WHEN Harry and Lorna Fowler spent €16,000 on Dalamine, a daughter of Sillery (Blushing Groom), at the 2013 Tattersalls Ireland November Sale, they could hardly have imagined what a great investment they were making.

They have had many reminders since, the most recent being the bumper success for the mare’s daughter Naughtinesse.

A six-year-old mare by Kayf Tara (Sadler’s Wells), the most successful National Hunt stallion to have stood in Britain for many years, Naughtinesse made her racecourse debut at the Punchestown Festival last year, finishing an eye-catching second to Carrarea who franked the form next time out and won again.

Trained by Lorna Fowler for a partnership that includes Harry, and carrying the colours of Olivia Frost, Naughtinesse only reappeared at Fairyhouse on January 1st where she won in the style of mare with a bright future ahead. Should she go on to earn blacktype, Naughtiness would join four other siblings who have done so. Her value, both as a racemare and potential broodmare, is immense.

At the time of her sale in 2013, Dalamine was a winning mare, the dam of a couple of winners with her first two foals, and she was sold with a covering by Beat Hollow (Sadler’s Wells). Given that the Ballylinch Stud sire commanded a fee that year of €6,500, it makes the purchase of the mare look more like daylight robbery!

Don Poli

Dalamine’s third produce was a gelding named Don Poli (Poliglote), and he was listed in the catalogue as having been placed once over jumps in France that year. Well his subsequent career must have been watched with great interest at Rahinston by the Fowlers and their breeding partner Alex Frost.

A smart hurdler who won at Grade 3 level in Clonmel and placed in the Grade 1 novice at the Punchestown Festival, Don Poli went on to become one of the leading young chasers of his day.

Five wins over fences for the Gigginstown House gelding comprised three Grade 1s and the Listed Betfred Chase at Aintree. As a novice he captured the Grade 1 Fort Leney Chase at Leopardstown before heading to Cheltenham and landing the RSA Chase.

The following December Don Poli beat First Lieutenant to win the Grade 1 Lexus Chase. His many placed efforts included running third to Don Cossack and Djakadam in the Gold Cup.

Politesse

The foal Dalamine was carrying at the time of her sale was a filly, and she was named Politesse (Beat Hollow). She too is trained by Lorna Fowler for the same partnership that owns the recent bumper winner, and she has won three races, a bumper, a hurdle race and a chase. On the level she gained valuable blacktype when runner-up in the Grade 2 Coolmore EBF Mares INH Flat Race.

Naughtinesse is a full-sister to another pair who have blacktype. Debece (Kayf Tara) was beaten less than a length when third to The Worlds End in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, though he failed to better that in spite of winning five times. Alighting (Kayf Tara) never won at all after being bought as a three-year-old for €105,000, but she was placed in a listed hurdle race and is now a broodmare.

With seven winners, a placed horse and a number of young stock in the wings, the Dalamine success story is set to run and run. Make a note of Naughtinesse – she could be the one to join Don Poli as a blacktype winner.