HARDLY surprising is the news that Anthony Van Dyck is now among the favourites for the Derby in 2019 following his third victory in four starts at the Curragh last weekend. He beat stablemate Christmas to win the appropriately named Group 2 Galileo Irish EBF Futurity Stakes and joins Cape Blanco, War Command, Gleneagles, Churchill and Rostropovich as the sixth winner in the last decade trained at Ballydoyle.

It is well-known that the naming of the Ballydoyle horses is the responsibility of Sue Magnier and for many years she has been instrumental in giving all of the best runners from there appropriate and classic names.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck was born in 1599 and died at the age of just 42. He was born in Antwerp and was a Baroque artist who became a famed painter in England at the royal courts, being most renowned for his portraits of Charles I. His influence on portrait painting in England lasted for almost two centuries.

The equine Anthony Van Dyck (Galileo) is one of three winners from the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude winner Believe’n’succeed (Exceed And Excel). She is already well-known for the exploits of her daughter Bounding (Lonhro) whose victory in the Group 1 Railway Stakes in New Zealand earned her the accolade of champion sprinter in that country for the 2013-14 season. She was twice runner-up at that level and won eight races in all.

Believe’n’succeed is a full-sister to a pair of stakes winners, notably Kuroshio who was a Group 2 winner in Australia at three and a Group 3 winner as a juvenile.

He stood one season in England and his sole northern hemisphere crop, now two-year-olds, include a pair of stakes-placed winners. He stands under the Darley banner in Australia.

The grandam of Believe’n’succeed is Grade 1 Alabama Stakes and Grade 1 Test Stakes winner November Snow (Storm Cat), the grandam of Grade 1 Carter Stakes winner Morning Line (Tiznow).

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 breeding news