READERS of this column could sometimes do worse that back some of the horses who feature here. Some weeks back I wrote about Honeysuckle that “perhaps there could be another Grade 1 winner by Sulamani in the offing. Bred by Dr Geoffrey Guy at Doug and Lucy Procter’s Glanvilles Stud in Sherbourne, Dorset, Honeysuckle is a five-year-old mare who came to Ireland to be sold as a store at Tattersalls Ireland.”

Well, we now know that Honeysuckle has gone on and achieved the feat, and done so on only her fifth outing in an unbeaten career that promises much. Giving Rachel Blackmore her first Grade 1 win in Ireland, Honeysuckle provided owner Kenny Alexander with a memorable 1-2 in the EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final, beating another five-year-old mare, Elfile (Saint Des Saints).

First Royal (Lando) is the dam of Honeysuckle and her first four foals have run. The Henry de Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle is her only winner on the track, though Colorado Doc (Dr Massini) and Dunraven Royal (Black Sam Bellamy) have won nine point-to-points between them. Her only other runner Roc Royal (Shirocco) was placed a few times over jumps in France, while her fifth offspring is Last Royal (Sulamani), an unraced four-year-old own-brother to Honeysuckle. As his name suggests, he was his dam’s final produce.

Doug Procter said this week: “I’m absolutely over the moon – but absolutely shell-shocked. That race was over two and a half miles, but she is better over farther – only her class got her through. I liked Honeysuckle so much from the get-go that I sent the mare back to Sulamani and we now have a year-younger full-brother called Last Royal. He has been backed and broken, but he’s in a field at the minute as he’s a big, backward horse.

“The other foal we got out the mare is a filly called Roc Royal in France. She is quite little, which is unusual. I sold her to race in Jersey, but I’ve just managed to buy her back to be covered. I’m so delighted with Honeysuckle, and hopefully this is the start of even bigger things.”

Prior to this Sulamani’s legacy was guaranteed by the fact that he sired the 2016 Aintree Grand National winner Rule The World. The term globetrotter could well have been invented for the son of Hernando (Niniski). He won at the highest level six times, in five different countries, and stood in England and France before he had to be put down at Yorton Farm Stud in Wales in early 2017.

The highlight of Sulamani’s three-year-old career was his victory in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club, the French Derby, in 2002 after which he finished second to Marienbard in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He was purchased by Godolphin and earned more than £2.5 million for them in two seasons, winning five of his 11 starts in their colours. He won the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic in his first start for trainer Saeed bin Suroor and travelled to America to add the Grade 1 Arlington Million and Grade 1 Turf Classic Invitational at four.

As a five-year-old he won the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York and the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine. He retired to Dalham Hall Stud where he spent his first three years covering at £7,000 before transferring to France for a further three years. After that he moved to Yorton Farm Stud where he was owned in partnership by the Futters and by the Cashmans of Rathbarry Stud.

Sulamani’s first crop included the Group 1 St Leger winner Mastery, who added the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at four. Shuttling to Brazil he was responsible for four Group 1 winners over distances from 10 furlongs to a mile and a half. Meanwhile, prior to the arrival of Honeysuckle, his Grade 1 winners over jumps were Cash And Go in Ireland and Dar Said in Italy.

Catalogued in part two of the Derby Sale in 2017, Honeysuckle sold for €9,500 to Mark O’Hare and won her only start in a point-to-point at Dromahane last April, with O’Hare in the saddle.

That win came a week before the Goffs Punchestown Sale, but such was the impression she made that Peter Molony of Rathmore Stud had to pay €110,000 to secure her from Jerry Cosgrave’s Shanrod Stables.

She is now a four-time hurdle winner, also landing the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Boreen Belle Mares Novice Hurdle at Thurles and the Grade 3 BetVictor Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact Leo Powell at leopowell@theirishfield.ie with news and updates for the column, and to visit our website www.theirishfield.ie for daily news