THE rewarding weekend for Christophe Clement began at Tampa Bay Downs with the Irish-bred four-year-old filly Parish Poet breaking her duck over a mile on turf. Making her US debut, the daughter of Lope De Vega (Shamardal), a 60,000gns Newmarket foal purchase by Ben McElroy, was bred by Stephanie von Schilcher. Placed from just four starts for Paul Cole in England, she becomes the second winner for her dam Tinaheely, a daughter of Intikhab (Red Ransom).

The first winner is Count Calabash (Big Bad Bob) and this £25,000 DBS yearling went on to earn more than £60,000 from six wins in Britain before he sold at last year’s Tattersalls July Sale to Paul Harley for 100,000gns, the agent acting for Emblem Stables in Saudi Arabia. In between Count Calabash and Parish Poet was Columbia Kid (Big Bad Bob) who was placed and went to stud last year.

The fourth produce of Tinaheely is the three-year-old Tickerdi (Lawman) and she made a single start last December in the colours of her breeder and is trained by Peter Fahey. Last year Tinaheely visited New Bay (Dubawi) at Ballylinch Stud.

Stephanie von Schilcher bred Tinaheely at her Carrigbeg Stud but she failed to sell her as a yearling. She was sent to be trained in England and she was so unlucky to go to stud a non-winner, having been beaten half a length in a maiden at Goodwood and a neck subsequently at Chepstow. The von Schilcher connection with the family goes back another couple of generations. She bred Parish Poet’s grandam Tertia (Polish Patriot), a three-time winner when trained by Michael Grassick and runner-up in the Listed Trigo Stakes at Leopardstown.

Tertia’s three winners are headed by Tangle (Bob Back) and she was runner-up in the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita, having started her career in a seven-furlong two-year-old maiden at Fairyhouse, winning eased-down by five lengths for trainer James Burns.

This is a fine winner-producing German female line, equally adept at producing winners on the flat and over jumps, and indeed the stakes winners under the fourth dam have excelled in both codes. Could Parish Poet improve enough to follow a well-worn and successful path of fillies improving significantly when sent stateside and earn some well-deserved stakes success for the family. Her breeder will certainly be hoping so.

The hugely successful Lope De Vega stands at Ballylinch Stud where he is hugely in demand, and his fee of €100,000 is indicative of the success he has enjoyed. He is the sire of 10 Group/Grade 1 winners, two of which are also at stud in Ireland. Phoenix Of Spain (€15,000) is embarking on his first season at the Irish National Stud, while Belardo (€10,000) has his first runners, fingers crossed, in 2020.