One of the finest representatives of the 2001 crop in the country today, Full Speed (by Burden Of Proof [IRE] showed his prowess recently by inflicting defeat on the leading four-year-old, Southern Regent, in the Karnataka Cup (Gr.3) over the metric mile at Bangalore

Hailing from one of the stud book's best families, Full Speed is a son of the optimistically-named Speed Beauty [GB], who was actually quite slow, being unplaced thrice in her brief career in England. Purchased for 5,400 guineas as a filly out-of-training by Glenvale Stud of Ireland, she was sent in 1993 to Night Shift, then standing his first season under the coolmore banner. Imported to India by United Racing & Bloodstock Breeders Ltd. early in 1994, she foaled a filly at the kunigal Stud. Named Sought Out, the chestnut got-abroad did not race and was put directly to stud. She had only a solitary foal, Clarentia (winner of a coulple of races), before having to be put down.

Speedy Beauty [GB] was then responsible for minor winners San Carios and Soviet Run (both by Bold Russian [GB]); these were followed by the Tejano [USA]- sired pair, Arroganto and Space Craft, of which the latter was the first to suggest that his dam might prove to be something more than a run-of-the-mill brood-mare. In 2001, Speedy Beauty [GB] came up with the runner who has helped enshrine her name in the annals of the India Turf.

A half-sister to stakes-placed Wassifa (dam herself of Hold To Ransom, winner of the Listed sandringham Stakes in England), Speedy Beauty [GB] is out of stakes-placed Rye Tops, whose half-brother, Most Welcome, was one of the best fo his generation, and found only reference Point between himself and victory in the 1987 Eveready Derby at Epsom. Another half-brother, Top Guest, was a Grade 1 winner in Sewden, whole Bourbon Topsy, full-sister to Tye Tops, was a Listed winner and Graded-placed, albeit disappointing at stud.

The dam of these fine performers was talented herself - Topsy (1976 by Habitat) won the Sun chariot Stakes and the Sun chariot Stakes and the Fred Darling Stakes in England and nipped across the Channel for a successful tilt at the Prix d'Astarte. The first foal of her dam, Topsy was soon to have a more illustrious relative when her half-brother, Teenoso, arrived in 1980. The last-named developed into a top three-year-old, annexing the Epsom Derby, and progressed to become the champion four-year-old of 1984, with a Timeform Rating of 135.

Clearly, ability ran deep in the family, for the next dam, Furioso, was amongst the highest-ranked fillies of the 1971 generation, with a victory in the Listed Sandleford Priory Stakes to her credit, as well as a runner-up effort behind Polygamy in the Group 1 Epsom Oaks. This is the Urshalim branch of the famed Horama family, which was nurtured by the Moller family's White Lodge Stud through decades of top-flight bloodstock breeding until its sale in 1989 to Sheikh Mohammed.

Horama scored four times, all over five furlongs. Stoutly-bred sires, such as Ballymoss, Busted, Pinza, Shantung and Youth, have been used on the line over the years; despite this, the family retains a reservoir of speed, as has been so able demonstrated by Full Speed.