Pierre Lapin emulates half-brother Harry Angel with Mill Reef Stakes win

Pierre Lapin emulated his brilliant half-brother Harry Angel by landing the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury on Saturday, and in the process became the inaugural stakes winner for first-season sire Cappella Sansevero.

The colt, trained by Roger Varian for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, was making his second start after taking a Haydock novice stakes in May.

View full result and watch race replay

Racing keenly in the early stages, he tracked the leaders and took up the running in the final furlong before keeping on to record a comfortable one and a half-length victory over Mystery Power, with Shadn a place behind.

The runner-up and third are both by No Nay Never.

Pierre Lapin was bred by Ballyphilip Stud's Paul McCartan under the CBS Bloodstock banner and is the sixth foal out of the placed Cadeaux Genereux mare Beatrix Potter, a half-sister to Xtension, who won the Vintage Stakes and finished fourth in Makfi's 2,000 Guineas for Clive Cox before being sold to Hong Kong, where he won back-to-back renewals of the BMW Champions Mile.

Beatrix Potter – also a half-sister to A Huge Dream, the Listed-placed dam of classy sprinter Mrs Gallagher – has produced three winners and laid a golden egg in Harry Angel, her 2014 produce by Dark Angel who was trained by Cox to break his maiden in the Mill Reef Stakes at two and went on to win the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup at three and the Duke of York Stakes last year at four.

Harry Angel, whose immense talent was compromised later in his career by an apparent aversion to the starting stalls, was retired to stand at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket this year, and covered 139 mares in his debut book.

Pierre Lapin, bought by Varian for 140,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, was the last foal bred by McCartan from Beatrix Potter as the mare was subsequently sold to the China Horse Club in a private deal.

Beatrix Potter has a filly by Dark Angel who is being offered by Baroda Stud at the forthcoming Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, and she was sent stateside for a tryst with Triple Crown hero Justify at Ashford Stud this year.

Pierre Lapin features among 60 first-crop foals by Cappella Sansevero, a son of Showcasing who finished second in the Coventry Stakes a day after topping the inaugural Goffs London Sale when bought by Qatar Racing for £1.3 million.

Cappella Sansevero went on to run third in the Phoenix Stakes, win the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes and finish a close fourth in the Middle Park Stakes.

He stands under the Compas Stallions banner at Bridge House Stud in County Westmeath, and is also responsible for the multiple winner Calippo and recent wide-margin Haydock novice stakes scorer Panic Room.

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