You might be tempted to think that it's just luck or pure coincidence for a breeder to be represented by half-siblings in the same Classic two years running, and Rebecca Philipps might modestly agree with you. But that is not taking into account her determined adherence to Classic lines and one maternal family in particular, coupled with a blend of belief and patience.“You have to wait, you have to be unbelievably patient,” says Philipps, the breeder of Lady Evi, who runs in Sunday's G1 Preis der Diana for Westminster Race Horses and Andreas Wohler. The same owner-trainer combination raced Lady Evi's half-sister Lady Charlotte, the winner of last year's G3 Diana-Trial and Listed Grosser Preis de Burckhardt-Gruppe who was beaten only a length and a quarter to be fifth in the Preis der Diana, having also run in the G1 Deutsches Derby. Lady Charlotte is by Golden Horn, who is enjoying something of a renaissance as a Flat stallion and is certainly regarded as a rock-solid dual-purpose option. Lady Evi's sire is Golden Horn's fellow Derby winner Masar, who, despite being generally unpopular at the sales, sired three two-year-old winners at Goodwood and Epsom on Thursday along with the G3 Gordon Stakes third Venetian Lace. There are plenty of supposedly commercial Flat stallions whose owners would kill for a juvenile race double at Glorious Goodwood. “When I went to see Masar at Dalham Hall Stud I though he was a beautiful horse, and he was a terrific racehorse, but the market is so tough,” Philipps says. “[Lady Evi] sold for two and a half grand, and she was a really nice filly. As much as I'd love to keep the fillies, I can't keep them all. At the time, [her dam] Middle Creek looked quite quiet, and so she went.”Middle Creek is a thrice-raced daughter of Poet's Voice from a family beloved by Phillipps and her stepfather, Sir Robin McAlpine, before her. The 12-year-old mare has enjoyed quite a boost to her page in the intervening years, largely thanks to her two German-based daughters. Lady Evi won three of her four starts at two in Poland and her two runs this year have seen her finish second each time, including in the G2 Oaks d'Italia. Lady Charlotte and Adrie de Vries after winning the 2025 Diana Trial | Racingfotos With Lady Charlotte and Lady Evi each having been sold at Tattersalls October Book 3, for 20,000gns and 2,500gns respectively, Middle Creek's current yearling colt, a Golden Horn full-brother to Lady Charlotte, has been given an upgrade to Book 2 this year. He will be consigned by Sophie Buckley of Culworth Grounds, where Philipps boards her English-based mares, which include Middle Creek's Listed-winning half-sister Mill Springs (Shirocco), who has a Golden Horn filly at foot. She also keeps mares in France at La Motteraye and Haras de Beaumont.She says, “I had a share in Golden Horn and I love him. He's beautifully bred, and he was with John [Gosden], and Middle Creek was with John, and so on and so forth. Going way back, I had horses with Geoff Wragg, as the Oppenheimers did, so I know those families. I'm lucky to have been able to send my horses to him.”She adds of the yearling, “If you're looking for a Maltese Cross-style horse, he's very much that type.”In her own name, Philipps's association with this family began with Middle Creek's dam Mezzogiorno (Unfuwain), who won the Listed Fillies Trial at Newbury in her colours before finishing third in both the Oaks and the Yorkshire Oaks. That was 30 years ago, but Philipps had already learned an important lesson in patience from her stepfather, the breeder of Mezzogiorno who had bought her granddam, Cecilia Bianchi, who was bred by Federico Tesio's Razza Dormello Olgiata.“My stepfather, who this family came from, won the Oaks in his early 80s [with Circus Plume]. He had a lot of horses and he'd had to wait that long,” she says. “I was brought up knowing that you had to wait – it doesn't happen in a year.“I remember him buying Cecilia Bianchi – she was by Petingo – and she had Aigue [High Top] who had two quite big operations and I knew that the odds were not in her favour, but she survived. I used to event and when you understand the toughness that is required from horses to survive these sort of situations, you know that it gets passed on, and that's what this family has, unbelievable toughness.“But then your luck is as important as your judgement. I know this family is incredibly tough, and when speed comes into it, you're onto something.”Among Middle Creek's most talented siblings on the track were Monturani (Indian Ridge), the winner of the G2 Blandford Stakes for Philipps, trained by the late Geoff Wragg, as was the dual Listed-winning sprinter Monnavanna (Machiavellian). John Gosden trained another sister, Mill Springs (Shirocco), to win the Listed Noel Murless Stakes. Mill Springs and Rab Havlin win the Noel Murless Stakes | Racingfotos Two daughters of Mill Springs remain in Philipps's care – the dual winner Morning Poem (Kingman), whose first foal, a filly from the first crop of Chaldean, is heading to the Tattersalls Somerville Sale in the Culworth Grounds Farm draft, while Moksha (Iffraaj) visited Erevann in his first year at Haras de Bonneval and her yearling filly from that mating is in the Arqana V.2 Sale, consigned by La Motteraye.The aforementioned Monnavanna in turn produced Manassas (Cape Cross), winner of the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot for Brian Meehan, who now has charge of Mill Springs's juvenile daughter by St Mark's Basilica, named Miracoli. “She's lovely and she looks fast, but while the ground is pretty firm I would prefer just to wait,” Philipps says, that patience in play once more. She continues, “Middle Creek, who herself, for whatever reason, was not talented on the racecourse, is producing some really attractive horses. And sadly, at the time, I didn't go for the most commercially appealing stallions but they definitely have produced winners, and she's produced winners. “It's increasingly tough now because of the cost and the competition and the desire for this quick hit. But I do know it goes in waves. Even the Aga Khan Studs, with all the success, it can go into quiet phases and then it comes back big time.”Through Lady Charlotte and Lady Evi, Middle Creek is riding something of a wave herself and, underlining the versatility of Golden Horn, her first foal by him, Little Trilby, won twice over hurdles for Gordon Elliott before winning the G1 Commonwealth Cup Stakes, again over hurdles, in America. “Obviously, it'd be incredibly exciting if Lady Evi won, especially for the Westminster Race Horses team who keep me updated after her races. But she's already been second in an Italian Classic and the page looks pretty smart to me. The family goes back to Mystiko and lots of good horses – it's a really good family. It's not commercially exciting, but if you're looking for a Classic horse, it's the way to go.”Philipps, a former journalist-turned-publisher, will not know which way to go herself on Sunday for, along with keeping tabs on Lady Evi at Dusseldorf, she will also be cheering on Gousserie Racing's Grand Baigneuse (Kingman) in the G3 Prix de Psyche. She owns the filly's half-sister Cocktail Dress (Too Darn Hot). Bought from her original owner Qatar Racing at the July Sale for 20,000gns, the latter, now five, was no random purchase as Philipps had bred her granddam Honorine (Mark Of Esteem), who later found fame as the dam of Irish Derby winner Treasure Beach (Galileo). “I'm a bit sentimental like that,” she admits. “I so would love it if one of them comes out and shines. I know they will and I hope I live to see it, but wouldn't it be exciting if it was this weekend.” The post ‘You Have to be Unbelievably Patient’: Classic Lessons Well Learned by Breeder Rebecca Philipps appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.