THE Balding connection with Mount Atlas has to be one of the most enduring of modern times, and it is little wonder that Andrew was somewhat overcome when the five-year-old gelding recorded the biggest win of his career at Ascot on Saturday. Indeed, the fact that he is a son of Sunnyhill Stud’s Masar (New Approach) is about the only non-Balding thing about this pedigree.

Mount Atlas traces back to his sixth dam, Anippe (Aggressor), born in 1963. She was trained by Ian Balding and as a two-year-old was one of his earliest runners from Kingsclere, winning two of her five career starts and placed in a couple of good races, the Sandleford Priory Stakes at Newbury and the Galtres Stakes at York. Ian, or his son Andrew, have trained the Group 1 winner’s first six dams.

What is more incredible, and perhaps unique, is the fact that Ian Balding, who died earlier this year, and Andrew trained the sires of all of Mount Atlas’s first five dams. Just think about that. Those dams are three-time winner Highland Pass (Passing Glance), three-year-old winners Lady Brora (Dashing Blade), Tweed Mill (Selkirk) and Island Mill (Mill Reef), and the Group 3 winner Siliciana (Silly Season). This is quite simply an amazing achievement.

These successes are intertwined too with the history of Kingsclere, as Ian Balding took over there following the untimely death of Captain Peter Hastings-Bass. The latter died in June 1964, with Balding assuming the licence. Later, Ian married Hastings-Bass’ daughter, Lady Emma, and she is still responsible for the breeding arm of Kingsclere Stud, and scouts for Andrew at the sales.

Anippe, who hails from an Aga Khan family, is a foundation mare for the Balding family. She was bred by Captain Hastings-Bass from River Clyde (Falls Of Clyde). He had purchased the mare from the Aga Khan’s estate in 1958, during a dispersal sale following the death of Aga Khan III a year earlier. So, we are talking about a seven-decade involvement in this female line by one family.

Can you imagine what Lady Emma felt as she watched the race on Saturday after choosing to go to a hockey match rather than Ascot? One can only sense her delight.

Siliciana’s 15 winners

Anippe bred four winners, the best of which was Siliciana. She was to become a great success, both on the racecourse and at stud. Four of her five victories were in blacktype races, the headline being her win in the Prix de Flore at Saint-Cloud. Three of her British blacktype wins were in handicaps, the richly-endowed Irish Sweeps Cambridgeshire, Epsom’s Ebbisham Handicap, and the Virginia Stakes at Newcastle. At stud, Siliciana had 18 foals in 20 years, and 15 of them won. She had her last offspring at the age of 25. What a record.

Mount Atlas’ female line continued to produce plenty of winners, even if notable runners were few. Then, in 2014, up pops Elm Park (Phoenix Reach). His sire was trained by Andrew Balding, won Group 1s in Canada, Hong Kong and Dubai, and finished third in the St Leger. Phoenix Reach sired just one notable winner, and that was Elm Park. He won five of his nine starts, four of them at two, and he followed up his Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes win with victory in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy.

Elm Park and his half-sister Highland Pass are among nine winners out of their dam. Mount Atlas has once again put the family in the limelight, and his success will be welcomed for two upcoming sale vendors. Next week at Tattersalls Andrew Balding sells Level Look (Passing Glance), a winner three times this year and a three-parts brother to the dam of the Group 1 winner. The next week, Tally-Ho has a yearling filly by Naval Crown (Dubawi) out of a winning half-sister to his dam at Goffs.

Derby hero

Mount Atlas is the first Group 1 winner for the Derby hero Masar, and this is an important time for him as his first National Hunt crop of foals will be sold this autumn. He has seven colts and four fillies catalogued for the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale. Mount Atlas had been the sire’s first pattern winner during the summer at York. Masar stood his early seasons at Dalham Hall Stud.

In fact, it was a fine weekend for Masar as he also sired a second stakes winner, thanks to his US-foaled two-year-old colt Endo Ferrari. He won a listed race over nine furlongs in Italy, and brings to 16 the number of blacktype horses Masar has sired. Prior to Mount Atlas, his best runner on the level has been Venetian Lace, and she was second in last year’s Group 1 Fillies’ Mile before running third in the Group 1 1000 Guineas in the spring.

Over jumps, Masar is the sire of the Listed Scottish Triumph Juvenile Hurdle winner Made U Blush, Grade 2 Finesse Juvenile Hurdle runner-up Stencil, and Grade 3 Fred Winter second Robbies Rock.

Another shrewd purchase by Cooper

I QUITE possibly should not be reviewing the winner of Tuesday’s Group 3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes winner Chattering Classes (Ghaiyyath). Only joking!

The term chattering classes will be familiar, one that has been in use now for about half a century, but what does it refer to? Well, it is a disparaging term for educated, middle-class people, the likes of journalists (!), academics, artists and media figures.

I look forward to hearing from the fillies’ owner Jules Copper about her use of it. Meanwhile, she owns a smart filly who was winning for the first time, having twice run well in Curragh and Thurles maidens.

Last year’s winner of the Curragh Group 3 was the classic-placed Sugar Beat, while that filly’s trainer did even better with the 2023 and 2024 winners, Content and Whirl. Both became Group 1 winners and classic-placed. Could Chattering Classes emulate them?

Chattering Classes was bred at Herbertstown House Stud in Co Kildare. The farm was purchased in 2011, after which the facilities were extensively upgraded by Ronan Burns and his wife Marcella. A feature of the limestone land is that it is farmed organically. Ronan’s family is one of the best-known in breeding, and he is a third generation Group 1 breeder.

Coincidentally, Chattering Classes traced back to Anippe, the same family as that of Mount Atlas. This is a different branch. She is Ghaiyyath’s eighteenth two-year-old winner of the season.

His yearlings have sold well this year, averaging €180,000, seven times their conception fee. Godolphin purchased his top two lots for 1,300,000gns and 900,000gns. Ghaiyyath is one of the sires of the moment.

Second foal

Chattering Classes is the second foal and winner out of Asterella (Olympic Glory). A Deauville maiden winner over seven furlongs, she was runner-up at two in the Group 3 Prix Miesque before being snapped up for €27,000 at Arqana. Her first foal, the three-year-old Slay Queen (Acclamation) is catalogued for sale next week in Newmarket. She won at Newbury and Goodwood last year, and this update to her pedigree makes a substantial difference to her value as a potential broodmare.

Asterella has a yearling filly by Kodi Bear (Kodiac), sold to Brian Grassick Bloodstock in September, and a colt foal by Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy). This year she visited Sands Of Mali (Panis). Chattering Classes was purchased by BBA Ireland at Tattersalls Book 2 for 52,000gns. Jules’ husband Patrick is certainly a man with a keen eye. The couple raced Photo Call (Grade 1 winner, sold for $3 million), Siren’s Song, and Village Voice (cost 38,000gns and sold for 1,300,000gns). Patrick was one of the masterminds behind the €70,000 yearling purchase Barnavara who sold last year for 4,800,000gns.