WHAT a great return on investment Urban Fox paid connections when she caused a surprise to some and won the Group 1 Juddmonte Pretty Polly Stakes with ease from the Oaks winner Forever Together. It was a great success for trainer William Haggas, but more importantly for the four-year-old’s owner Barnane Stud.

Based in Templemore, Co Tipperary and run by Paddy Wynn-Jones, Barnane Stud is now part of the Highlands Stud portfolio. That farm is one of the best in South Africa and has bred more than 30 Group or Grade 1 winners.

Currently on their roster is the champion sire Dynasty (Fort Wood) who is awaiting his 60th stakes winner, champion sprinter Rafeef (Redoute’s Choice), multiple Group 1 winner Jackson (Dynasty) who is off the mark with his first runners, promising young sire Pathfork (Distorted Humor) who beat Casamento and Zoffany to win the Group 1 National Stakes, Group 1 winning juvenile Potala Palace (Singspiel) whose first runners are hitting the track, and champion miler and useful sire Canford Cliffs (Tagula).

Highlands Stud is owned by the Kieswetter family and Willliam and Belinda were present to see Urban Fox gain her valuable Group 1 success. Connections gave 425,000gns for the daughter of Foxwedge at the Tattersalls December Sale last year when she had not won a stakes race. However, she did display good form at up to Group 1 level, so Sunday’s success was not undeserved.

Urban Fox was purchased as a yearling by Rabbah Bloodstock for just 10,000gns from her breeders Mascalls Stud. This farm is owned by the well-known sports promoter Barry Hearn and his wife Susan and they sold the filly as a yearling through Peter Stanley’s New England Stud. Urban Fox was originally trained by James Tate for Saeed Manana and won three times at two and was placed the same number of times, all in group company. Her best run was when she was third in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile to Rhododendron. At three she placed in a Group 3 and was then sent to the sales.

A winning debut in a handicap this year is not usually a precursor to a Group 1 win, but the filly has obviously progressed and it will be fascinating to know where she will go next. Incredibly, Urban Fox is the only filly among the first 10 foals from Lomapamar, a Nottingham maiden winner by Nashwan (Blushing Groom). Nine are of racing age, the two-year-old Garryowen (Garswood) being with Charlie Fellowes. After him comes a yearling colt by Hot Streak (Iffraaj).

Lomapamar is out of the French winner Morina (Lyphard) and nine of her offspring were successful. The best of them was Mons (Deploy) and his biggest win was in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes. He was Group 1 placed in England and Italy. His full-sister Inforapenny was once placed in a stakes race, but it was the Group 1 Kildangan Stud Irish Oaks where she finished third.

Urban Fox’s third dam Arewehavingfunyet (Sham) was an ultra-smart two-year-old in the USA where her five wins included the Grade 1 Oaks Leaf Stakes, the Grade 2 Del Mar Debutante Stakes and the Grade 3 Landaluce Stakes. Indeed, all of her victories were gained in stakes races. She was runner-up in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. The next dam Just Jazz (Exclusive Native) was also a stakes winner in the USA.

The Australian-bred Foxwedge is a son of Fastnet Rock (Danehill). He was a Group 1 winner in Australia and a reverse shuttler for a number of years to Whitsbury Manor Stud. Now he stays in the Hunter Valley at Newgate Stud. Urban Fox is his third Group 1 winner and first in the northern hemisphere. He has sired Group 1 winners Volpe Veloce in New Zealand and Foxplay in Australia, in addition to five other stakes winners.