It is hard to fathom how a mare can strike gold with her first foal then prove an abject failure for the remainder of her life.
Take Forest Pearl (USA), who, although unraced, had plenty going for her on pedigree. The daughter of leading stallion and excellent broodmare sire Woodman (USA) out of the Champion 3yo filly in England in 1995, the Epsom Oaks heroine, Moonshell (Sadler's Wells) made a spectacular start to her broodmare career with Miss Finland.
The daughter of Redoute's Choice was bred by the partnership of Gainsborough Stud Australia and Arrowfield Stud.
Purchased by Arrowfield for $450,000 as a yearling Miss Finland was the champion 2YO and champion 3YO filly of her generation, with 11 wins from 26 starts, including five at the highest level, the STC Golden Slipper, VRC Oaks, VRC Australian Guineas, MRC The Thousand Guineas, and STC Storm Queen Stakes.
No real surprise there, though. Forest Pearl (USA) had a deep, deep pedigree. She was out of an Epsom Oaks winning half-sister to the Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Doyen and the Group II VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Hatha Anna.
Moonshell was a daughter of the Group III winner Moon Cactus (Kris), who split Invincible Spirit's and Kodiac's dam Rafha and Tempera's dam Colour Chart in the French Oaks.
Following Miss Finland, Forest Pearl's next two foals retired as maidens, a fate befell six of her nine runners, with a further two failing to make the racetrack.
Covered by Redoute's Choice in 2007, Forest Pearl joined the Darley band in the northern hemisphere.
She visited some serious stallions in Teofilo, Pivotal, Shamardal, and Cape Cross with nothing much to show for it.
The mating with Shamardal (USA) left the filly Good Friend (IRE) whose best results in a six-start career came with placings at Plouescat and Aix-Les-Bains, which returned slightly less than $5,000.
Put in foal to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Epsom Derby winner Golden Horn (Cape Cross) to southern hemisphere time, Good Friend (IRE) was shipped off to Australia where she foaled a colt on September 9 2018.
Two months later, Good Friend (IRE) was dead.
Her only foal, named Bon Vivant, lines up in Saturday's $160,000 Listed Taj Rossi Final (1600m) at Flemington, where the Gary Portelli-trained Snitzel colt has been installed the early favourite.
Trained by James Cummings, Bon Vivant finished sixth behind Celestial Fury over 1420m at Flemington on June 19 and meets that son of Savabeel on 3kg better terms on Saturday.
