WHAT are the odds of Willie Mullins retaining his British trainers’ championship, now that he trails Dan Skelton by so little? The Co Carlow-based Mullins put himself within shouting distance of doing so with a rewarding raid on Ayr last Saturday, and the highlight was provided by Captain Cody’s win in the day’s feature, the Grade 3 Scottish Grand National. It comes quick on the heels of Nick Rockett’s win for breeder Kieran D Cotter at Aintree.

Another Waterford-based breeder Richard Morrissey spent €3,000 on a filly foal by Cloudings (Sadler’s Wells) at Tattersalls Ireland in 2006. While her pedigree was a little light close up, her third dam bred the three-time Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Badsworth Boy (Will Hays). Morrissey’s investment paid dividends when the filly, named Fromthecloudsabove, went on to win a point-to-point at the age of five, add another the following year, and then went to Wexford and won a hurdle race at the age of seven.

After that she retired to stud, but only had three foals, each of which provided a story. Let’s start with her second produce, the Arctic Cosmos (North Light) seven-year-old Captain Cody. He sold for €6,800 as a foal to Zoe Codd, but sadly there was no fairytale and no profit when he resold as a store for €7,500 to Colm McBratney’s Templeburn Stables. He ran twice in point-to-points, falling on his first start and finishing fourth second time out.

After Captain Cody joined Willie Mullins, he won a bumper at the second attempt and then finished sixth in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. He was six lengths behind the winner, A Dream To Share, while Fact To File was second, Grade 1-winning hurdler Captain Teague was third, recent Grade 1 Cheltenham chase hero Lecky Watson was fourth, and the ill-fated It’s For Me was fifth. What a vintage renewal of the race that was. There were many now familiar names among the also-rans.

Fairyhouse win

Captain Cody’s second win over hurdles came in the Grade 2 Hardy Eustace Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse, and on all of the first three occasions he won, the gelding was partnered by Jody Townend. Sent over fences this season, Captain Cody’s first three outings would not have suggested that he could land a major prize, and we didn’t learn too much when he unseated Danny Mullins at Cheltenham in the three-mile, six-furlong Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase, but over the gruelling four miles of the Scottish Grand National, he came up trumps.

On two of his outings this season he had the guidance of Michael O’Sullivan in the saddle.

Foaled a year before Captain Cody, the filly Rockonsoph (Notnowcato) won a point-to-point when trained by Richard Morrissey, and she was sold afterwards for £95,000 to Gerry Hogan and Rose Dobbin. Placed twice from five starts over hurdles, including finishing second at Ayr, she won a chase at the second attempt but has not been seen since. She is not listed in the Weatherbys Return of Mares as having gone to stud last year.

The final offspring of Fromthecloudsabove is Rockonliam (Arctic Cosmos), an own-brother to Captain Cody. He had one run in a point-to-point last year at Lisronagh, but fell at the last when he appeared to have every chance of victory. He was in a battle that day with the favourite, Fiddaun, and the winner was sold the following month to Jonjo O’Neill for £80,000.

Sold privately

Nonetheless, Rockonliam was sold privately and joined Henry de Bromhead. He has made two starts for his new connections, and most recently was third, starting favourite, in a maiden hurdle at Clonmel. He wandered a great deal that day and showed a lot of inexperience, so he is one to keep an eye on and will surely land a contest or two.

Fromthecloudsabove only had three foals, and she was one of just three progeny from her own dam, Miss Badsworth (Gunner B). Having shown nothing in a bumper and two starts over hurdles, Miss Badsworth was no better in a few runs in point-to-points.

This seemed to be a branch of a good family that was going nowhere, as Miss Badsworth was among seven foals from the winning hurdler Badsworth Girl (Arch Sculptor), and just one of these won. He was Master Badsworth (Over The River), and his sole victory on the track was in a chase, from 21 attempts, while he also won two of his nine outings in point-to-points.

Badsworth Girl is a half-sister to four winners, and her sibling Badsworth Boy, winner of the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham on three occasions, is the standout runner in the family. They are out of Captain Cody’s fourth dam Falcade (Falcon), and two of her daughters bred Grade 1 winners under National Hunt rules. Those winners are Fundamentalist (Supreme Leader), successful in the Grade 1 Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and Our Bid (Electric), a Grade 1 bumper winner at the Punchestown Festival.

Barters Hill

Falcade is third dam of the hugely talented Barters Hill (Kalanisi), a Grade 2 bumper winner who went on to land the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle, Grade 2 winners Coole Cody (Dubai Destination) and Aldo The Apache (Shantou), and Newbury’s Grade 3 Greatwood Gold Cup winner Fine Parchment (Presenting).

Richard Morrissey is not the only one to provide a Waterford connection to Captain Cody. The gelding’s sire Arctic Cosmos stands at James Hannon’s The Old Road Stud in Tallow. He had quite a renaissance last year when he covered more than 70 mares, a major upswing on 2023 when just seven mares visited him. He can get quality runners given the opportunity.

Arctic Cosmos produced the performance of his career when he won the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster, and it was a quality renewal of the historic classic. Three lengths and more in arrears were such international Group and Grade 1 stars as Snow Fairy, Joshua Tree and Rewilding. Trained by John Gosden, Arctic Cosmos was from the first crop of the Group 1 Derby winner North Light (Danehill), and after his racing career ended Arctic Cosmos retired to James Hannon’s farm in Co Waterford where he has remained.

Dream start

The stallion made a dream start at stud when Arctic Cosmos sired a smart winner from his own first crop, the Grade 3 Imperial Call Chase winning mare Waitnsee. His more recent crops have done far better, no doubt alerting breeders to the possibilities he presents.

Arctic Cosmos graduated to become a Grade 1 sire when Apple Away appeared a few crops after Waitnsee. This winning graduate of the point-to-point circuit gained the best of her four hurdle wins at Aintree, collecting the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. She is now a dual listed chase winner.

Captain Cody is the stallion’s third blacktype winner, while another four have been placed in blacktype bumpers and hurdle races. It may not be too long before Arctic Cosmos adds to his tally of blacktype winners, and among those who could be a candidate is Mozzies Sister. Watch out too for the six-year-old Derryhassen Paddy. He won his only start in a point-to-point at Tattersalls Farm in December 2023 and joined Lucinda Russell. He was impressive on his bumper debut at Ayr three months later, his only start in that code, and has now won two of his three hurdle starts and was third to Jasmin De Vaux and The Big Westerner in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle last month.