Skipping Chick

color: white/fawn, born: 1971-05, hight: XX cm, weight: XX kg

Skipping Chick qualified for racing at Youghal and during the summer of 1973 won six races at Youghal and Cork. Her quickest, on June 14 was a 30,25 at Cork, though a week later, her 30,45 at Youghal was the fastest of the night. She clocked 18,10 for the trak´s 325 yards when Basking Shark´s clock was 17,70.

"Chick´s" racing career was handicapped by a six monthly seasonal cycle and she was switched to the field in the winter of 1973/74. Her sister April Chicks has shown the family´s flair for the live game when reaching the semis of the previous season´s Coursing Oaks.
Skipping Chick won her first stake, a 16 runner duffer at Affane and then landed the all aged Dupont Cup at Cappequin. She was then pitched against serious company in the prestigious Deise Cup. Chick reached the last eight where she was beaten by eventual runner-up Dear Inniscarra.

For the only time, the organisers of the -74 Coursing Festival introduced a Champion Bitch Stake, in addition to the regular Champion Stakes for the season´s best eight adult performers.
The two Chicks, Skipping and April, were invited for the bitch´s event but were beaten in the first round by two coursing blue bloods - the sisters were semi track bred.
Skipping Chick lost to Tender Hanna, the eventual stake winner and half sister of Coursing Derby winner Tender Heather and Tender Hostess (grand dam of Desert Pilot.) April Chicks (the grand dam of Ron Hardy), was beaten by Better Get On (dam of Master Myles).

When Skipping Chick was retired she produced eight litters including one apiece by Kilbelin Style and his son Peruvian Style. The next most important was the litter to courser Burgess Heather. The March -85 litter included Pall Mall/Laurels winner Greenfield Fox and Romford Puppy Cup winner Lyons Skipper.
Their sister Lady Armada took the line forward thanks mainly to her Liberty Lad litter that included Laurels winner Echo Spark (sire of Derby winner Signal Spark) Sovereign Stakes winner Skipping Scot and the superb Citizen Supreme, sire of Greenpark Fox etc.

"Chick´s" Supreme Fun litter featured the Kingdom Puppy Derby winner You Genius, Rhincrew Supreme (TA Morris Stakes) and Skipping Fun. The latter was the dam of the Wimbledon track record breaker and Puppy Derby winner Rhincrew Moth (dam of Poor Sue and Heavenly Duke).

Skipping Chick´s offspring made a massive impact on Irish breeding. They were remarkable for three reasons. Firstly, their incredible early pace. Secondly, the number of bitches who have retained the prepotency to breed on. And thirdly, even some very moderate daughters have been able to reproduce the dam´s incredible speed.

Skipping Chick was from a fine litter. Apart from April Chicks, the litter also included Skipping Cock who ran third in a Guinness Midland Puppy Stake before his export to Britain where he won several stayer opens. The litter were by the 1969 Irish Laurels winner Skipping Tim. His litter brother, the Produce Stakes winner and later hurdler Right O´Myross was to throw a British Dam of the Year, Ka Boom.

Her dam Mayfield Chick won an Oaks Trial at Fermoy. Mayfield was by Sally´s Story, winner of the Criterion Stakes at Hackney and perhaps more importantly, a brother to Printers Prince (sire of Newdown Heater and Yellow Printer) and Sally´s Yarn. The dam line then tails into a decent coursing line.