Foal finds comfort in teddy bear and granddam after rejection by first-time mum

A filly who was rejected by her dam just four days after foaling has found a happy ending after her great granddam came to the rescue to take up maternal duties.

Chasemore Farm's Lope De Vega filly out of Prestige Stakes winner Boomer was born this month, but an unusual turn of events meant that the 22-year-old Veiled Beauty took on the task of raising the little one.

Jack Conroy, manager of the farm near Cobham in Surrey, explained on Thursday: "It was lucky the staff were there taking headcollars off before feeding and just checking everything over before bed.

"Basically, the mare had a negative reaction to the foal. She's her first foal so we'd no knowledge of how she'd react, but it was strange as she was so good up to that point.

"We tried to reintroduce them in case the mare had just had something wrong with her, but she was checked over and there was nothing amiss. Perhaps hormones had worn off after the foaling period. These things are rare but unfortunately they do happen."

The foal was subsequently hand-reared while the team at Andrew Black's stud prepared Veiled Beauty for back-up broodmare duties.

The daughter of Royal Academy, who is in retirement, has produced five winners, including John of Gaunt Stakes winner The Cheka and Wall Of Sound, a Grade 2-placed daughter of Singspiel and, of course, the dam of Boomer as well as the smart Uncle Bryn.

Conroy said of the stud stalwart: "Veiled Beauty is a great, old servant and was here in retirement with another mare who needs a bit more feeding during her pregnancy than most, so they were in a paddock together.

"She's 22 but she's very well in herself. We did have the idea that if we had to use a foster mare for any reason this year we would try to use her.

"This situation came about, so she started treatment that afternoon, whereby we got her producing milk again.

Veiled Beauty and the Lope De Vega filly out of BoomerCredit: Jessica Roberts Photography

"By the very next day you could get milk out of her, it wasn't a huge bag, but she was producing. We still need a few more days of that to support the foal on her own, but hopefully that will happen."

Conroy continued: "We had to hand-raise as the situation happened on Monday afternoon and we gave her a dose that evening. The foal was bottled on Tuesday, every hour, and she had a teddy bear to accompany her too.

"We didn't want to do too much bottling as they can get too used to that and it's hard to get them back on the teat. The mare took to the foal straight away and it was then just a case of making sure nothing was going amiss, and then throughout the night the staff did a rota every two hours watching."

As for Boomer, she is well enough too, with Conroy adding: "She's up with the other mares who are barren this year and we're just keeping an eye on her."

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