Roy Arne Kvisla. She raced in England at first, winning on her debut and her placings included being runner-up in the Listed Oh So Sharp Stakes and third in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes, both at Newmarket. At three she ran in the 1000 Guineas.

She changed stables and raced exclusively in Scandinavia at four where she was placed in three blacktype races, including the Group 3 Polar Cup in Norway. One of her winning daughters is the €500,000 yearling purchase Jingle Bell Rock (Rock Of Gibraltar) and she followed Avenir Certain to Japan and won there at three from a dozen starts. Her first offspring is a yearling filly by Duramente (King Kamehameha).

Puggy’s dam is the winner Jakarta (Machiavellian), one of 11 winners from Lunda (Soviet Star). Best of these was the triple Group 3 winner Blue Monday (Darshaan) who was placed in both the Group 1 Juddmonte International and the Eclipse Stakes. Jakarta is a full-sister to the unraced Lucina (Machiavellian) and her best son is Mehmas (Acclamation), the dual Group 2 winning juvenile who stands at Tally-Ho Stud and has his first runners this year.