Talented mare Cheltenham-bound for John O’Connor and Philip Rocher.
Over the course of a year, Indefatigable has made six appearances on a racecourse and during that time will have gone into a number of notebooks as a jumper to follow.
The six-year-old daughter of Schiaparelli made her debut in Ireland, finishing third in a Punchestown bumper just three lengths behind Relegate, who would go on to win the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.
Switched to England and the stable of Paul Webber, she became a winner on her next start before graduating to hurdles. Not long into this current season Indefatigable won again before taking her chance in black-type races, finishing second in the Listed Weatherbys General Stud Book Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Taunton and, most recently, runner-up again, this time forcing the tightest of finishes with the progressive Lady Buttons in the G2 Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle.
Indefatigable’s latest run now has her breeder and co-owner John O’Connor, who races the mare in partnership with Philip Rocher, dreaming of the Cheltenham Festival, at which it is hoped she will contest the G2 Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
“She turns out to have been very well named as she kept trying at Doncaster and was only beaten by 6/100 of a second,” says John O’Connor, who owns the County Tipperary-based dual-purpose breeding operation Ballykelly Stud, where Derby winner Dr Devious was raised.
“Going to Cheltenham seems to be the obvious next step for her and I’m nervously counting down the days. I’m very grateful to the Rocher family for allowing me to stay involved in her ownership. We’ve bred a number of Group-class horses but this is the only one I’ve still been involved with on the racecourse. It’s wonderful to have an exciting horse like her. Breeding is a passion really.”
Indefatigable, who has been raised to a rating of 138 since her Doncaster performance, is the first foal of the unraced Kalanisi mare Spin The Wheel, herself the daughter of American Grade 3 winner Stem The Tide. Spin The Wheel is currently back in England ahead of the covering season for a return visit to Schiaparelli.
O’Connor adds, “Schiaparelli is a magnificent specimen and the Monsun sireline is on fire. From a breeder’s point of view it’s nice to see that a number of his better runners to date are fillies.
“Spin The Wheel is not in foal so hopefully she can be covered early. It’s great still to have her, along with a couple of her daughters, and we have to start thinking that Indefatigable is a nice breeding prospect for the future.”
