FRENCH-BRED winners were commonplace at Punchestown and Asterion Forlonge (Coastal Path) and Rapid Response (Network) obliged in blacktype chases. The first-named was bought by Harold Kirk for £290,000 after he won a point-to-point, and now he has gone on from being a Grade 1 winning hurdler to landing a Grade A chase.

Trainer Willie Mullins knows Coastal Path (Halling) well as he has also trained his sons Bacardys and Franco De Port, that stallion’s only other Grade 1 winners.

Jessica Harrington won a Grade B mares’ hurdle with Rapid Response, a daughter of the preeminent sire Network (Monsun), the sire of Sprinter Sacre, and her winning dam La Grande Villez (Villez) is a half-sister to listed National Hunt winners in France and England, Grand Cyborg (Cyborg) and American (Malinas).

If you go deep enough into the pedigree of handicap chase winner Mister Fogpatches (Fairly Ransom), you will unearth Colreevy (Flemensfirth). However, the seven-year-old is well related closer up, being a full-brother to this year’s Grade 2 winner Stormy Judge, and both geldings are out of the Leopardstown and Limerick listed chase winner Jenniferjo (Witness Box).

It is great now that we see more and more of our good racemares breeding decent winners. Brahma Bull (Presenting) won the Grade B Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase, and he is the best of three winners from Oligarch Society (Moscow Society). She was a listed hurdle winner, while her siblings included the Irish Grand National her Thunder And Roses (Presenting) and the Kerry National winner Wrath Of Titans (Oscar).