HUNGRY FOR FASHION

 "Hungry For Fashion is well and pleasing her trainer. She is improving all the time and at the moment we see her as one who will debut in the second half of June". 

This filly was purchased by Nick Bradley and Karl Burke at the Goffs Sportsmans Sale in October 2019.

Sire - MARKAZ

Markaz is one of the stallions who will have his first runners on the track in 2020. He was a £200,000 yearling who was bred by Yeomanstown Stud, Ireland out of the prolific mare Folga. He was a good but not outstanding 2yo, winning at Ascot and finishing the season with a 2nd placed finish in the Group 3, Somerville Stakes. Markaz improved as a 3yo to finish the season as a 111 rated 3yo with victory in the Group 3, Criterion Stakes and a 2nd placed finish in the Park Stakes at Doncaster, both over 7 furlong stakes. Success would follow as a 4yo in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes. It’s probably fair to say that Markaz didn’t do enough on the track to warrant his place at stud, but his pedigree is that of a stallion.

He is a son of the prolific Dark Angel and a full brother to the dual Group 1 Nunthorpe winning MECCA'S ANGEL. Markaz stood in his first year for 6,000 Euros and his first crop averaged around £12,000 which would be lower than average for a stallion at that level for his first crop. His highest selling yearling made £62,000 and our filly was the 8th highest selling of his 64 yearlings to pass through the sales ring.

Dam - VERA LILLEY

Vera Lilley turns 14 in 2020 and she has been a broodmare in the Newtown Anner broodmare band for sometime. She was bred and trained by the Grassick’s but wasn’t able to get her head infront on the racecourse despite a 19 race career.

As a broodmare she has produced 3 foals of racing age, her first foal by Choisir was trained by George Margarson who only ever campaigned her over 5 to 6 furlongs. She was precocious enough to win a May Maiden as a 2yo but didn’t show the ability to progress from that level. Her second foal was a colt by Champs Elysees and was bought by Beliar Bloodstock who are a German agency. Her third and latest foal before our filly was by the prolific source of speed in Starspangledbanner, himself a son of Choisir.

In 2018, Starspangledbanner’s yearling fillies averaged over £66,000 and Vera Lilley’s daughter could only manage a sales price of 12,000 Euros. It is fair to assume that as an individual this filly was well below average. With that said, she was well above average on the racetrack.

On debut in May 2019 Lil Grey, finished 2nd in a hot Leopardstown Maiden. She built on that on her 2nd run when she won at The Curragh beating the likes of ‘Year of the Tiger’ and ‘Alligator Alley’ who would both end the season rated in excess of 100. Lil Grey went to Royal Ascot for the Albany where she would finish 6th, she then secured her blacktype by finishing 2nd in the Anglesey. Later in 2019 she went on to finish just 3 lengths behind subsequent Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner MILLISLE.

Broodmare Stallion - VERGLAS

Vera Lilley is a daughter of Verglas who himself is by Highest Honor out of a Secreto Mare.  Verglas was a dual winning 2yo over 6 furlongs. He picked up a Leopardstown May Maiden and then went to Ascot for the Coventry Stakes where he won by 2.5 lengths.

Coventry winners are renowned speed influences and Verglas' best progeny have shown to want trips from five furlongs to a mile. Verglas has proved himself to be a stallion of stallions with the likes of Silver Frost and Stormy River who both stand in France.

However, Verglas is becoming known as an outstanding broodmare stallion with an outstanding record of 50% of his daughter’s progeny winning on the track. To put that in context, Galileo’s daughters have a record of 57% and Danehill's daughters 55% and they are as good as there is in the game.

This is clearly a fast and precocious family and we expect our filly to be very much an early season 2yo. LIL GREY was just a 12,000 Euro yearling by a very good sire of fillies in STARSPANGLEDBANNER, both Nick and Karl saw her at the sales and agreed that our filly is a far better physical specimen than her 95 rated sister.

Our filly is a couple of inches taller than LIL GREY and is a very good mover. Nick has viewed a lot of the MARKAZ stock at the sales ground and without doubt this is one of the nicest he has seen to date. MARKAZ is a first season sire who himself did all his running over 6 and 7 furlongs. He won at 2 and went on to win at Group 3 level as a 3yo and 4yo. He is a full brother to the fastest daughter of DARK ANGEL in MECCA’S ANGEL who won 10 times from 20 starts, and won the Group 1 York Nunthorpe on two occasions in 2015 and 2016.

She qualifies for a Plus 10 £10,000 Bonus should she win a qualifying race as a 2yo.

She joins Karl Burke who we teamed up with to win at Group 3 level with in 2018 with LITTLE KIM and who we won at Newmarket with in July 2019 with MISS LUCY and was subsequently sold for a large six figure sum.

Over recent years Karl has developed into one of the leading 2yo trainers in the country and some judge’s eyes he is at the top of pile. Karl has repeatedly been able to produce 2yos capable of competing and winning the very best 2yo races in the UK and has had huge success with his forays to France to collect the Stakes pots on offer.

Karl had a strike rate of 14% with his 2yos in 2019 which would be well above average. Karl purchases all of his yearlings himself rather than using agents and 9 times out of 10 he will own them when the hammer falls. Karl is also a person who backs his judgment and he is keen to retain shares in the yearlings he purchases and did so with this Markaz filly.  

Karl has trained the likes of Laurens, Havana Grey, Unfortunately, Living inthepast, Lord of the Lodge, Little Kim, Comedy, Quiet Reflection and Odeliz all to Group success as Juveniles. Many of these horses are horses of a lifetime and for Karl to train them all in the last four years is a sign that Karl is very much capable of getting a 2yo who could change their owners lives both on and off the track.

Karl is a very personable trainer and enjoys a glass of champagne with the owners before and after the race. He gets plenty of work into his 2yos ahead of their debuts but given his statistics over the last five years his 2yos progress from run to run early in their careers.