Laurens

Laurens (foaled 12 April 2015) is a French-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career running from July 2017 to October 2019 she ran 17 times, winning eight races, including six at the highest Group 1 level. In 2017 she won a minor event on her racecourse debut and then finished second to Polydream in the Prix du Calvados before her victories in the May Hill Stakes and Fillies' Mile. In the following year she ran second to Billesdon Brook in the 1000 Guineas and then embarked on a successful campaign in her native France, taking both the Prix Saint-Alary and the Prix de Diane. When tried over one and a half miles she failed to stay the distance in the Yorkshire Oaks but when brought back to one mile she upset Alpha Centauri in the Matron Stakes and then added a fifth Group 1 success when taking the Sun Chariot Stakes. In 2019 she continued to compete at the highest level, adding a further Group 1 win in France in the Prix Rothschild before being retired at the end of the season. Background Laurens is a big bay filly bred in France by Bloodstock Agency Ltd. She has a white star and snip as well as white socks on her left foreleg and right hind leg. In August 2016 at Goffs the yearling filly was offered for sale and bought for £220,000 by Salcey Forest Stud on behalf of John Dance. She was sent into training with Karl Burke at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire. She was ridden in most of her races by the former National Hunt jockey P. J. McDonald. She was from the fourth crop of foals sired by the Aga Khan's stallion Siyouni whose biggest win came in the 2009 running of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère. His other offspring have included Ervedya, Le Brivido (Jersey Stakes), Siyoushake (Prix Perth), Spectre (Prix Imprudence), Volta (Prix de Sandringham), Bourree (Prix de Psyché), Finsbury Square (Prix de Meautry) and Trixia (Prix des Réservoirs). Her dam Recambe showed no discernable racing ability, finishing unplaced in her five races but was a half sister to the Newmarket Stakes and Hong Kong Derby winner Salford Mill (aka Helene Mascot). She was descended from the British broodmare Rose Ness (foaled 1965) who was the female-line ancestor of Daylami and Dalakhani. Racing career