Ken Parkhill

Bob Olinger (Ire), 2015 g. by Sholokhov out of Zenaide, by Zaffaran

IT would hardly seem right to have a major National Hunt Festival without a Grade 1 winner bred by Ken Parkhill, and this season we didn’t have to, as Bob Olinger won at the Punchestown Festival on what transpired to be his final racecourse appearance. The ovation he got was emotional and deserved. What a star he has been for owner Brian Acheson’s Robcour and trainer Henry de Bromhead.

In a short chasing career, Bob Olinger won three of his four starts, including the four-runner Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, a year after he won the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle there. He started his collection of Grade 1 wins with success in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle, won for a third time at the Cheltenham Festival in the 2025 Stayers’ Hurdles, and rounded out his career with victory in the Champion Stayers’ Hurdle. He won 12 of 23 starts, including a point-to-point for Pat Doyle.

Bob Olinger is from a family that Ken Parkhill’s family has had a long and distinguished connection. His dam was bred by Ken, trained by his wife Lulu and ridden by their son Peter to win a bumper at Cork on her first start and she was beaten a short-head on her only other run. She is dam of six winners on the track and another pair who won between the flags. There are few comparable families in the stud book.

Sean O’Driscoll

Home By The Lee (Ire), 2015 g. by Fame And Glory out of Going For Home, by Presenting

THE Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle provided the Cheltenham Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle winner Home By The Lee with a big race, end of season double, and how proud his owner and breeder, Sean O’Driscoll, is of the gelding.

On his fifth attempt to win the Stayers at Cheltenham, Home By The Lee put up arguably the best performance of his 36-race career, one that encompasses an unbeaten career in bumpers, three wins over fences, and now eight hurdle victories, among them two Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle wins at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting. He is a “horse of a lifetime”.

O’Driscoll raced the gelding’s dam Going For Home who won a point-to-point. She was trained by Joe Crowley after being purchased by his daughter Frances Smullen at Goffs in June 2004 for €16,000. The family connection continues as Crowley’s grandson Joseph O’Brien trains Home By The Lee. Going For Home has three racecourse winners, and another who won a couple of point-to-points. In addition to Home By The Lee, she bred his own-sister Beautiful Citi who won a couple of bumpers, a hurdle race and was placed in a listed hurdle for O’Driscoll.

Home By The Lee is the best horse in his family since Neblin, trained by Toby Balding to bring off a notable double, winning the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury quickly followed by the County Hurdle at Cheltenham.

David Magnier, Grange Stud

Grey Dawning (Ire), 2017 g. by Flemensfirth out of Lady Wagtail, by Milan

A €40,000 graduate of the Derby Sale, Grey Dawning has raced just 21 times, but his record is two bumper wins, three victories over hurdles including the Grade 2 Leamington Novices’ Hurdle, and six wins over fences, all blacktype successes. His first Grade 1 was in the Turners Novices Chase at Cheltenham, and he has added the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, and the Melling Chase at Aintree.

Grey Dawning was bred by Grange Stud in Fermoy. He failed to sell as a foal for €34,000, before being signed for by Brendan Bashford at the Derby Sale, on both occasions consigned by Castledillon Stud. He and his full-sister Blanketontheground, twice a winner over hurdles, are two of the four winners for the unraced Lady Wagtail.

While dam of four winners with her first four named foals, Lady Wagtail has been an infrequent breeder, and her latest offspring is a two-year-old filly by Crystal Ocean. Lady Wagtail’s half-brother Teaatral won the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle at Ascot and Kempton’s Grade 2 Rendlesham Hurdle.

Until the emergence of Teaatral, this was a speedy flat family, and indeed two pattern winners are out of a winning half-sister to him. She is Pious, the dam of full-brothers Penitent and Supplicant. The first-named won two Group 2s and was second in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret. Supplicant won the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes.

Kevin and Noel Heaney

Fleur In The Park (Ire), 2019 g. by Walk In The Park out of Fleur D’Ainey, by Poliglote

THERE were plenty of firsts about the result of the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday. It was a first Grade 1 winner for owner Margaret O’Rourke, trainer Andy Slattery, and jockey Cian Quirke. In the past decade the race has been a stepping stone in the careers of such as Al Boum Photo, Galopin Des Champs and Spillane’s Tower.

This year’s winner, Fleur In The Park (Walk In The Park), is the longest-priced winner in that period, but there was nothing to fault in the manner of his victory, his fourth in 17 starts, but his first in a blacktype race. He has since run second in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown. Bred by brothers Noel and Kevin Heaney, this is the best result they have had as breeders, though their family has a long association with horses, and their grandfather Eamonn McCormack bred the Grand National winner Papillon.

Offered as a newly-turned yearling at the Tattersalls Ireland February Sale through Francis Quinn’s Railstown Stud, Fleur In The Park sold for €17,500 to the Slattery’s. From an outstanding female family, Fleur In The Park is out of the Grade 1 four-year-old French chase winner Fleur D’Ainay (Poliglote) who cost €165,000 at Arqana in 2014. With the emergence of Fleur In The Park, her record stands at four winners from her first four foals.