Mystery Angel provides a heaven-sent moment for Knockananig Stud

One word from Noelle Walsh perfectly summarises the feeling of lining up alongside some of the breeding industry's juggernauts with a runner in the Cazoo Oaks.

Mystery Angel, who has been supplemented for Friday's Classic by Nick Bradley's syndicate and young trainer George Boughey after showing promise in two trials, will be representing the little guys in more ways than one.

"Huge," Walsh declares. "We're actually down to only two mares here at the moment. I used to have kind of eight or ten, so it's absolutely huge."

For the last 30 years or so, Walsh has been at the helm of Knockananig Stud, near Fermoy in County Cork. The daughter of a dairy farmer and wife of a point-to-point rider, her operation is not a mainstay at the top end of sales reports and managed only £13,000 for Mystery Angel when offering her at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale.

The daughter of a very much in-form sire Kodi Bear, who was Group-placed at two and won this year's Pretty Polly Stakes, has already surpassed Hilary Needler third Leleyf and Golden Balls, a winner for Richard Hannon who had a minor stud career after being Graded-placed in the United States, as Knockananig's finest graduate.

Her dam, Nottingham maiden winner Angel Grace, was picked up for 43,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale.

Walsh reveals: "To be quite honest I very nearly left her behind because I already had an Acclamation mare in foal to Kodi Bear - not that I'm knocking Kodi Bear or anything. I had her listed but was going, 'I don't want a second Kodi Bear' and that kind of thing, but I loved her.

"She just said something to me outside the ring, I thought, 'I'll go and have a go at you'. She was a good walking, good looking mare and Kodi Bear has done really well; Rathbarry have a good horse there again."

Mystery Angel was the foal that Angel Grace was carrying, and Walsh continues: "I absolutely loved her and what went wrong at the sales, I don't know. I thought I was going okay and next thing, all of a sudden I had nobody. It was just one of those things.

"Over a couple of days at the sales, it either goes right or it goes wrong, and if it goes wrong, it goes really wrong. But maybe it was all for luck, if I'd held onto her and put her in training myself, she just mightn't have got all of those opportunities."

These are straightened times for smaller breeders and Walsh suffers the same issues as many others. Broodmares are hard to replace and she lost another mare she bought last year shortly before foaling. Highs and lows are weathered with the same cheerful attitude.

"I was trying to build up a bit again but unfortunately those things happen," she says. "I'm still enjoying it, getting a bit older, the bones are getting a bit creakier, but we keep trying anyway."

Walsh could not sell her other Kodi Bear but Wood Ranger, who she put into training with Willie McCreery instead, is a winner with ongoing potential as a sprint handicapper. Meanwhile, Angel Grace is also still only eight, meaning there is plenty of time for further recompense.

"She has a two-year-old with Kevin Prendergast that is owned by Shadwell, he's due to come out fairly soon, maybe in June some time," relays Walsh. "I've been hearing good enough things about him, but we'll see if I'm dreaming.

"Then I've a Camacho yearling filly out of her that'll go to the sales this year, and she had a Dandy Man colt foal that was born the day that Mystery Angel won the Pretty Polly. That was a bit of an exciting day."

As a more sharply bred entry, albeit with some stamina further down her page, it is a bit of a leap to imagine one of the race's outsiders embellishing her page with another win on Friday, but there is no harm in dreaming.

"It would be lovely if she was placed," says Walsh. "It's exciting but just a pity we can't go. I'd have loved to have gone over to see her and been part of it. Fingers crossed she'll run well anyway."

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