THE Purfield name is one that many in the business of breeding, or the sport of racing, will know well. It is also a name not to mess with when it comes to golf.

There was quite an amount of pleasure, and no shortage of pride, in the village of Moynalvey, near Summerhill in Co Meath, on Wednesday when news came through that The Mean Queen had scaled the heights of jump racing in the USA and won the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Hurdle at Saratoga.

The five-year-old daughter of Doyen (Sadler’s Wells) has brought a branch of a family back to prominence – and to its rightful place.

Kevin Purfield bought what is now Ashgreen Stud in 2013. The former cattle farm was completely reseeded, fenced and turned into a stud farm, home to a broodmare band of eight and some of their followers. Now that she is the dam of a Grade 1 winner, Gail Borden (Kris Kin) has pride of place in the pecking order of mares.

If you think the name Gail Borden sounds familiar, then you are probably someone of a ‘certain age’. It certainly rang a bell with me, and then I looked at the pedigree of The Mean Queen. She has the rare distinction of having a dam called Gail Borden, and her fourth dam has the same name. The link is one that stretches back to a mare, born in 1958, called Angelique (Hill Gail).

The late John Purfield, successful breeder, owner, racecourse chairman, steward and more, bought Angelique from his pal Vincent Campbell some 60 years ago. She bred six winners from eight foals, including eight-time winner Tolspring (Ling’s Leap), and the 10-time winner and stakes-placed Vostizza (Ionian).

Gail Borden

Her foals included the fillies Gail Borden and Marsville, fine racehorses in their own right who won 11 races between them when trained by the late R A (Dick) Hoey in nearby Julianstown. When both mares finished racing John decided he would breed from them, and this was the start of the next chapter of success, one that continues today.

Marsville (Trouville) was the dam of Springhill (Sallust), winner of the July Scurry, runner-up in the Diadem Stakes at Ascot, and a top sprinter on his day. Other stakes-performing offspring included 15-time winner Spring Haven (African Sky) and Candle Hill (Sallust), trained by Con Collins.

Gail Borden (Blue Chariot) won three flat races and four times over hurdles in John’s colours, and she came oh so close to winning a blacktype race, being runner-up in both the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh and the Downshire Hurdle at Punchestown, and she also placed in the Irish Lincolnshire.

She is the dam of Dellersbeck (Tudor Music) and he made amends, ironically winning both the Irish Lincolnshire and the Downshire Hurdle, and of Bartres (Le Bavard) who won the Power Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, both trained by Dessie Hughes for John.

Kay Purfield

Gail Borden, mark one, was foaled in 1967. Now skip forward to the birth in 2009 of a Kris Kin (Kris S) filly out of her granddaughter Mother Imelda (Phardante). Kevin Purfield’s beloved mum Kay was ill when her son was going to name the filly. She asked if it was possible to name her Gail Borden. Assuming is probably wasn’t, Kevin nonetheless submitted the name – and it was accepted.

The unraced Gail Borden, mark two, was one of the foundation mares at the newly established Ashgreen Stud and she is now the dam of two winners with her first two foals. Commit Or Quit (Tobougg) was first and he won a chase for Charlie Mann last November and has been most consistent.

The Mean Queen was next, and she has gone all the way from selling for just €8,500 at the Tattersalls Ireland August Sale two years ago to winning a point-to-point, a bumper and a hurdle race in Ireland, and now leading home a famous Keri Brion 1-2-3 in a Grade 1 hurdle race this week. The Mean Queen is the poster girl now for American jump racing.

Well named

Kevin remembers the filly well. He said: “She is well named. She always had a mind of her own, was strong headed, and you had to keep her humoured! More than anything, she was a beautiful walker. If you were leading her you would have to take a jog every few steps to keep up with her.”

The selection of Doyen at Michael Hickey’s Sunnyhill Stud as a covering sire for Gail Borden was easy for Kevin. “He was a great racehorse and a great looker. I need a good-sized stallion and, along with his success, Doyen fitted the bill perfectly.”

Kevin will now have a decision to make. Born a year after The Mean Queen, he has retained the four-year-old half-sister by Famous Name (Dansili), and she is under consideration now for a spell racing.

The filly’s three-year-old full-brother was snapped up by Jim Dreaper last week at Fairyhouse for €8,000, and last year J D Moore gave €8,500 for Gail Borden’s then colt foal by Casamento (Shamardal).

Boardsmill stallions

Now at Ashgreen is a filly foal by William and John Flood’s Court Cave (Sadler’s Wells), and Gail Borden is back in foal the Boardsmill stallion. In fact, five of the mares owned by Kevin are in foal to Boardsmill sires this year.

Having remained loyal to the family that descended over six decades from Angelique, Kevin is immensely proud of this recent success, and it will mean a lot when The Mean Queen’s close relations come up for sale. The operation at Ashgreen runs smoothly, thanks in no small way to the contribution of Clare O’Brien in the yard.

Summing up a famous breeding success, Kevin said: “It is great for everyone concerned. I know that if my mother and father were here they would be so proud and happy.”