With so many major racing battalions with seemingly limitless funds at their disposal it was truly heart-warming to witness the success of Cinderella horse Katla in the listed Rockingham Stakes at York on Saturday, writes Elliot Slater.
Owned, bred and trained by Irish racing dairy farmer John Grogan in County Cashel, Katla is Grogan’s only horse in training and is a daughter of the moderate maiden Bratislava, who he purchased for £8000 in 2005 at Goffs Sales. Katla had already made something of a splash in her native Ireland, wining a Cork maiden on her third racecourse appearance having finished runner-up to subsequent Group 1 winner Misty For Me on her previous outing. A short-head second to Longhunter in listed company at the Curragh last month confirmed that the daughter of Majestic Missile was no slouch, and she went to York with connections having high hopes that they might grab a bit of place money.
As it transpired Katla absolutely hacked up, winning easily by six lengths from Barefoot Lady, clearly proving well suited to the testing underfoot conditions. A stunned Grogan, (who had driven the horsebox over the night before), was barely able to speak when interviewed on live television moments after his pride and joy had stormed to victory. The only thing of which the ecstatic farmer was certain was that there would be one hell of a party when he arrived back home.
Katla now looks set to step up again in class and may well head next to France for a Group 2 race later in the month where she is more than likely according to horse racing tips to encounter ground similar to that at the Knavesmire.
Win, lose or draw, Katla’s victory has given hope to all those who dream of buying a cheap horse and breeding a winner, and equally to those one-horse trainers that go through the motions day after day wondering if their big moment will ever come.
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