THE NEW HORSES #7: BELLE PLAGE 
Born in February 2011 and based at the Ogata Stables at the JRA-run Miho Training Centre, Belle Plage is a good-looking filly by King Kamehameha out of Belle Feature. 

King Kamehameha won the 71st Japanese Derby, as well as the NHK Mile Cup. Indeed, from eight starts, he passed the post first in all but one of his races, when he came home in third. It goes a long way towards explaining his popularity as a stallion, passing on Kingmambo (multiple G-I winner in France and England), Mr Prospector and Nureyev (Northern Dancer) DNA from the male side, and, via Manfath, a mixture of Last Tycoon, Blakeney, Northern Dancer, Mill Reef, Buckpasser and Nijinsky blood. It's also worth mentioning Kingmambo's dam, Miesque, as she won the Breeders' Cup Mile twice in the States, along with the 1000 Guineas in England - not surprisingly, she was inducted into the US Hall of Fame as a result.

Courtesy Carrot Club

On the dam side, although Belle Feature had a great race record of her own (3-4-3 from 13 starts), in her job as a broodmare, she should pass on some star-studded blood. The unbeaten Agnes Tachyon is her father, passing on Sunday Silence genes on one side of the family, and a classic mix of old British and French blood on the other. Her dam was sired by Hall of Fame horse, A.P. Indy, whose predecessors reads like a who's who of US racing, including Seattle Slew, Secretariat and Buckpasser. Meanwhile, going back through the female lines reveals Mr Prospector and War Admiral. If the theories on breeding are proved right, this will be one to watch...