Laetitia’s sale came late in the day on which we bought Unika La Reconce at the Fairyhouse November Sale in 2015; and I only looked at her after failing to buy a couple of others higher on the priority list. Laetitia’s appeal was that she had a TBA Elite Mares rating of 140 as the winner of a Grade 3 chase, a Grade 3 hurdle and a Listed hurdle, also being placed in a Grade 2 hurdle and winner of two NH Flat races, earning over £80,000. Although it was Flat-based she had a decent pedigree, being by a top-class miler from a German mare who was twice Listed placed in Flat races, herself by the sire of Monsun and whose dam had bred five winners and grandam eight.
However, Laetitia was approaching 15 years of age, with just one moderate winner to show for her breeding career at the time. (Later, another winner appeared, the dual hurdle winner Sand Fly, who also placed fourth in a Listed hurdle.) Her owners had also omitted to obtain an EHV test, so she was held in a remote barn and sold without being brought into the ring.
Despite being in foal to a stallion I regarded as likely to prove very good, Fame and Glory (a prediction that I can modestly claim has subsequently proved correct), her age, unfamiliar pedigree and distant barn location did little to encourage demand for her. I bought her for €14,000, slightly less than my valuation.
The attractive filly foal she proved to be carrying brought £8,000 at Doncaster 14 months later. but was sold by her trainer, Nick Williams, at Ascot almost three years after that, said to be extremely difficult to handle. Purchased for 800 guineas by Fergal O’Brien’s farrier, John Benfield, and named ‘All Clenched Up’ after a farriery expression, she proved much more amenable when mounted by people who actually knew how to ride and was placed second in her first NH Flat race 9 months later. She then became Laetitia’s third winner when taking a similar race late in her 4yo year.
Her owner, in possession of information not available to the author, had purchased her dam’s fifth Eskdale-bred privately the week before her first race. Earlier foals, a colt and a filly by Telescope sold to trainers Mick Easterby and Phil Kirby, evidently showed little ability, the first being unraced and the second unplaced twice. A filly by Jack Hobbs was unplaced four times; and to date the 2020 Telescope filly purchased by the shrewd Mr Benfield is still to race, as is her 2021 sister bought by trainer Tjade Collier.
At the time of her purchase Laetitia was too far advanced in age to become a major success for us, but the impact she has made so far has been strictly limited. All Clenched Up is the only winner she has produced for us to date, from four horses in training and two still to race.
Laetitia was unwell prior to producing an immature filly foal in May 2022. The filly suffered a seizure shortly after birth and was unable to stand after recovering from the necessary tranquilisation; whilst the mare produced no milk. Despite the dedicated efforts of Keith and Gary at Shade Oak, nothing could be done for the foal, and the inevitable decision had to be taken in regard to an old mare who was clearly nearing the end.