Memories of Ouija Board were revived on Sunday when the Ed Dunlop trained filly Snow Fairy completed a remarkable year for connections in the Hong Kong Cup.
Snow Fairy (Intikhab) annexed the English – Irish Oaks double earlier this year and stayed in training to add Group 1 victories in Japan and Hong Kong.
Good as she is, Dunlop wouldn’t be drawn into comparisons between Snow Fairy and his former champion filly Ouija Board.
Ouija Board (Cape Cross) was in the news again on Monday when it was announced she would visit Dubawi in 2011. Hooking up with Dubawi means Ouija Board won’t have to travel far from Lord Derby’s Stanley House Stud at Newmarket. Dubawi is based nearby at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud.
Stanley House Stud manager Peter Stanley said the staff were thrilled to hear Ouija Board would be staying at home this year. “We’re very excited to have her here,” he said. “Previously, she boarded in America or Ireland.”
Ouija Board’s first foal is a 2yo Kingmambo colt named Voodoo Prince. “Ed (Dunlop) has given us good reports about him,” Stanley said. “He’s had sore shins but we’re encouraged by what we’ve seen so far.”
Ouija Board has a yearling filly by Monsun, a weanling filly by Galileo and she’s carrying at PPT to Galileo again.
“Dubawi has obviously had an exceptional year,” Stanley explained. “And we think he’s very well matched to Ouija Board physically.
Ouija Board was bred and raced by Lord Derby and retired as one of the all-time great mares. She won 7 Group 1 events highlighted by two renewals of the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs and Lone Star.
She was denied a third Breeders’ Cup crown when beaten a length by Intercontinental at Belmont Park in 2005.