I had last seen the foal formerly known as ‘Mini-Koo’ when she was sold for €600 as a foal in 2010. She was so off my radar in the Spring and Summer of 2014 that I totally failed to notice that she had been named and won her maiden Point-to-Point at Fairyhouse in May, at odds of 10/1,. Indeed, I only became aware of this when checking the entries for a Mares-only bumper at Warwick in which Shade Oak’s Samedi Soir was engaged, being pleasantly surprised to find not only that Lifeboat Mona was in the race and had won a Point-to-Point but that Paul Nichols now trained her. I already intended to go to the meeting; now I was determined to.
Also in the race were other debutants with considerable pedigree interest, particularly Hollies Pearl, a Black Sam Bellamy filly out of Posh Pearl, bred at Shade Oak, and Lady of Lamanver, a Lucarno out of the good racemare Lamanver Homerun (who we got to know better later on). Before the race I approached Paul Nichols, told him I was Mona’s breeder and asked if she was any good. His response was that: “(Daughter) Megan rides her at home and thinks she’s a machine, but we’ll soon find out.”
Starting favourite at 11/4 Mona lay handy throughout, quickened to lead over a furlong out and held the challenge of Surtee Du Berlais to win by a neck, with Hollies Pearl staying on to be third and Lady of Lamanver fourth. Samedi Soir was held up at the back and finished a never-threatening ninth.
After the race, Roy Swinburne, owner of both Hollies Pearl and the far less able Glenford Dorie (see Dancing Pearl), suggested that his horse might have won but for being held up in traffic when the first two quickened early in the straight. My impression was that Mona had shown greater cruising speed and acceleration and won handily, quickening both to lead and again when challenged near the finish.
Mona met Hollies Pearl again in a Listed Mares-only bumper at Huntingdon early in December. This was one of the new races I had proposed to the TBA and BHA a few years earlier, in order to encourage more trainers to race mares. One of the trainers apparently persuaded to do so was Paul Nichols. Favourite for the race was a Henderson-trained newcomer, Robin’s Reef, sold for € 130,000 as a three-year-old, with the impressive Doncaster bumper winner, Out Of The Mist, owned by another TBA NH Committee member, Liz Lucas, second-favourite (and the one I really feared).
Peter Hockenhull travelled with us to the meeting, and he, Dorte and I watched from the Owners & Trainers balcony as, first, Wishfull Thinking put on a memorable display of jumping to win the Peterborough Chase, and then the Mares bumper was run.
Mona, who was clearly anxious to get on with things in the paddock, settled well in the race, running just outside the leader, Madame Trigger, with Robin’s Reef, Hollies Pearl and Out Of The Mist not far behind. Mona travelled easily alongside Madame Trigger as they entered the straight, with (pleasingly) Robin’s Reef and Out Of The Mist beginning to be ridden along; then she accelerated smoothly to take a two length lead. She was ridden out from the furlong pole but ran on strongly to beat Hollies Pearl by 2¼ lengths, with Out Of The Mist fifth and Robin’s Reef seventh. A celebratory glass of champagne, with Roy and Louise Swinburne and their trainer Peter Bowen, rounded off a memorable day.
Mona faced a tough task in her next race, when trying to win a Sandown Listed NH Flat race under a penalty, facing several previous opponents as well as a Mullins-trained 4YO, Babylone des Motte, receiving a significant weight allowance. Megan Nicols claimed 7lb off Mona’s weight, but she still had to give Babylone des Motte 5lb, with Ruby Walsh riding.
Mona ran a very good race; after racing in mid division she was just coming through to lead three furlongs out when baulked by a loose horse (Whistle Dixie), causing her to lose both ground and momentum. She quickened again to battle with Babylone des Motte for the lead, but was unable to go with her rival in the final furlong and eventually finished third behind the Mullins mare and the strong-finishing Briery Queen. In her final race of the season the Aintree Mares bumper, Mona ran below form to finish well beaten behind her old rival (and twice victim), Hollies Pearl.
Things were back on track for Mona’s hurdles debut at Wincanton in early December, with a 7-length win at odds of 1-4. However, in Listed company at Taunton four weeks later, she was pulled up with reported ‘breathing difficulties’ behind another Mullins-trained mare, Mysko. Back at Wincanton she bounced back from this reverse by gaining an easy win from five opponents on heavy ground; but that was it for the season.
.On Mona’s next appearance in a competitive handicap at Ascot in November, her form took a significant step forward. Ridden by Jack Sherwood she took the lead at the second-last and bolted clear to win by 8 lengths from Midnight Sapphire, with top-weight Mia’s Storm back in fifth. The performance earned her an Official Rating of 140 and an RPR of 142, well up to Black-Type standards.
Dorte and I were at Sandown for Mona’s next race, the Listed Mares Hurdle run in early January. It proved to be her best performance. The regular front-runner Desert Queen made the pace, on occasions going 12 lengths clear, with Mona tracking the two behind her, Midnight Jazz and Briery Queen.
Moving towards the straight the three closed on the leader; and at the second-last Desert Queen just led from Midnight Jazz, with Mona challenging on the outside and Briery Queen on the inner, with the rest beaten. Between the last two hurdles Midnight Jazz kicked on into the lead, with Mona in a challenging position on her outside.
A good jump at the last took Mona to the front, and she ran on strongly all the way to the line to win by 3 lengths from Midnight Jazz, with Briery Queen just behind in third and Desert Queen more than 3 lengths further back.
The performance earned her an OR of 144 and RPR of 146, as well as the later award as the Leading British-bred Mares Hurdler at the annual TBA NH Celebration Dinner. On that occasion I was able to quote Michael Moore’s wise words after I had sold Mona as a foal: “You should have kept that filly and raced her yourself.” However, I also felt I should inform the audience that, unfortunately, these words of wisdom were uttered six years after we had sold her.
After the Sandown race I spoke to Axom manager Dan Downie to express an interest in buying Mona back as a broodmare at the end of her racing career, which I assumed would not be for another year. Any possibility of this happening would depend on her next race, the G1 David Nicholson Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham, since if she won that event she would be unaffordable.
I was at Cheltenham that day, but, rather unsportingly, didn’t wear the ‘lucky overcoat’ that had attended three of her previous victories (it was saved for the Gold Cup later that week). I wanted her to win the race, of course, but thought the 16-1 odds against her beating Apple’s Jade, Vroum Vroum Mag and Limini were about right. She never looked like doing so, being ridden after two out and finishing behind two previous rivals, Briery Queen (fifth) and Midnight Jazz (10th); it was quickly reported that she had finished lame in the left hind leg.
After later being told by one of the Axom LV syndicate that owned Mona that the injury was sufficiently serious that she would be unable to race for the whole of the next season, I acted in the finest traditions of any conscientious ambulance chaser and renewed contact with Dan Downie. We swiftly agreed a deal for me to buy Mona back for around 100 times what I had sold her for as a foal. It’s amazing what a record of six wins from 10 starts, including two Listed races, can do for a filly’s value.
However, as a good-looking mare with a very nice pedigree and excellent racing record, featuring a combination of high cruising speed, good jumping and real acceleration, I believe Mona was worth it. Time will tell, but she produced four very nice foals by Telescope: a filly and three colts, a lovely 2022 colt by Nathaniel and a really attractive 2023 grey filly by Logician. After her seventh foal in succession, a chestnut colt by Logician was born in 2024, she was given a well-earned rest!
Mona’s 2022 colt by Nathaniel brought her best price yet, €30,000
For further details of Lifeboat Mona’s breeding record, click on the Broodmares tab.