IT appears that Ronnie Boland’s Piercetown Stud has committed to selling the Footstepsinthesand (Giant’s Causeway) half-sister to Even So at this year’s Orby Sale. Ronnie purchased the filly for just €22,000 last year at the same venue from breeder David Ryan, using the services of Railstown Stud as consignors.

At the time Even So, a daughter of the dual 2012 Derby winner Camelot (Montjeu), had won her maiden, bringing to seven the number of winners produced by Breeze Hill (Danehill) from her first 10 foals, all of which raced. Breeze Hill was trained by David Wachman for Robert Sangster and was a moderate runner, being well beaten on all her starts but managing to finish fourth twice in Ireland. She then sold for 150,000gns to Paul Moroney and, as a four-year-old, gained a winning bracket in New Zealand.

Her sale prospects at the time were always good, as she was the last offspring of Rose Of Jericho (Alleged), and therefore a half-sister to four stakes winners, including the Group 1 Derby winner Dr Devious (Ahonoora), the now Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Hai winner Shinko King (Fairy King), and the champion Irish sprinter Archway (Thatching).

Since then the family has blossomed further. Breeze Hill’s unraced half-sister Rose Of Suzuka (Fairy King) is the dam of a Japanese Group 1 winner in Suzuka Phoenix (Sunday Silence), while another half-sister, Rain Flower (Indian Ridge), has done even better. She is the dam of the Group 1 English and German Oaks winner, and 4,000,000gns sale filly, Dancing Rain (Danehill Dancer), is grandam of champion European two-year-old filly and Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Maybe (Galileo) and is third dam of Group 1 two-year-old and classic winner Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact).

Bred by Paul Shanahan’s Lynch Bages, Even So races in the colours of Sue Magnier and Linda Shanahan and she was adding the weekend’s victory in the Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks to a win on her penultimate outing in the Listed Naas Oaks Trial. She becomes the fifth Group 1 winner for her Coolmore sire Camelot, joining Latrobe, Wonderment, Russian Camelot and Athena. Even So is from his third crop of racing age.

Perle’s winner

Camelot’s fourth crop, now two-year-olds, produced its first stakes winner last week when King’s Harlequin recorded her first success, on just her third start, in the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure at ParisLongchamp. Bred by Sir Edmund Loder, the filly races for Sam Sangster and Perle O’Rourke and was purchased at the Goffs Orby Sale by bloodstock agent Tina Rau for €30,000.

In 1981 Perle had her first winner at Galway, Perle’s Fashion winning for the third time that year, and in 2007 she and husband Dermot won the Galway Hurdle with Farmer Brown. Perle has enjoyed success worldwide in her silks, while she has also sold a number of Group 1 producing mares over the years, including the dams of Harry Angel, Legatissimo and Fame And Glory.

King’s Harlequin is the first winner for her dam Swift Action (Invincible Spirit). She raced for Sir Edmund and was trained by John Oxx. She progressed on each of her three outings, winning over the minimum trip at Tipperary on her last run. Swift Action has a yearling colt at Eyrefield Lodge Stud by Highland Reel (Galileo).

The major update to the family provided by King’s Harlequin is the second in a couple of weeks, and bears a remarkable similarity to the other one. That came about when the Loder-bred Minaun (Zoffany) won for the first time and also did so in a stakes race. She landed the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes at Cork and she is a daughter of the stakes-placed Bee Eater (Green Desert), a half-sister to King’s Harlequin’s dam Swift Action.

Bee Eater and Swift Action are granddaughters of Marwell (Habitat), winner of the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, Group 1 July Cup, Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes and Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp. Her eight winners included another four-time Group 1 winner in Marling (Lomond) and the Group 1 winning juvenile Caerwent (Caerleon).