WALTER CONNORS

Doctor Steinberg (Ire), 2020 g. by Doctor Dino out of Rosy De Cyborg, by Cyborg

WALTER Connors has been nominated just once before for a Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Month Award. That was for the Grade 1 novice hurdle winner Readin Tommy Wrong (Authorized) in January 2024. Now he is back again for another Grade 1 novice hurdle winner, this time at the Dublin Racing Festival.

A €95,000 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale purchase by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins, Doctor Steinberg is the latest in a long list of stars produced by Walter Connors. The Dungarvan veterinary surgeon raced the gelding’s dam in France where she won twice over jumps and was placed at Grade 3 level. Doctor Steinberg is her seventh offspring, all of which have run. Six are winners, and the odd-one-out pulled-up on his only start in a point-to-point, having started favourite.

Rosy De Cyborg is one of seven winners for Rosy Junior, herself successful five times over jumps. Among the others was No Full who won over jumps in France for his breeder Francois Cottin, over fences in England for Paul Webber, over hurdles in Ireland for Eoin Doyle, while his placing included finishing third in the Grade B Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown when trained by Tom Foley.

Doctor Dino turned 24 this year and stands at a fee of €24,000. He is going as well as ever and now has a total of 13 Grade 1 winners over jumps.

SHEIKH MOHAMMED OBAID AL MAKTOUM

Royal Champion (Ire), 2018 g. by Shamardal out of Emirates Queen, by Street Cry

LESS than two months after the death of his breeder, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, his homebred Royal Champion earned a well-deserved Group 1 success in the Neom Turf Cup at Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.

Three months after landing the biggest prize of his career in the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy, the Karl Burke-trained runner bettered that with his ninth success, and took his career winnings to £2.4 million. Last year he won the Group 2 York Stakes, and other highlights included the Group 3 Winter Derby and success at Royal Ascot in the Listed Wolferton Stakes. Among his placed efforts were finding Nations Pride too good for him in the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine, and running a respectable third to Delacroix and Anmaat in the Group 1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.

Royal Champion is a fine example of a horse for whom being gelded was hugely beneficial. His Group 2-winning dam is a half-sister to none other than Dubawi. Emirates Queen won the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks, while her dam Zomaradah won the Group 1 Oaks d’Italia and placed in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. There is an exciting young horse in the family. Emirates Queen’s stakes-placed half-sister Dubai Queen is grandam of Bow Echo, unbeaten in three starts at last year, including the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes.

SEAMUS PHELAN

Al Haram (Ire), 2023 c. by Iffraaj out of Liberamente, by Tagula

SEAMUS ‘Shem’ and Terese Phelan of Weylands Stud were beaming on this year’s stallion trail after Al Haram had just obliterated the field the Saudi Arabian’s 2000 Guineas, a qualifier for the Saudi Derby.

The Derby carries international Group 3 status, is worth $1.5 million, and earns the winner valuable points towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. The dream is on as Al Haram remains unbeaten, having just accounted for a number of US and Japanese hopefuls with his Saudi Derby success. The 2024 Saudi Derby winner was Forever Young, now a dual Group 1 Saudi Cup hero.

This is a fairytale start to the racing career of Al Haram, whose four wins have netted some €825,000 for his owner, Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Al-Sabah. This is more than a fine return for his £150,000 yearling sale price at Goffs UK in Doncaster. He is the first foal for his dam, an unraced full-sister to the European champion sprinter Limato who was also bred by Phelan.

Limato earned a number of awards for Shem and Terese Phelan. He was in the winners’ enclosure 14 times for trainer Henry Candy, all but one of those victories being gained in Britain.

The exception was the Group 1 Prix de la Foret run at Chantilly, and that came three months after he landed the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket. He was second four times in Group 1 races

DAVID (above) AND GRACE FENTON

Oscars Brother (Ire), 2018 g. by Malinas out of Hillview Princess, by King’s Theatre

TIMEFORM’S ratings for the best novice chasers this season has, as their top four, Lulamba on 162p, Romeo Coolio at 159p, Kaid D’Authie on 158p, while Oscars Brother holds a lofty rating of 156p after recording his third consecutive success with a six-length beating of The Wallpark in the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan. The last two editions of this race were won by American Mike and Better Days Ahead.

Impressed with his win in the Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown in November, J.P. McManus swooped to buy Oscars Brother, and had no reason to regret the move after Navan. The eight-year-old has little mileage, is consistency personified, and is a great credit to the King brothers, trainer Connor and rider Daniel. Richard King gave just €8,000 for Oscars Brother as a three-year-old in the Tattersalls Ireland May Sale.

Hillview Princess was bred by Martin and Marie Doran, and they sold her at three to David Fenton for €4,200. She raced three times for Fenton without troubling the judge. Oscars Brother is a full-brother to Overtheline, a point-to-point winner who made one start under rules.

Hillview Princess is an own-sister to a winner and half-sister to two more, and her dam was a once-raced full-sister to Celtic Shot. His 17 wins, eight over hurdles and the rest over fences, were headlined by victory in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.