IT is great when a plan comes to fruition, and the decision to keep La Petite Coco in training, with a Group 1 as the aim, was justified on Sunday when she landed a thrilling renewal of the Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes. This was her first run since September, and great kudos to Paddy Twomey for having her spot on to hit the target.

She is one of just six stakes winners for her sire Ruler Of The World (Galileo), and she is the second of her sire’s daughters to enjoy success in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes. His first-crop offspring Iridessa did so too, and she also triumphed in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile, Group 1 Coolmore Matron Stakes and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. What heights can La Petite Coco reach?

Last year La Petite Coco beat Love and the Group 1 winner Thundering Nights to win the Group 2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford Stakes, and Team Valor’s filly was also successful in the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes at Cork. She is now winner of five of her eight starts, and six of these have been since she moved from Andrew Kinirons. All her wins, and her runner-up finish in the Listed Naas Oaks Trial, have been since she joined her current yard.

Ruler Of The World started his stud career at Coolmore. The 2013 Derby winner is a half-brother to Duke Of Marmalade (Danehill), another sire who started his career at Coolmore before moving to South Africa where he enjoyed enormous success.

La Petite Coco began her career in the colours of owner Ute Schone, the filly having been bred by her husband Bernd, before her potential was spotted by Paddy Twomey and Tea Valor. The breeders are based in Rhode, Co Offaly, an area that has seen its fair share of top-class winners bred in the environs.

She is the second winner for her unraced dam La Petite Virginia, a daughter of the Group 1 Italian two-year-old winner Konigstiger (Tiger Hill).

Bad luck

Thanks to an offer they couldn’t refuse, the breeders no longer have La Petite Virginia whose first foal, and winner, Premenada (Thewayyouare) was successful a couple of times in Poland. Bad luck followed and La Petite Coco is just her second living produce. Andrew Kinirons has the next offspring, an unraced two-year-old filly named La Petite Sissi (Ivawood).

La Petite Coco’s dam is a half-sister to two talented Group/Grade 1 winners, though they excelled in different racing codes. The champion three-year-old Lavirco (Konigsstuhl) won the Group 1 Deutsches Derby and Europa Preis in Germany, while his own-brother Laveron (Konigsstuhl) was a Group 2 winner of the St Leger in Germany, placed in the German Derby, and went on to win twice at Grade 1 level over hurdles in France. Both horses later enjoyed some success as stallions.

The distaff side of La Petite Coco is one of the best in the German stud book. Laveron and Lavirco are out of La Virginia (Surumu), a winning full-sister to the champion German juvenile filly La Colorada and the stakes-placed La Concordia. Both fillies are deserving of further elaboration.

La Colorada bred three stakes winners, the best being the champion racehorse and sire Lomitas (Niniski). He won three Group 1 races, though not the German Derby in which he was runner-up. La Concordia bred a couple of stakes-placed winners, but she is grandam of Lady Marian (Nayef), the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera winner who sold as a three-year-old to John Ferguson for 1,800,000gns, a far cry from her yearling sale price of €49,000.

This is a family that is full to the gills of classic winners and talented performers in Germany, and when members of the family get an opportunity they are well up to performing at the highest levels elsewhere.

Where is Ruler Of The World? After five seasons at Coolmore (starting at €15,000 and ending at €8,000), the classic winner moved to Haras de Bouquetot for two years (at €6,000 and €5,000), and this year he was at Allevamenti della Berardenga for €5,000.