Victory in Saturday’s $350,000 Group One Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni capped a consistent and classy juvenile campaign for Pignan (NZ) (Staphanos), who is a daughter of a Pencarrow Stud-bred mare.

Trained locally by Lisa Latta, Pignan burst to the lead at the top of the straight and held on strongly to score by three-quarters of a length.

“I’m absolutely over the moon with that,” jockey Joe Doyle said. “I’m so grateful to Lisa and her team. They’ve done a fantastic job with this filly. She’s been on the go for a while now, and she doesn’t know how to run a bad race.

“This filly is as tough as nails, and she really showed it today. I’m so excited for next year with her.”

Pignan had six starts in her two-year-old season, winning two and placing in all of the other four – including third-placed finishes in the Group Two Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m).

The Group One-winning filly has earned $240,550 in stakes for an ownership group made up of Andy Rennie, rugby legend Christian Cullen, and David Monnery. Pignan was bought by Adrian Clark Bloodstock for only $15,000 from the 2021 National Weanling Sale at Karaka.

Pignan was bred by Andrew Burton and Linda Hunt and is the first named foal out of Hirondelle (NZ) (Sepoy), who was bred by Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and was a $90,000 purchase from Pencarrow’s draft at the 2016 Premier Yearling Sale.

Hirondelle is an unraced daughter of Pencarrow mare Huluava (NZ) (Pins), who is also the dam of nine winners from nine foals to race, including the multiple black-type performer William Wallace (NZ) (Darci Brahma). Huluava herself won three races and is a half-sister to stakes winners Hasselhoof (NZ) (Tavistock) and Vercors (NZ) (Catbird).

Huluava ceased breeding in 2019, but her final two foals – four-year-old mare Harmonious (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) and three-year-old filly Branciforti (NZ) (Belardo) – have both been winners this season for the Pencarrow Racing team and will be future additions to the broodmare band.