Sixties Icon has been a real hero in his role as a sire. An eight-time winner, with the St Leger in under his belt, he has some super bloodlines, being sired by Epsom Derby winner Galileo (by Sadler's Wells), and having Love Divine (with an Oaks victory to her credit) as his mother. Knockabout Queen has Rough Courte as her dam, with Danehill and Pivotal being her grandparents.
She was well-fancied in her debut at Wolverhampton in mid-April, but failed to impress on the AW surface. It was early days yet, of course, and one could only hope that results would start coming as her experience built up, for she'd done everything right at home. She then picked up a handy third at Brighton on the 24th, and was fourth at Beverley on the 7th May. But next time out, at Windsor on the 18th June, she was a convincing winner under David Egan. Let's hope it's the start of something good!
PS. Despite being the pre-race favourite by miles at Redcar on the 22nd, a bad start blew things good and proper for Joe Fanning, and we trailed home a distant fourth in the end...
PPS. Knockabout Queen was claimed after the Redcar seller, so she has now left the Box 41 stable. With Sayesse due to go soon as well (a fourth on 3rd August will almost certainly be his last race for us, as he's entered for auction a few days later), our list of horses in training is now the shortest it's been in many, many years.
