Honeysuckle (GB)

2014 f. by Sulamani (Hernando) out of First Royal (Lando). Bred by Dr GW Guy

Honeysuckle is part of racing history after adding the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle to her unbeaten record which now stretches to 12, all her 11 starts over hurdles and her only start in a Dromahane point-to-point for Gerry Cosgrave.

Dr Geoffrey Guy and his co-owners and managers of The Glanvilles Stud in Dorset, Doug and Lucy Procter, are immensely proud of breeding this hurdling queen, the fourth and penultimate produce her of dam.

This was Honeysuckle’s seventh Grade 1 win, her second at Cheltenham, and she is only the sixth mare to win the Champion Hurdle. She is a full-sister to a winner and they are two of just five foals from their listed-placed German hurdling dam.

Honeysuckle’s six-time Group 1 winning sire Sulamani, winner of the French Derby, sired the Group 1 St Leger winner Mastery in his first Dalham Hall Stud crop, spent a few years in France, and ended his career at Yorton Farm Stud where he died in 2017. He also sired the Grand National winner Rule The World.

Sold for €9,500 to Mark O’Hare at the Derby Sale Part 2, Honeysuckle was picked out by Peter Molony of Rathmore Stud at the Goffs Punchestown Sale in 2018, costing the Limerick man €110,000.

Appreciate It (IRE)

2014 g. by Jeremy (Danehill Dancer) out of Sainte Baronne (Saint Des Saints). Bred by Barmakin Ltd and South Lodge Stud

Bred by former BBA (Ireland) director Frank McNulty and partners, Appreciate It went to Cheltenham with victories in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle and the Grade 1 Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle on his CV.

He opened the 2021 Cheltenham Festival with a wide-margin success in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the first leg of a Grade 1 double on the day for his sire Jeremy, followed up by Black Tears. The pair are among seven Grade 1 winners now for Jeremy who started at the Irish National Stud before moving to Denis Hickey’s Garryrichard Stud.

A graduate from the point-to-point sphere, Appreciate I won at Dromahane for Pat Doyle after meeting Envoi Allen on his debut. A Grade 2 bumper winner, he was runner-up last year in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper. He sold as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland from Vanessa Teehan Rouzier’s Charel Park Stud for €18,500 to Apple Tree Farm and resold at the Derby Sale for €60,000 to Suirview Stables.

Appreciate It is the best of three winners for his dam who was placed for Frank McNulty on all her three starts in bumpers. She is also dam of Danny Kirwan (Scorpion) who ran second in the Grade 2 Kennel Gate Novice Hurdle at Ascot.

Shishkin (IRE)

2014 g. by Sholokhov (Sadler’s Wells) out of Labarynth (Exit To Nowhere). Bred by CJ and EB Bennett

Rathbarry Stud’s Sholokhov was a Group 1 winning two-year-old for Aidan O’Brien before heading to stud in Germany where he became a classic and Group 1 sire. Moved to the Cashman’s Glenview Stud, Rathbarry’s National Hunt farm, he has become one of the leading jump sires with the likes of Gold Cup winner Don Cossack.

This is another great season for Sholokhov as his sons Bob Olinger and Shishkin have shone. The latter, a Lingstown maiden point-to-point winner for Virginia Considine, returned to the scene of his 2020 Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle success to add the Grade 1 Arkle Chase to his roll of honour. He is a real superstar and has been sold on three occasions by Tattersalls Ireland.

He cost Ben Case €40,000 as a foal, sold to Boyne Farm for €28,000 at the Derby Sale, and then realised £170,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock as a winning pointer. Bred to be a champion, his three-time point-to-point winning dam is a half-sister to Grade 1 winning hurdler Voler La Vedette (King’s Theatre) and the Bet365 Gold Cup winner Hennessy (Presenting).

Vintage Clouds (IRE)

2010 g. by Cloudings (Sadler’s Wells) out of Rare Vintage (Germany). Bred by Gleadhill House Stud Ltd

Trevor Hemmings owns Vintage Cloud and bred him in the name of his Gleadhill House Stud. Little wonder that Hemmings would use The Old Road House stallion Cloudings. He also raced Grand National winner Many Clouds and two other Grade 2 winning chasers by the Group 1 Prix Lupin winner Cloudings, while Vintage Clouds trainer Sue Smith won the Grade 2 Peter Marsh Chase with another son of the sire.

Vintage Clouds is one of a pair of winners from his point-to-point winning dam, the other being five-time winner Vintage Star who was twice placed in the Peter Marsh Chase.

Jeff Kidder (IRE)

2017 g. by Hallowed Crown (Street Sense) out of Alpine (Rail Link). Bred by Jennifer and Evelyn Cullen.

Middlelane Farm is well-known for breeding top-class flat winners, including classic winners, but this week sisters Jennifer and Evelyn Cullen were cheering home the winner of the Grade 3 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle. Sold as a foal at Goffs for €16,500 (more than twice the fee of his sire at Kildangan Stud) to Ballinvana House Stud, he left a modest profit when trading on for €24,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale, purchased by Peter Nolan Bloodstock.

A Group 1 winner over seven furlongs and a mile in Australia, Hallowed Crown sired a Group 1 classic winner there with his first crop last year.

His son Jeff Kidder is one of a pair of winners from his unraced dam’s first couple of foals, and that mare was bought for just 7,000gns seven years ago. Alpine’s third dam was the champion Cairn Rouge (Pitcairn).

Black Tears (GB)

2014 f. by Jeremy (Danehill Dancer) out of Our Girl Salley (Carroll House). Bred by Roland Crellin

Welsh breeder Roland Crellin had enjoyed many great racing days thanks to Cue Card, but he is again in the limelight thanks to Black Tears whose fifth career success came in the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle. She is now the second Grade 1 winning mare in the family, as her close relation Airlie Beach (Shantou) won the Royal Bond Hurdle, and was also a listed winner on the level.

Black Tears is the first winner out of Our Girl Salley, winner of three listed hurdle races and Grade 2-placed, two of the wins coming at Leopardstown where her daughter won a Grade 2. Under Black Tear’s third dam Crazy Rose (Son Of Silver) you will find Airlie Beach and her Grade 2-placed half-sister Screaming Rose (Darsi).

Black Tears sold to Bobby O’Ryan at the 2017 Derby Sale from Kilmoney Cottage Stud, vendors also of Cheltenham winners Altior and Minella Rocco.

Galvin (IRE)

2014 g. by Gold Well (Sadler’s Wells) out of Burren Moonshine (Moonax). Bred by Gabriel O’Gara

The manner of Galvin’s victory at Cheltenham in the Grade 2 National Hunt Novices’ Chase would suggest that he could join Holywell and the Irish Grand National winner General Principle as the third Grade 1 winner sired by Montjeu’s unraced own-brother.

The sire’s other Grade 2 winners are Augusta Gold, Emitom, Emmas Joy, Two For Gold and Forever Gold.

Breeder Gay O’Hara raced Burren Moonshine, trained by Donie Hassett, and she won five hurdle races, a chase and a point-to-point. Gay sold Galvin as a store at the Derby Sale to Ian Ferguson for €34,000, and the gelding is unbeaten in two bumpers and has won eight of his 14 starts over hurdles and fences.

He is the only winner for his dam and you need to go to Galvin’s fifth dam to find the next big race winner in the family.

That was Abergwaun (Bounteous) and she gained her career best win in the 1973 Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, trained by Vincent O’Brien and with Lester Piggott in the saddle.