When you have a $700,000 yearling with six siblings that are all stakes performers that brings a certain amount of pressure.
That is the lot of the Brazen Beau filly Pretty Brazen who contests Saturday’s $250,000 Group II Sandown Guineas (1600m).
She was purchased out of the Coolmore Stud draft for $700,000 by McEvoy Mitchell Racing at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
She is the seventh foal of the talented Encosta de Lago mare Pretty Penny who earned black-type when third in the Group III Cockram Stakes.
Now that may have been prophetic as Pretty Penny traces back to a mare by Orgoglio (GB), a son of Nasrullah, who spent his later years at Wally Cockram’s Arundel Farm at Keilor after beginning his career at the Nook Stud.
Pretty Brazen looking every bit of a $700,000 yearling
Orgoglio (GB)was not only an outstanding sire his daughters were prized at stud.
One of those was Elated, the dam of the great sprinter Vain while another was Forego who was a half-sister to the 1967 Victoria Derby winner Savoy.
At her first season at stud, Forego produced the champion Tontonan to a mating with Showdown.
Trained by Bart Cummings Tontonan won his first two starts in Victoria before having his colours lowered by Imagele in the Todman Slipper Trial.
A fortnight later Imagele was a short-priced favourite to win the Golden Slipper but he was one of three horses to fall leaving the race to Tontonan.
If the son of Showdown still had a bit to prove he did that in spades.
After closing out his two-year-old season with a win in the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes, he came back at three to win the Oakleigh Plate, Ajax Stakes, set a weight carrying record for a 3yo in the Doncaster Handicap defeating Toltrice and Coolalinga before adding the All Ages Stakes and J.T. Delaney Quality. His only loss that season came in the VRC Newmarket.
In five starts at four, Tontonan added the Craiglee Stakes, John F. Feehan Stakes and Chirnside Stakes and was runner-up to his stablemate Cap d'Antibes in the Marlboro Cup.
Tontonan’s year younger sister Tontina won just one of her 10 starts although she was clearly talented with four placings in Melbourne.
She produced six winners including the stakes-placed Professor Piccard (Deep Diver) and to Century Tontina left Tonti who placed in four of her five starts. When Tonti was covered by the then third season Victorian-based sire Encosta de Lago she left Pretty Penny and to the same stallion the following year produced Batik who is the dam of Maribyrnong Trial Stakes winner Mihalic (Hard Spun).
This is a whose who of the best stallions to stand in Victoria for the better part of half a century.
Encosta de Lago -champion sire and broodmare sire - image Mark Smith
Pretty Penny was quick off the mark leaving the Group II Zipping Classic winner Sertorius (Galileo) who has banked over $1.2 million with seven wins. The followed the stakes-placed winner Fortune Of War (General Nediym), the stakes-placed I Am Titanium (Flying Spur), the ill-fated Sebring filly Clifton Red who won the VRC Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes in her four-start career, the multiple Group III winner Dollar For Dollar (High Chaparral), the multiple stakes-placed Rezealient (Sebring) who ran three consecutive seconds in stakes races including the Group 1 SAJC Derby.
Rising 16, Pretty Penny was consigned to the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale with Colm Santry Bloodstock having the final say at $570,000 on behalf of Dr Dennis and Claire O'Brien of Clairden Racing.
She was carrying Pretty Brazen at the time of her sale, so the venture showed a quick profit.
Pretty Brazen looked certain to add to the family fortunes when, at her career debut over a 1000 metres at Flemington, she was narrowly defeated by the Exceed And Excel colt Microphone who at seasons end was honoured as the best two-year-old in the land. That was followed by a fourth behind Catch Me in the Group III Blue Diamond Preview and fifth behind Castelvecchio in the Inglis Millennium, before breaking her maiden at Murray Bridge.
This season at three she was unplaced twice at Randwick including the Group II Silver Shadow Stakes before winning consecutive races at Bendigo and Caulfield.
At her most recent start, Pretty Brazen had little luck when caught wide the trip when fifth, beaten just three-quarters of a length, in the Listed HKJ Club Stakes at Flemington won by Akari.
There is plenty to look forward to from Pretty Penny who has a yearling filly by the Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (USA) and is due to foal to him again this season.
