IT is hard to believe that it is 16 years ago that Supreme Leader died at the age of 20. The son of Bustino (Busted) was a smart three-year-old who was third in the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and fourth in the Group 1 Derby at Epsom.

Now here is a Christmas teaser. What horses finished in front of him in both classics? In the 2000 Guineas, Lester Piggott was committed as stable jockey to Luca Cumani to ride Bairn, but he reneged and instead took the mount on Shadeed and won the race from Bairn. Supreme Leader was a close third and they were well clear of the rest.

In the Derby he was an honourable fourth behind Slip Anchor, Law Society and Damister, but he went into winter quarters that season without a stakes win to his name. This omission was corrected at four when he won a pair of Group 3 races, the Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket and the Westbury Stakes at Sandown. He retired to stud as a six-year-old and from 15 crops sired a multitude of top-class National Hunt winners.

His first crop included Grade 1 hurdle winner Castlekellyleader, and he was followed in time by many other winners at the top level, including Feathered Leader, What’s Up Boys, Supreme Developer, Nearly A Moose, Fundamentalist, Rule Supreme (a four-time Grade 1 winner), Livingstonebramble, Leading Run, Euro Leader, Pettifour, Whinstone Boy and Chasing Cars. He also became a hugely successful broodmare sire.

One of his current stars, as a broodmare sire, is Cogry, a son of King’s Theatre (Sadler’s Wells). This recent Grade 3 chase winner at Cheltenham was bred by Robert and Jackie Chugg and sold as a just-turned yearling at Doncaster in 2010 for £25,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock. He has won some £215,000 for connections with eight victories, once in a bumper, three times over hurdles and four times over fences. However he started his racing in career in Ireland and was placed on the last of three starts between the flags.

Cogry’s recent Grade 3 victory was his first in a blacktype race, though among his many placings were finishing second in the Scottish Grand National and third in the Midlands Grand National. He is one of a pair of winners for his dam Wyldello and she was also bred by Robert Chugg but was leased for racing and did well for trainer Alan King.

She raced just eight times and was fifth the only time she was not among the first three. She won a bumper and a hurdle race and was twice runner-up in listed bumpers, at Sandown and Aintree.

Wyldello is one of six racecourse winners for her unraced dam Clonmello (Le Bavard). Five of these were by Supreme Leader, including the very smart hurdler Marello who cost Mary Reveley IR£40,000 as a four-year-old and went on to land a pair of Grade 2 races, the Long Distance Hurdle at Ascot and the Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby.

Caramello is an unraced own-sister to Wyldello and her best runner was the listed bumper and hurdle winner Karello Bay (Kahyasi).

The emergence of this family as a leading National Hunt dynasty really started with the unraced Camello (Pampered King) who was foaled 53 years ago. She bred a couple of smart runners in France, the ultra-smart hurdler Highello (High Line) and the very useful dual-purpose runner Margello (Bargello).

The fillies in this family are more distinguished than the males and other blacktype winners descending from Camello include Banjaxed Girl (King’s Theatre), Amorello (Be My Native) and Mischievous Milly (Old Vic).