BRED by Fermoy veterinary surgeon Sean O’Sullivan, Skylight Hustle (Jukebox Jury) had some luck on his side when winning the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Chase at Leopardstown, but don’t underestimate the six-year-old’s ability. He continued his trainer Gordon Elliott’s fine record in the race, and is his fifth winner in the last 10 years, Willie Mullins being responsible for the others.

The master of Cullentra won it with Abracadabras, Might Potter, Caldwell Potter and Romeo Coolio before Talk The Talk’s stumble after jumping the last in front appeared to hand the race this time on a plate to the Robcour-owned winner. A big prize was always on the cards for Skylight Hustle, since the day that he sold at the Derby Sale to Colin Bowe for €100,000. He raced once for Bowe, winning a 10-runner point-to-point at four in which just three finished the course.

Runner-up to Skylight Hustle was Reckless Spending, and he sold afterwards for £200,000 to Nicky Henderson. The only other finisher, Modern Man, won a point-to-point next time out, and sold last year for £60,000. Skylight Hustle traded privately, so one can only surmise what that deal was worth. It didn’t cost Bowe quite so much last July to secure Skylight Hustle’s Valirann (Nayef) half-brother, just turned four now; he paid €10,000 for him. The gelding had been withdrawn from the Derby Sale.

Sean O’Sullivan, operating as Corrin Stud, gave €30,000 for Skylight Hustle’s dam as a yearling in Italy. A daughter of Mark Of Esteem (Darshaan), she was named Menesteem but never raced. At stud she has had five runners, four winners and a placed horse, and in addition to her Grade 1-winning son, her daughter Sean Says (Battle Of Marengo) won three hurdle races, a chase and a point-to-point, and earned blacktype when placed in a listed mares’ hurdle at Killarney.

Worthy of mention is that Menesteem’s son Please Exceed (Outstrip) has won 15 times in Italy.

A career as a flat filly or a high-class flat producer was surely in O’Sullivan’s mind when he invested in Menesteem, given her pedigree, but digging into the family reveals the occasional smart runner over jumps. Six of Menesteem’s siblings raced and they all won. The most prolific winner was Jar (Niniski). His 14 victories on the flat included a number of stakes wins, while he also won at listed level over jumps in Italy where he posted five more wins. He was second in the Grade 1 Gran Corsa di Siepi de Milano Hurdle.

Classic winner

Jar was born a year after his half-sister Kenmist (Kenmare). She won a listed race at Ascot but was an even better producer, her daughter Grey Lilas (Danehill) winning the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp after running second in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas. Grey Lilas bred three stakes winners, and by some way the best of these was the dual classic winner Golden Lilac (Galileo). Fifteen years ago, she went one better than her dam and won the French 1000 Guineas, later adding the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks and the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan.

Menesteem is a daughter of Mistral’s Collette (Simply Great), and that mare started her racing career in Ireland, being group-placed at two, and went to Italy where she was a listed winner. She was a full-sister to General Cloney (Simply Great) whose four wins on the flat included the Listed Ulster Harp Derby. Over hurdles he placed third in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Until now, the standout runner over jumps in the family appears in the fourth generation. Skylight Hustle’s third dam was an own-sister to the Group 3 Lowther Stakes winner Kittyhawk (Bustino). Her best offspring was Nomadic Way (Assert), Bred by Robert Sangster’s Swettenham Stud, and trained for him by Barry Hills, Nomadic Way won the Cesarewitch and six other flat races, but he was even better when faced with a hurdle.

Nomadic Way

His four successes over the smaller obstacles included the Grade 1 Irish Champion Hurdle with my brother, Brendan, in the plate. Later, Nomadic Way won the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, this time with Jamie Osborne on board.

Nomadic Way failed to retain his Irish Champion Hurdle crown, running second, and occupied the runner-up position twice in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, once to Kribensis and then to Morley Street. He later went to stud, but had just moderate success.

I am sure to be writing for years to come about the sad passing of Jukebox Jury (Montjeu) last year at Burgage Stud. We will be constantly reminded of his prowess as a stallion, and here is yet another of his offspring to win at Grade 1 level. His best runner, Il Etait Temps, slammed Jonbon by nine lengths to win the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase a month ago, and this was his sixth victory at the highest level.

Sire of Princess Zoe, a Group 1 winner on the flat, Jukebox Jury is firmly established among the elite of National Hunt sires, and Il Etait Temps is no lone star. The brilliant Bambino Fever ended her first season with wins in both the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, following up in its equivalent at Punchestown. Honesty Policy won a Grade 1 at Aintree, while in the past Jukebox Jury also got the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle winner Farclas.