Say hola to OTI’s latest acquisition, Spanish Class, a filly by Lope de Vega out of School Run who ticks all the right boxes.
Spanish Class caught the eye of Hubie de Burgh at the Tattersalls Breeze Up Sale in Newmarket last month. She impressed Hubie after a strong breeze up where she displayed her athleticism and was ranked in the top 15% of times.
Following Hubie’s recommendation, OTI undertook further assessments and were impressed by the strong-bodied filly.
Her quality breeding was a major appeal, with Lope de Vega, one of Europe’s leading sires, currently standing at €100,000 euros (AUD $165,000). John Hammond, OTI’s European representative was also impressed by the filly’s female bloodline, out of School Run (Invincible Spirit). ‘She is effectively a three parts sister to Noor Sahara (also by Lope de Vega, out of her grand dam) who won a Listed race at Longchamp’, John said.
Spanish Class will be trained by Jessica Harrington out of Ireland, due to Jessie’s in-depth knowledge and experience with the breed. Jessie currently trains Cadillac, one of Ireland’s most impressive 2-year-olds, also out of Lope de Vega. Jessie is pleased with the filly and is looking to start her racing career in the next two months at distances between 1400m –1600m.
OTI’s CEO Terry Henderson plans to race the filly in Europe as a three-year-old before assessing the next steps. “There is potential to bring her across to Australia as a four-year-old, we may continue racing in Europe or her broodmare value might be realised by then. Whatever happens we’ve got lots to look forward to with this filly”, he said.
Should you wish to learn more about future plans, please feel free to get in touch with the OTI team by email at oti@oti.com.au.
