Meon Valley Stud's foaling season has got off to the best possible start with the arrival of the first foal for the 2019 Oaks winner Anapurna (GB). The daughter of Frankel (GB) produced a chestnut filly by Lope De Vega (Ire) at the Hampshire farm early on Monday morning.
“As you can imagine we're absolutely delighted,” said Meon Valley Stud owner Mark Weinfeld. “You never know what's going to happen, so to have a filly as her first foal is fantastic. She arrived at six o'clock this morning and she's a very nice first foal.”
A fifth generation homebred for the stud, Anapurna traces back to one of Meon Valley's three foundation mares, the 1979 1000 Guineas winner One In A Million (Ire) (Rarity {GB}). Trained by John Gosden, Anapurna became the first British Classic winner for Frankel at Epsom following her win in the Lingfield Oaks Trial. Later that season she won the G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu on Arc weekend. The 5-year-old mare is booked to visit Dubawi (Ire) at Dalham Hall Stud this season.
Anapurna's foal is the first of 22 expected at Meon Valley Stud this season and the team will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of a full-sibling to the Classic heroine in March. Since delivering Anapurna, Dash To The Top (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) has not produced a foal in the intervening years but she is currently in foal to Frankel on a March 5 cover.
Weinfeld said, “We've had some tricky moments with Dash To The Top and we're just hoping she will go full term. She normally runs late so we are estimating that she will foal in the first week of March.”
While no decision has yet been reached for Dash To The Top's 2021 mating, a trip to Frankel is on the cards for dual Group 1 winner Izzi Top (GB) Pivotal {GB}), who is in foal to Invincible Spirit (Ire). Izzi Top's Group 2-winning half-sister Jazzi Top (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) is in foal to Dubawi and will visit Sea The Moon (Ger) at Lanwades Stud this year.
Oaks runner-up Shirocco Star (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), the dam of G2 Dante S. winner and new Haras du Mesnil stallion Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {GB}), is currently in foal to Dubawi, with whom she has already produced the listed winner and Group 3 runner-up Al Suhail. She will visit Kingman (GB) next.
The first-season sires Kameko, Pinatubo (Ire) and Mohaather (GB) will each be sent a mare from Meon Valley Stud in 2021.
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