THE now 15-year-old Rossavon has been quite a revelation as a broodmare. Owned by Vincent Finn from Co Wexford, the unraced daughter of Beneficial (Top Ville) has had three named foals, all of which have raced and won.

Her first offspring was a gelding by Flemensfirth (Alleged) and he was sold by Finn at the Derby Sale for €44,000. Named Walking In The Air, he made a belated point-to-point debut at five, winning a maiden at Tallow in the colours of Trish Hyde, with the steering done by Derek O’Connor. He then reappeared about seven weeks later in a bumper at Warwick and was eye-catching in the manner of his victory, striding home nine lengths clear of the rest.

Then in the care of Dan Skelton, he went on to win over hurdles but it was as a chaser that connections felt he would excel. Sadly on his first start over the larger obstacles he was fatally injured, and once can only surmise how good he might have been, especially given the successes enjoyed by his subsequent siblings.

Obviously Walking In The Air was a good foal as Finn sent the dam back after she had foaled down to Flemensfirth. This resulted in another colt, though he only realised €16,000 when sent to the Derby Sale in 2014. Nearly £240,000 in earnings since, Waiting Patiently has gone on to become a Grade 1 winning chaser, though a chipped ankle a few months ago has ruled him out of further action until next year.

Waiting Patiently started his racing career in the care of Keith Reveley, his three starts yielding a win and two runner-up spots. He transferred to Malcolm Jefferson initially, passing into his daughter Ruth’s hands following the trainer’s death in early 2018. Unbeaten in his first six outings over fences, he poignantly won the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Ascot only days after Malcolm Jefferson’s death.

The nine-year-old has had something of a frustrating time since, running second in the following year’s Betfair Chase and manging to make the frame in a couple of other Grade 1s. The last of these was an encouraging run in last December’s Tingle Creek Chase when he was just a length behind Defi Du Seuil in third, with Un De Sceaux dividing them.

An unnamed son of Milan (Sadler’s Wells) was next and then along came McFabulous, also sired by the 2001 Group 1 St Leger winner. The now six-year-old made a splash at the 2017 Derby Sale when he sold for €88,000 to Tom Malone, ahead of Waiting Patiently’s chase career going into orbit, though he had at the time run up a sequence of three wins, including a Grade 2 novice chase at Haydock Park.

Trained by Paul Nicholls, McFabulous hasn’t put a foot wrong too often in his eight race career to date. He won three of his four starts in bumpers, culminating with victory in the Grade 2 Weatherbys NH Flat Race at Aintree last April. Now he has won half of his hurdle starts, last weekend adding the Grade 3 EBF Paddy Power Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Kempton to bring his tally of wins to five. Oh, and he has won back his purchase price with interest.

Rossavon’s sixth produce is, not surprisingly, a yearling full-sister to Waiting Patiently, while last year she returned to visit the veteran sire again. Rossavon is one of a remarkable 18 foals from the unraced Sparkling Opera (Orchestra). The best of Sparkling Opera’s six racecourse winners was Ciara’s Prince (Good Thyne) who was placed in graded hurdle races. He visited the winners’ circle nine times, following a bumper, three hurdle races, two chases and three point-to-points.

Jump back two generations, to Sparkling Opera’s grandam Shinaro (Straight Deal), and you start to unearth jumping royalty. Shinaro had six winning offspring and outstanding among these was Miller Hill (Green Shoon). He won the Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham for trainer Dessie Hughes in 1982 and was runner-up in the Sweeps Hurdle at Leopardstown. Miller Hill’s half-sister is Deep Shine (Deep Run) and she won over hurdles before heading to the breeding shed. There she produced the immensely talented and sadly ill-fated Mighty Mogul (Good Thyne). He won the 1992 Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle and a couple of Grade 2 events before tragedy struck at Cheltenham.

Mighty Mogul’s full-sister Shinethyme (Good Thyne) is grandam of Ballynagour (Shantou) who won the Grade 3 Byrne Group Plate at Cheltenham and was placed the Grade 1 Betfred Bowl at Aintree, the Melling Chase there, and the Champion Chase at Punchestown.

McFabulous was one of a number of winners for his sire last weekend, and one of a pair of graded winners. Successful in the Grade 2 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Handicap Chase Final at Navan was Jimmil and he is from the same crop as McFabulous.

Bred and raced by Terence Conroy, Jimmil was winning for the first time at the weekend, having previously been placed on a couple of point-to-points. A full-brother to the hurdle and point-to-point winner Plouios (Milan), Jimmil is one of three winners for his unraced dam Garlucy (Un Desperado), and her first blacktype winner.

In landing this graded chase, Jimmil credits his dam with being the fourth mare in a row in the family to breed a blacktype winner. Bought for €18,000 by Conroy carrying the subsequent winner Wolf Shield (King’s Theatre), Garlucy is a half-sister to Grade 2 winning hurdler Beer Goggles (Oscar), and the listed chase winner and Irish Grand National third Home Farm (Presenting). They are the best offspring of Tynelucy (Good Thyne) and she is a half-sister to Gold Cup winner and three-time Grade 1 Hennessy Gold Cup hero Jodami (Crash Course).

Completing the winning sequence, Jodami’s dam Masterstown Lucy (Bargello) is a half-sister to the Galway Plate winner Rugged Lucy (Rugged Man).

Just turned 22 years of age, Milan holds court at Grange Stud in Fermoy and no doubt will be busy as ever this year at €10,000. He is responsible for 44 blacktype winners and his top performers include Jezki (eight-time Grade 1 winning hurdler including the Champion Hurdle), Martello Tower (winner of the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle), Apache Stronghold (dual Grade 1 winning novice chaser), Beat That (dual Grade 1 winner), Darlan (winner of the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle), Sizing Granite (won Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree), Monalee (winner of the Grade 1 Flogas Novice Chase at Leopardstown), Santini (winner of the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle 1 at Aintree), and If The Cap Fits, winner of the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Aintree,