THE Gorm Agus Ban Syndicate (the first three words translate as blue and white) must surely be hot favourites for a gong at the next Association of Irish Racehorse Owners’ awards night. They have had three fillies and mares to race in their colours, all have won and two are blacktype winners; the third, Nikini (Sea Moon), won three times and was runner-up to the Ebor Handicap winner Magical Zoe in a Grade 3 mares’ hurdle at Down Royal.

Their ownership journey began with Baby Kate (Champs Elysees) who won three of her five starts, and gave the syndicate a magical start when, after a debut win at Ballinrobe, she beat 14 others to land a listed bumper at Cheltenham. She was followed by Nikini. All three have been trained by Willie Mullins, and the latest success has come courtesy of the five-year-old Liadawn (Jukebox Jury).

Liadawn is unbeaten in two starts, and a listed winner after Gowran Park last Friday. The Gorm Agus Ban Syndicate includes William Minchin, chief executive of the Agricultural Trust, the owners of The Irish Field. He was on hand to welcome Liadawn into the winners’ enclosure, and posted “well that was fun! We must be one of the luckiest syndicates in Irish Racing.”

Yes, they surely have been fortunate, but good luck is most often associated with preparation and groundwork, and William and his friends have leased well-bred fillies from good breeders, and put them in training with the best trainer about, Willie Mullins. With Patrick Mullins in the saddle, Liadawn won a Downpatrick bumper by 10 lengths in mid-June, and followed up in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mucklemeg Mares Flat Race with something in hand.

Lovely coincidences

The mares behind Liadawn at Downpatrick have won since, and so she was franking what was good, solid form. Leased from John O’Connor of Ballylinch Stud, who was very keen on Liadawn before he chose to lease her, there are many lovely coincidences with this filly.

Among them is the fact that Liadawn’s dam won a Gowran Park bumper a decade ago on the same raceday that her daughter did, and she comes from the same female family as Nikini. While future plans are up in the air at present for Liadawn, her future career will be followed with interest.

Liadawn is out of Snag List (Shantou) and she won on her debut. She was one of two mares in the eight-strong field that day, and wasn’t extended to win by two lengths, with the remainder of the field 13 lengths and more in arrears. Snag List sadly only raced on three more occasions, and the best of these was finishing fourth in a listed bumper at Cheltenham, and third on her only start over hurdles. She didn’t reach the heights connections expected of her due to injury, but she was talented and is a fine broodmare now.

Snag List’s first two foals have been fillies, and they are Williamstowndancer (Beat Hollow) and Liadawn. Neither was offered for sale, and both carried the colours of syndicates. Blackrock Racing Syndicate campaigned Williamstowndancer and she raced 11 times for them, winning five times. They included a Punchestown bumper, a 15-furlong maiden at Leopardstown, and a Grade 3 novice hurdle at Tipperary. She was certainly talented.

Remained loyal

After Liadawn was born, Snag List remained loyal to Jukebox Jury (Montjeu) until his untimely death this year. She has three youngsters by him, four-year-old and two-year-old geldings, and a filly foal. Rested this year, Snag List will be covered early in 2026. O’Connor is delighted to have a filly foal by Diamond Boy (Mansonnien) out of Nikini, while Williamstowndancer is back with him and in foal to Harzand (Sea The Stars).

Snag List is a half-sister to Nikini, whom I have mentioned above, and to five other winners. Their dam was Back Log (Bob Back), and she was retained by John O’Connor as a yearling at Goffs for just IR5,500gns. John put her in training with Jim Bolger and she won a maiden at the Curragh and was beaten less than a length by Bolino Star in the Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes. How apt that John now runs the McCalmont former farm, Ballylinch, once part of the Mount Juliet Estate. He has had the family for some three decades, and cultivated it well.

Winning formulas

One striking thing is John O’Connor’s belief in keeping to winning formulas, and he has a family from which he is delighted to get a filly. Not many can say that, though with the added incentives for fillies along with better race programmes, that is no longer the case.

He had 10 foals out of Back Log, and eight were by Shantou (Alleged). Six of the eight won, and Shake The Tree (Shantou) was placed in a bumper. However, the latter bred another blacktype winner in the immediate family, dual Grade 2-winning chaser Master Chewy (Walk In The Park) who was placed at the highest level.

Liadawn is the eleventh blacktype National Hunt winner for Jukebox Jury, and showing his great versatility, he is responsible for another 10 on the flat. Princess Zoe won the Group 1 Prix du Cadran, while his tally of Grade 1 winners now stands at five – Il Etait Temps, the unbeaten Bambino Fever, Stuke, Honesty Policy and Farclas.

It is notable that three stallions who all feature prominently in this pedigree – Jukebox Jury, Shantou and Bob Back -spent part of their stallion careers at Victor Connolly’s Burgage Stud.