IRELAND came within three-parts of a length of a second Group 1 on the Sha Tin card on Sunday when Big Time Baby (Dandy Man) was runner-up to Mr Stunning in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize. This effort raised his earnings from eight victories and nine placings to more than €1.4 million.

He is one of two stakes winners from a mare who was purchased by Paul and Billy McEnery for a mere €4,000 as a three-year-old at Goffs.

Making that purchase price all the more remarkable was that the filly in question, Royal Majestic (Tobougg), had won twice the previous year as a two-year-old when trained by Mick Channon, and she was sold by Rabbah Bloodstock in foal to Kheleyf. The colt she was carrying sold as a foal for €17,000 and won at two, and she has continued to pay her way with some interest.

Big Time Baby was her second foal and he cost Tally-Ho Stud €33,000 as a foal. This then £45,000 yearling joined Tom Dascombe and won three of his five starts at two, the final leg coming in the Listed Roses Stakes at York which prompted his sale to Hong Kong. His sire, Ballyhane Stud’s Dandy Man, is hugely respected there as one of his three Group/Grade 1 winners is the Hong King Sprint winner Peniaphobia.

Foal number three for Royal Majestic proved to be another stakes winner, this time the Group 3 Italian heroine Charline Royale (Zebedee). She won seven races up to last year and has been multiple stakes-placed. While Royal Majestic’s fourth produce, Kuwaitiya (Camacho) showed nothing in two starts, she was a profitable yearling when selling for €44,000. Now all eyes are on the two-year-old Royal Mehmas (Mehmas), from the first crop of his sire and another profitable sale for the McEnerys, realising €57,000 as a foal.

Deserving of a major upgrade, Paul and Billy McEnery covered Royal Majestic last year with Yeomanstown Stud’s Dark Angel (Acclamation).

Big Time Baby’s conqueror Mr Stunning (Exceed And Excel) provided his sire a few years ago with a landmark, his 250th stakes victory. Now the seven-year-old Australian-bred is a three-time Group 1 winner of almost €6.8 million, and his 12 career victories also include two runnings of the Hong Kong Sprint. A victory in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize was overdue as he had twice been runner-up in the event.

Mr Stunning was bred by Makybe Racing and Breeding and is one of 15 Group/Grade 1 winners for his sire who stands for €40,000 at Kildangan Stud this year. His career list of Group 1 winners includes multiple Group 1 winners Excelebration (Group 1 sire), Bivouac, Flamberge, Guelph, and Helmet Group 1 sire). Mr Stunning sold twice, as a yearling making A$110,000 at Inglis and then realising NZ$250,000 the following January.

The dam of Mr Stunning, With Fervour, was bred and raced by George Strawbridge, being placed on a number of occasions in France where she was trained by Jonathan Pease. Sold as a broodmare from Whatton Manor Stud to John Foote Bloodstock for 65,000gns in 2003, she is the dam of five winners.

She is a daughter of Dayjur (Danzig) and Fran’s Valentine (Saros) and that cross had already worked by the time With Fervour was conceived. The first time it produced the very smart juvenile filly With Fascination, and she won the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg and was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Morny and the Group 1 Prix de la Salamandre. She bred many winners, including the listed scorer With Interest (Selkirk).

With Fascination is one of half a dozen winning offspring of Fran’s Valentine, but not the best. That honour rests with the gelding With Anticipation (Relaunch) and he won five Grade 1 races in the USA nearly two decades ago. They were the Man O’War Stakes at Belmont twice, the Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap at Saratoga twice and the United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park. Sadly he was at his racing peak at the ages of six and seven, by which time he had been gelded.

He had a stallion’s pedigree, his dam Fran’s Valentine being a smart juvenile in the USA who went on to win the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, Santa Susana Stakes and Hollywood Oaks. She was runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. A daughter of Saros (Sassafras), she was an own-sister to Iz A Saros, a Grade 2 winner who was runner-up in the Grade 1 Swaps Stakes.

Following his big race win, it was announced in the following days that Mr Stunning was being retired. Trainer Frankie Lor confirmed the news to the South China Morning Post. “The horse will retire and then the owner will send the horse back to Australia to enjoy his life,” Lor said. “He’ll go to Living Legends – we’re just waiting for a flight to Australia. Sunday was his last race so we are very happy he could win and retire on top.”