Sandown's “Wild Card” Fillies' Novice Stakes has such a glowing history when it comes to the Oaks that it even guarantees automatic entry to the Epsom Classic and that is where Felicitas (Teofilo) is heading after becoming a TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard.
Despite having beaten an interesting yardstick in Allaire (Study Of Man) on debut at Lingfield in December, TBT Racing's 150,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase drifted to 11-1 for the 10-furlong contest but showed those odds all wrong once Kieran Shoemark committed passing the two pole.
Opening up in style, the Ed Walker trainee put three lengths between her and Godolphin's Ribbon Of Sea (Sea The Stars), with the promising newcomer Alma Latina (Study Of Man) 1 1/4 lengths away in third for the Ralph Beckett stable.
“She's a nice filly and I loved her at Lingfield,” Shoemark said of the winner, whose name is added to a list which includes Emily Upjohn and Dar Re Mi. “That race has worked out okay since and I was struck by how professional she was this afternoon. She did everything right and has a great constitution-we were only really hitting top speed at the line. She is a mile-and-a-half filly and she kept very straight throughout both her races, so I don't see why she wouldn't be an Oaks filly.”
Ed Walker can be bold now that his faith has been rewarded. “I think there were a few reputations on the line there, but we think a lot of Felicitas and I think she'll be headed to a trial now,” he said. “We always felt she was a ten-furlong filly, but Kieran was very bullish she'd stay a mile and a half so we'll probably go to York and go from there.”
York's Musidora Stakes could also be the aim for fellow TDN Rising Star I'm The One (Sea The Stars), who beat the Lingfield runner-up Allaire by six lengths at Newbury last week to provide a link between these exciting fillies. “It's not going to be easy, but it's the right race on a lovely galloping track and we'll see where we fit with some of the others,” Walker added. “She's very green and babyish-I thought for a minute she might not go into the stalls and even coming into the winner's enclosure when people clapped she went backwards, but it's all very new to her and she's still got a lot to learn.”
Pedigree Notes
Felicitas, who becomes Teofilo's sixth TDN Rising Star, is so far the only foal out of Desert Star (Dubawi), a Godolphin cast-off bought for 150,000gns by Manor House Stud at the 2021 Tattersalls July Sale. She is a full-sister to the Listed Valiant Stakes winner and G3 Atalanta Stakes and G3 Prix Bertrand de Tarragon runner-up Duneflower, dam of the exciting Craven meeting winner Cerro Blanco (Wootton Bassett).
The second dam Desert Blossom (Shamardal), who was third in the G2 Rockfel Stakes, is out of the G3 Prestige Stakes third Elshamms (Zafonic) who also produced the Listed scorers Flaming Spear (Lope De Vega) and Taqseem (Fantastic Light). Family members with recent success include the G3 Summer Stakes winner and Cheveley Park Stakes and Commonwealth Cup-placed Flotus (Starspangledbanner), the G2 Prix Robert Papin winner Arabie (Dandy Man) and G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Mammas Girl (Havana Grey).
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