FEW trainers know how to handle a son or daughter of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) like Jessica Harrington. Last year she trained his daughter Alpha Centauri with great aplomb, and this year she has started the flat season on a high, landing the Listed Devoy Stakes with his son Still Standing, a four-year-old who was winning for the fifth time in eight starts.

Sold by his breeder Derek Iceton for €26,000 as a foal, Still Standing was retained for a mere €1,000 subsequently – displaying the vagaries that exist in the world of selling horses. Thankfully horses themselves have no idea of their value, and Still Standing has a lot more winning to do yet.

His dam Il Palazzo (Giant’s Causeway) was purchased as a foal in the USA for $120,000 before being bought, carrying Still Standing, by Iceton for 27,000gns. She has a three-year-old colt Nailed It (Helmet) and a yearling filly by Mehmas (Acclamation). The latter sold as a foal last year for 42,000gns.

Il Palazzo’s four winning siblings include the group-placed Divine Night (Danehill), and their placed dam Starlight Night (Distant View) sold as a three-year-old for 200,000gns. Despite not winning, she was a half-sister to three stakes winners and one of these, Senure (Nureyev) won Grade 1 races in the USA, the Charles L Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship at Santa Anita and the United National Handicap at Monmouth Park. Senure’s dam Diese (Diesis) was a Group 3 winner in France and a daughter of Monroe (Sir Ivor).

A full-sister to Gielgud and Malinowski, Monroe was a Group 3 winning sprinter for Vincent O’Brien and she finished second in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. All but one of her 18 foals ran and 14 of them won – with half of these earning blacktype.

Outstanding among the 14 was the dual champion Xaar (Zafonic) who won both the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and Prix de la Salamandre at two.

Monroe has gone on to establish quite a dynasty for herself, her descendants including the Group 1 winners Cityscape (Selkirk) and champion US older mare Close Hatches (First Defense), Group 2 winners Didina (Nashwan), Bated Breath (Dansili), Ajaya (Invincible Spirit), 2019 group winner Tacitus (Tapit) and Domesday (Red Ransom).

Mastercraftsman’s dozen Group 1 winners include A Raving Beauty (two Grade 1s in the USA), Alpha Centauri (four Group 1 wins), Off Limits (Matriarch Stakes in the USA), Amazing Maria (Group 1 wins in France and England), and the dual Group 1 winning colts Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby. This week I also noticed that he has a three-year-old colt in Japan named Leo, who at his fourth try won for the first time. Out of a mare by Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo), maybe he is a late developer. Watch this space!