TODAY is a special one in the life of my colleague Judith Faherty, as she marries Peter O’Toole in Galway. I wish them both the very best for their lives together in their Clifden home.

There is an equine Judith too, and that three-year-old daughter of Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) remains unbeaten in two starts and, given her family profile, the best could yet be to come. Owned and bred by Philippa Cooper’s Normandie Stud Ltd, Judith is one of just two foals from the winning Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) mare Stella Bellissima.

That mare was trained by John Gosden, as was her dam Dolores (Danehill), another Normandie Stud homebred. Now John and his son Thady are shaping the career of Judith. Both of the latter’s wins have come over 10 furlongs, she only made her racecourse debut last month at Ascot, and her recent success was at Newmarket. She has both racing and breeding potential, and a blacktype win would be priceless.

Judith has just one sibling, Chai Yo Power (Le Havre), and this 150,000gns yearling is trained by Sir Michael Stoute for King Power Racing. The gelding has improved with age, has won his last four starts (he has only run eight times) and he is now a five-year-old. Philippa Cooper has, almost singlehandedly, upgraded this family.

Mrs Cooper acquired Judith’s third dam Agnus (In The Wings) after she had won a couple of races in Belgium. She was a half-sister to Wavy Run (Commanche Run), a champion in Spain who travelled to France and won the Group 3 Prix Edmond Blanc, and later was successful at Grade 2 level in the USA. At stud Agnus bred three winners, and her second foal was Dolores (Danehill).

Single name

For the most part, this is now a family of horses with just a single name. Dolores only won once in seven starts, a listed race at Goodwood, but she was never out of the money and was runner-up in the Group 2 Sun Chariot Stakes and third in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. As a broodmare, Dolores is the dam of seven winners, three of them group winners.

Best of that trio is Duncan (Dalakhani), and this leading stayer included the Group 1 The Irish Field St Leger among his six victories, while his Group 2 wins were in the Yorkshire Cup and the Prix Foy. He was born a year after Samuel (Sakhee) who won the Group 2 Doncaster Cup on his final start.

The final member of that group is Gretchen (Galileo), and she won the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes, one of three wins from five starts, and her son Lionel (Lope De Vega) contests today’s Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.