'Hurricane Lane, my goodness' - proud breeder Cooper blown away by Longchamp win

Hurricane Lane's scintillating success in Wednesday night's Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp cemented breeder Philippa Cooper's "best season", as she described it on Thursday.

Cooper's Normandie Stud was previously a physical entity in West Sussex, but it is now conducted as a virtual enterprise, with mares boarding in Britain and Ireland.

Normandie Stud also bred this year’s Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes winner Mohaafeth, like Hurricane Lane a son of Juddmonte Farms’ Frankel.

At Longchamp Hurricane Lane and William Buick put six lengths between themselves and the chasing pack, building on their Irish Derby victory, which in itself was a step up from a third-placed finish at Epsom behind Charlie Appleby-trained stablemate Adayar.

Asked on Thursday where this season ranks among her achievements as a breeder, Cooper told GBRI: “It has to be the best. I watched it on French TV and I’ve never heard the French wax so lyrically about a horse in my life. They were completely in awe of him before the race and after the race they called him ‘serene’, because he has the most wonderful presence.

"He’s just wonderfully behaved. I know from Charlie Appleby that he can be a bit cheeky, hence why he has to be kept up to his work, but professionally, when you see him out and about, my goodness, he’s just fantastic."

She continued: “I have bred a horse that I would have always wanted to send my mares to, one I would never have believed I could breed. He’s extraordinary, he’s got the speed and the stamina, and the temperament, and the tenacity, and the will to win.

“I just hope now we’ve seen him that people, when he goes to stud, will patronise him. They were saying about Frankel, ‘Oh he’s imparted too much stamina into his horses’, but my goodness, this horse has got the best of everything. Suddenly this year for the stallion has been lift off.

“They are two very special horses. William Haggas has taken a more conservative route with Mohaafeth, I think he’s a champion as well. I’m not saying it to show off, because it’s almost like a bit surreal, I’m looking from the outside and they’re with other people anyway, but Hurricane Lane, my goodness.”

Hurricane Lane is out of Gale Force, who was bought as a broodmare prospect by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock on behalf of Cooper for 270,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2015.

After having three foals, the second of which was Hurricane Lane and the third of which, named Sweet William, Cooper retained to race, she was consigned by Newsells Park Stud, where Cooper boards some of her mares, and sold to Watership Down Stud at the same sale in 2019.

Watership Down has since welcomed a filly by Australia and is awaiting the mare’s next foal by their own stallion, Too Darn Hot.

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