TWO and a half years after he won he Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, The Worlds End claimed another top-level success when he landed the Marsh Hurdle, better known as The Long Walk Hurdle, at Ascot.

The eight-year-old son of Stowaway was bred by Jerome Sheehan and sold as a three-year-old at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for €20,000 to Monbeg Stables. He is now a bumper winner, successful six times over hurdles, and in between his two Grade 1 successes he won two of his five outings over fences. Incidentally, he fell on his only outing in a point-to-point, perhaps in hindsight a pointer for his future career!

In addition to his biggest victories, he won both the Grade 2 Prestige Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock and this year’s Grade 2 Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby.

Stowaway died in 2015 and he was a son of Slip Anchor (Shirley Heights) and his victories included the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes and the Group 3 Gordon Stakes. His other Grade 1 winners include Champagne Classic, Outlander and Champagne Fever, while other notable runners have been Hidden Cyclone, Beakstown, On The Blind Side, Kilcooley and Put The Kettle On.

The Worlds End is the only winner for his unraced Beneficial (Top Ville) dam Bright Sprite. She had four other foals but only one of them was named. He is Egret (Definite Article) who has been placed in a point-to-point, bumper and over hurdles. Bright Sprite is a half-sister to three winners, namely What A Hussy (Husyan), Jungle Jake (Jolly Jake) and Schinkel (Subtle Power).

They are all out of Last Sprite (Tug Of War), a dual bumper winner who went on to win over hurdles. Her siblings included the multiple winner Sergeant Sprite (General Ironside) who won a bumper, three hurdle races and four chases and he was runner-up in a Grade 3 chase at Naas. However, we are looking at form from 30 years ago.

While there are plenty of winners in the next few removes, there has been no winner of anything approaching the calibre of The Worlds End for five generations. He is a great example of patience paying finally off.