Dam of Breeders' Cup winner Unquestionable to sparkle at Arqana December Sale

Strawberry Lace, dam of last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes winner Unquestionable, is set to sparkle at Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale where she will be offered by Normandie Breeding, carrying a full-sibling to the Grade 1 winner.

The nine-year-old is by Sea The Stars who is an emerging force as a broodmare sire; he is the damsire of seven individual top-level winners including Unquestionable who was trained by Aidan O'Brien for Al Shaqab Racing, Coolmore and Westerberg and was placed in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere prior to his Santa Anita success.

This year the Wootton Bassett colt finished fourth in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes before he was transferred to the yard of Richard Hannon for who he has yet to race.

Unquestionable is the second foal out of Strawberry Lace, who ran twice at three for David Menuisier and Clive Washbourn. She was purchased for 52,000gns by Camille Vitse of Normandie Breeding, in foal to Night Of Thunder, for 52,000gns.

That Night Of Thunder foal is Enjoy The Show, who was retained by Normandie Breeding and placed twice as a three-year-old.

Unquestionable is her second foal and he made €340,000 to Mandore International at the 2022 Arqana August Yearling Sale. He has a two-year-old Almanzor three-parts brother named Devine Grace who raced four times this year for Adrian Murray, Amo Racing and Giselle De Aguiar and is entered in the upcoming Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale.

Strawberry Lace has a yearling colt by Almanzor named El Vegas.

Her best offspring is one of ten individual Group/Grade 1 winners sired by Wootton Bassett whose most recent top-level winner is Camille Pisarro with his breakthrough victory coming in the Prix Jean Luc-Lagardere earlier this month.

Strawberry Lace was bred by Swettenham Stud out of the Listed October Stakes winner and Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes second Crying Lightening, a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor.

The family is an outstanding Juddmonte one; Strawberry Lace's second dam Auction Room is a half-sister to Tantina who is the dam of Bated Breath and Citycape, second dam of St Leger winner Scuffle and third dam of dual Grade 1 Diana Stakes winner Whitebeam.

Arqana will release the full catalogue for the December Breeding Stock Sale on Monday, October 28.

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