Ballylinch Stud's star stallion Lope de Vega supplied his 12th elite winner Nov. 6 when Aunt Pearl landed the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Keeneland.
The Brad Cox-trained filly became the second daughter of Lope de Vega to land the grade 1 prize, following Newspaperofrecord's victory in 2018.
Newspaperofrecord became something of a poster girl for U.S. buyers' raids on Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, and that is where Bradley Weisbord and Liz Crow secured Aunt Pearl at a cost of 280,000 guineas (US$358,767) in 2019.
The filly was already among Lope de Vega's 125 stakes performers, a list containing 42 group/graded winners and 35 listed scorers, having run out a ready winner of the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2T) this season.
Aunt Pearl becomes Lope de Vega's second group/grade 1-winning juvenile this year after Lucky Vega struck in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) for Jessica Harrington and owner Zhang Yuesheng.
The son of Shamardal stood the 2020 breeding season at a career-high fee of €100,000. He is not without a chance of notching a Breeders' Cup double, with son Lope Y Fernandez set to contest the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) on Saturday.
Aunt Pearl was bred in partnership by Ballylinch and Ecurie Des Charmes, who purchased the dam, Matauri Pearl, through Meridian International for €400,000 ($435,400) at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in 2015.
The listed stakes-placed daughter of Hurricane Run, who was named champion 3-year-old filly in Scandinavia in 2012, has since produced a filly by Sea The Stars who was bought by Daniel Cole for €450,000 ($527,445) at last month's Arqana October Yearling Sale and delivered a Lope de Vega brother to Aunt Pearl April 30.
In turn, Matauri Pearl is a sister to Wekeela, who has twice fetched seven figures when offered at public auction.
She brought €1.1 million ($1,233,540) from Oceanic Bloodstock on behalf of Martin Schwartz when offered at the Arqana Arc Sale in 2015 before David Redvers gave 1,800,000 guineas ($2,547,342) for her at Tattersalls two years later.
Wekeela has produced colts by Dubawi and Roaring Lion in the past two foaling seasons and was among Kingman 's 2020 book of mares.
