THERE was an appropriately named winner of the Helena Sheahan Memorial INH Flat Race at Listowel recently when Miss Eyecatcher outgunned the favourite Dos Picas by almost two lengths, with the rest of the runners trailing by nine lengths or more in their wake. The winner has a lovely pedigree, is a progressive sort and is just another in a growing list of winning fillies that we are seeing more and more of at the races.

Bred by Caroline Berry and Berry Farms the five-year-old daughter of King’s Theatre was sent to the sales as a foal where a bid of €2,600 was rightly considered not to be enough for her. She was put in training with Roger McGrath and her first three starts, in point-to-points, saw her run second on her final outing in that code.

Switched to the racecourse she is now unbeaten in three runs, culminating in the Listowel victory and she will surely now chase some valuable blacktype.

Cheering her present and future success will be Bushen Bloodstock, listed as the purchaser in February at Tattersalls Ireland of a Stowaway half-brother to Miss Eyecatcher for €10,000. Born in late June of last year, the now yearling is the fifth produce of the unraced Generous mare Miss Generosity and Miss Eyecatcher is her first winner on the racecourse.

Prior to Miss Eyecatcher she bred the Robin Des Champs gelding Mr Dinosaur and this four-year-old point-to-point winner in 2014 in England then joined Paul Nicholls and made just two more starts, placing twice over hurdles. He has not appeared since.

Miss Generosity also has a daughter, Desert Moon, by Desert King and she is at stud where her first foal, born this year, is a Fame And Glory colt. There is also a two-year-old Winged Love filly out of Miss Generosity and these are all of the mare’s offspring to date.

The dam of Miss Generosity is a mare who did well for Jessica Harrington. Miss Orchestra, by the former Boardsmill stallion Orchestra, won over hurdles and added three chases, the most important of her successes coming at Uttoxeter in the Midlands Grand National.

To date she is the dam of three runners and all of them are winners, two of the trio performing well up to Grade 1 level.

The best of the trio is the Accordion gelding Battlecry and he compiled a smart record, winning a point-to-point, a bumper and four races over hurdles and fences. His biggest triumph was in a Grade 2 hurdle race at Doncaster, while he was placed in a listed bumper at Cheltenham and many times in graded chases.

Runner-up in the Grade 2 Mildmay Novices Chase at Aintree to Big Buck’s, he had previously run third to Albertas Run in the Grade 1 Royal and SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham.

Another smart produce of Miss Orchestra is Value At Risk and this seven-year-old son of Kayf Tara won the Grade 2 Keelings Irish Strawberry Hurdle at Fairyhouse on his final start last season. Trained by Dan Skelton, the gelding had always shown ability and was third a few years ago to Shaneshill in the Grade 1 bumper at Punchestown.

Miss Orchestra was one of a pair of blacktype winners from her dam, the winning point-to-pointer Jims Monkey who was by the Champion Hurdle winner Monskfield. The other was Hey Big Spender and he won the Grade 3 Betfred Classic Chase at Warwick as well as the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle on three occasions.