News

First Foal for More Joyous, But Not as Expected

4th Aug 2014

Breednet - Tara Madgwick - Monday, 4 August 2014

When you’ve got a special baby, you need a special photograph, which is why we will be waiting a few days to see the first foal of champion mare More Joyous, a chestnut filly by Frankel that was born last Friday.

A chestnut with two white feet and a blaze, she is not what was expected from a mating between two champion racehorses that were both bay.

"I certainly wasn’t expecting that,” revealed Duncan Grimley, Bloodstock Manager for John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud.

"More Joyous has a black father and bay mother and Frankel is by a bay out of a bay, so when you’re thinking about what the foal will be like chestnut doesn’t really enter your head.

"I’ve done a bit of research now though and 25% of Frankel’s first Northern Hemisphere crop of foals are chestnut and his sire Galileo has left plenty of good chestnuts including this year’s Epsom Derby winner Australia.”

The dam of More Joyous, Sunday Joy, has produced three chestnut full sisters to More Joyous in a row now, so obviously that recessive chestnut gene is a strong one.

Sunday Joy is due to foal again to More Than Ready (USA) in early October so another full sibling to the eight-time Group I winner is in the pipeline.

John Singleton is happy to roll the dice again with Frankel and has sent his triple Group I winner Samantha Miss and proven stakes producer Deedra to the UK to be covered to Southern Hemisphere time.

"They arrived there over the weekend and all is well with them,” Grimley said.

More Joyous will remain in Australia to be covered next by Coolmore’s champion sire Fastnet Rock, who is bay dominant.

"At least we know she’ll have a bay foal next year!” quipped Grimley.