A fantastic year for Karl Burke's stable was crowned by victory on QIPCO British Champions Day for Poptronic (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 Champion Fillies and Mares S. at Ascot.
What made the win extra special is that the four-year-old was bred by her owners David and Yvonne Blunt, who keep three broodmares and were enjoying their first win at the highest level.
Poptronic, a daughter of the Dream Ahead mare Alpine Dream (Ire), is one of three classy fillies to be heading to the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale from Burke's Spigot Lodge, and she joins the Sceptre Sessions on Tuesday, December 5 as lot 1784. She owns a pedigree with a decent blend of high-class stamina, speed and precocity. Her dam won three sprints at two, three and four, and is a daughter of the G2 Lowther S. winner Infamous Angel (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}).
Reflecting on her first year in training, Burke says, “Early on in her two-year-old career, she always looked like she was always going to be better as she got older, but she showed enough. I remember having a conversation with David and saying that I thought we could win a race with her at two.”
Second on debut at two, she then broke her maiden in Christmas week, meaning that Poptronic started her three-year-old season as a winner. Plenty more was to come, however.
“She's a big filly, with a lovely, long stride on her, so as she got stronger, she was always going to get better,” Burke says. “We just brought her along steadily and she won first time out as a three-year-old as well.
“I always felt she had the potential to be at least a Listed-class horse. And obviously she has progressed beyond that.”
From that first-up win at three, Poptronic then claimed her first Pattern success in the G3 Hopping Fillies' S. at Newcastle. As predicted by her trainer, she was better again at four, running placed in two group contests in the spring before winning the G2 Lancashire Oaks, beating the subsequent Group 1 winner Sea Silk Road (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the process. After two further unplaced runs in Group 1 company, she arrived at Ascot in October, where the heavy rain meant that several of the races were switched to the fresher ground of Ascot's jumps course.
“I think it was to her advantage that they switched on to the inner track,” Burke says. “We were lucky there and for two reasons. One, it was slightly better ground. She handles soft ground, but I think she's better on a firmer surface or a quicker surface. And also the drop back; it was half a furlong and shorter in trip. She's quite a free-going filly and it meant we could be a bit more aggressive with her in the race. And that's how it turned out.”
He continues, “I think David and Yvonne were in shock for a week after after winning a Group 1, having bred her as well. Everybody tells me, the owner/breeders that we have here, that there's nothing better than breeding your own winner and seeing it win in your colours. And to win a Group 1 and breed a Group 1 winner is pretty special. So they're on a big high at the moment.”
Burke adds of his trio heading to the Sceptre Sessions, “We have three very nice fillies going there, all black-type fillies obviously. Dawn Charger won a Group 3 and was second in a Group 2 and she will definitely go on and train on next year. Secret Angel is a big, scopey Dark Angel mare. She's a Listed winner and she's in the right slot. They're lovely fillies to be looking at for breeding later on.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
