EVEN the booking of the champion jockey Colin Keane was not enough to reduce the odds on Paris Secret as she made her debut at Galway, but the filly showed that her returned odds of 28/1 were an insult with a willing effort that saw her win from some vastly more experienced opponents.

Racing in the colours of Paul Hardy, this €8,500 yearling buy at last year’s Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale from Tara Stud could well prove to be a bargain, and I would be surprised if she is not blacktype material next year. It is interesting that connections have her entered for next year’s Irish Oaks. That is a pointer in itself.

High-class

We all know about Zoffany (Dansili) and his ability to sire high-class racemares and fillies. This year his daughter Prosperous Voyage won the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, last year Mother Earth was successful in a pair of Group 1 contests, the 1000 Guineas and Prix Rothschild, Albigna won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac in 2019, while his Group 2-winning daughters include Main Edition (German 1000 Guineas), Fleeting (May Hill Stakes), and Illuminate (Duchess of Cambridge Stakes).

This is a pedigree packed with winners – all that it lacks is a stakes winner in the first three generations. I wrote recently that buyers can sometimes be put off by a page that is not crammed with blacktype, some of which can be cheaply earned. Look closely at this family and what do you find?

Paris Secret is the third foal and second winner from her dam Cite Veron, a four-time winning daughter of Tomorrows Cat (Storm Cat). The non-winner was runner-up this year at three for Mark and Charlie Johnston.

Cite Veron is one of eight winners from 11 foals produced by La Teignouse (Green Tune). She won twice but was placed on no less than 23 occasions.

All of her offspring ran, so we are looking at soundness in the family. La Teignouse was one of six winners out of Aytana (Riverman), another winning mare, and she was one of nine winners from the Group 3 winner Kirmiz (Silver Shark).

I am sure than Andy Oliver looked closely at the family when he went shopping, and he has unearthed another gem.