By Brian Sheerin
Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), an outstanding racemare with seven wins, including the G1 Matron S. and over £500,000 in career-earnings to her name, has rightly earned her billing as one of the star attractions at next week's Sceptre Sessions at Tattersalls.
Trained by Paddy Twomey for the majority of her career, the Haras de Saint Pair homebred raced with great distinction in Ireland across four seasons and 17 starts, culminating with that top-flight triumph in September.
Her story is one of fortune favouring the brave, as connections resisted the temptation of retiring off the back of her excellent 4-year-old campaign and were ultimately rewarded with Group 1 success on her final start of this season.
The ink is still wet and the next chapter is ready to be written as Pearls Galore will be sold to continue her career as a broodmare, with Twomey predicting his star performer to make an excellent addition to the successful buyers.
He said, “I think that she would be a good addition to any broodmare band being a Group 1-winning Invincible Spirit out of a Pivotal (GB) mare. You also have a great partner in Andreas Putsch [breeder]. If you buy her, he's breeding the family to the best stallions on a constant basis so you have a great chance of the pedigree continuing to improve.”
Pearls Galore hails from a deep family that has been nurtured by the Haras de Saint Pair team for three generations. Despite not managing to win in two starts as a 2-year-old in France for Freddy Head, Pearls Galore blossomed under the management of Twomey.
The trainer said, “Pearls Galore has been a model of consistency. She came to me as a maiden just when Covid hit and has been great for the yard. She's been great for Andreas as well. He put a lot of faith in us by sending us some nice horses and it has been great to be able to repay that faith.
“Before he sent her to me, he said that he had a feeling the filly might suit our training regime. She came here as a blank canvas and the remit was, if I wasn't happy with her, they were going to cover her. We got to have a good look at her soon after she arrived as there was no racing on with Covid. Anyway, we took her to Limerick for her first start for us and she bolted up from a wide draw.”
He added, “After that, she went and won a handicap off 87, beating some hardened fillies where she made light work of them in winning by six lengths. We knew then that she was pretty decent.”
Pearls Galore earned black-type on her next start when second to Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) in the rearranged G3 Fairy Bridge S. at Gowran Park but it was in her 4-year-old campaign where she began to take off.
After landing back-to-back Group 3 wins, she was then narrowly pipped in the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend before filling the runner-up spot in the G1 Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp.
Following her sixth-placed effort at the Breeders' Cup, the connections of Pearls Galore faced a dilemma; roll dice for one more season with the aim of bagging a Group 1 or retire her to the paddocks.
Twomey recalled, “Andreas said at the time that he was probably going to retire her. The plan was to breed her. But when she came back here, she was cantering and in a routine like the rest of them, and I just thought that she was in great form. I said to him that I thought it was worth considering going again in her 5-year-old campaign and that she had the ability to win a Group 1. I thought it would be a pity if we retired her without that Group 1 win under her belt. Luckily, they decided to go with me.”
That Group 1 win was achieved in the Matron S. at Leopardstown, where Pearls Galore had top-notchers Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Tenebrism (Caravaggio) and Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the rear-view mirror.
She has a pedigree to match what she achieved on the track and Twomey says that he is confident that she will make an outstanding broodmare.
He said, “She's a very well-bred filly. She's from one of Andrea's best pedigrees and her dam has produced several stakes winners. I think it's a very deep family and she has appeal for anybody, whether it be in Europe, America or Japan.”
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