THE sire review for Epaulette last week had a serious omission, one which I am pleased to be able to rectify. While it lauded the sale ring performance of the stallion who had his first foals on offer in 2015, it omitted his top lot from the report.

That was the €130,000 son of Biaraafa and he was sold by Peter Jones’ Betaghstown Stud. John Ferguson purchased the colt who is the second offspring of his dam and she won at two and three years when trained by Michael Bell.

At the end of her racing career she sold at the Tattersalls December Sale to Mark Salmon of Fortbarrington Stud for 12,000gns and was sent to Approve.

She had a colt foal by the former Morristown Lattin sire who has now moved to Turkey, but that colt died. Next she was covered by Bushranger and the Salmons decided to sell her at Goffs in November 2013 where she was snapped up for €36,000 by Olive Jones. She had a filly by Bushranger and that foal sold for €9,000. Next stop was Epaulette.

While all this was happening in Ireland, there were significant pedigree updates occurring elsewhere. Two of Biaraafa’s half-sisters produced additional stakes winners.

The unraced Bijou A Moi became the dam of the Group 3 Winter Derby winner Robin Hoods Nay, but the winning mare Ever Rigg made the most significant contribution of all. Her son Postponed became a multiple group winner and gained his biggest success in the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Another remove back in the family and up pops Bondi Beach, for a short time the St Leger winner but subsequently demoted following a successful appeal against the decision of the stewards on the day.

Bianca Nera

The grandam of the Epaulette sale-topper is the Salse mare Bianca Nera and her victory in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes earned her the accolade of champion filly at two in Ireland. She also won the Group 2 Lowther Stakes.

Her half-sister Hotelgenie Dot Com was runner-up in the Moyglare and bred the dual Group 1 winner Simply Perfect, winner of the Fillies’ Mile and Falmouth Stakes.

This is also the family of Gale Force Ten, one of the busiest sires in Europe last year when he covered 160 mares at the Irish National Stud.

The Jersey Stakes winner and runner-up in the Irish 2000 Guineas is by Oasis Dream.

This is a very current family and Betaghstown is blessed to have a young mare with such great potential among its broodmare band.