Katies
Katies (22 April 1981 – 20 August 2004) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After recording one minor win as a two-year-old she reached her peak in the spring and summer of the following year, taking major prizes in the Irish 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes. At the end of the year she was rated the best three-year-old filly trained in Britain. After the end of her racing career she became a successful broodmare whose foals had great success in Japan. Background. Katies was a "big, rangy" bay or brown mare  with a narrow white blaze bred in Ireland by Mareco Ltd. As a yearling she was sold at auction for 11,000 guineas and sent into training with Mick Ryan. Katies' sire Nonoalco won the 2000 Guineas and the Prix Jacques Le Marois in 1974 and stood as a breeding stallion in Europe (siring Noalcoholic) before being exported to Japan. Her dam Mortefontaine was a winner of one minor race in France, a full-sister to the Nunthorpe Stakes winner Polyfoto and closely related to the dual Cambridgeshire Handicap winner Baronet. Apart from Katies she produced Millfontaine who won the Extel  Handicap and the Winter Hill Stakes in 1983. Racing career. 1983: two-year-old season. Despite finishing unplaced over six furlongs on her racecourse debut, Katies then started at odds of 10/11 for a maiden race over seven and a half furlongs at Lingfield Park in October. She won by a length from the Geoff Wragg-trained Dusty Letter with the first two coming home well clear of the other eighteen runners. Later that month, on her only subsequent start of the year she finished unplaced in a race at Newbury. 1984: three-year-old season. Katies finished unplaced on  her first appearance as a three-year-old and then defeated the Henry Cecil-trained Ophrys by half a length in a minor race over seven furlongs at Leicester Racecourse in April. Later that month she finished third behind Kanz and Triagonal when moved up in class and distance for the Princess Elizabeth Stakes over eight and a half furlongs at Epsom Racecourse. She had looked likely to win the race before hanging badly to the right in the closings stages and was reported to have sustained a minor leg injury during the contest. Shortly after her defeat at Epsom  she was bought for a reported £500,000 by Terry Ramsden. In May Katies was sent to Ireland and started at odds of 20/1 in a twenty-three runner field for the Irish 1000 Guineas over one mile at the Curragh in which she was ridden by Philip Robinson. After turning into the straight just behind the leaders she went to the front a quarter of a mile from the finish and accelerated two lengths clear of her rivals. She came under pressure in the closing stages but held on to win narrowly from Alianna, So Fine and Lady of  the House, with Desirable in fifth, the favourite Masarika (Poule d'Essai des Pouliches) in sixth and the future Irish Oaks winner Princess Pati in seventh place. Robinson later commented that Katies might have won more easily had he not sent her to the front so early. In June Katies was matched against the English 1000 Guineas winner Pebbles in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Robinson was given the choice between the two Guineas winners and opted to partner Katies. The betting suggested that he had made the wrong choice as Pebbles started favourite ahead of Leipzig (runner-up in  the Nell Gwyn Stakes) and So Fine with Katies going off the 11/2 fourth choice. The other runners included L'Orangerie (Prix Imprudence), Lady of the House and Desirable. Robinson settled his mount behind the leaders as Leipzig set a strong pace, and then moved up into second place behind Pebbles with two furlongs left to run. The two Guineas winners quickly drew away from the field with Katies proving the stronger, taking the lead inside the finsl furlong and winning by a length. There was a gap of five and a half lengths back to So Fine who took third  place ahead of Desirable. Katies started odds-on favourite for the Child Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse in July but was beaten into second place by the 1000 Guineas runner-up Meis-El-Reem, to whom she was conceding six pounds in weight. On her final appearance of the season, Katies was matched against older horses and male opposition in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in September. Chief Singer started favourite with Katies the joint-second choice alongside the four-year-old gelding Teleprompter. She produced a strong finish but failed by a neck to overhaul Teleprompter having  been slightly hampered by the winner in the closing stages. Philip Robinson lodged an objection but the result was allowed to stand by the racecourse stewards. At the Goffs sale in November Katies was put up for sale but was withdrawn by her vendor after the bidding had reached 2,800,000 guineas. Assessment. In their annual "Racehorses of 1983" the independent Timeform organization gave her a rating of 85, making her more than thirty pounds inferior to the best fillies of her generation while commenting that she would "stay 1m". In the official International Classification for 1984 Katies was give  a rating of 84, making her the second best three-year-old filly in Europe behind Northern Trick and the best filly of her generation trained in Britain. Timeform rated her on 126, five pounds behind Northern Trick and two pounds ahead of Pebbles. Breeding record. Katies was retired from racing to become a broodmare. Although she was based in the United States for the rest of her life, her stock were most successful in Japan. She was sold twice at auction, fetching $1,000,000 in 1989 and $625,000 in 1998. She produced at least fourteen foals and eleven  winners between 1987 and 2004: She reportedly died on 30 August 2004 at the age of twenty-three.