THERE were a pair of blacktype races run at Auteuil on Sunday. The Grade 3 Prix Hypothese over hurdles was won by Device, a five-year-old son of Poliglote who featured in this column a fortnight ago.

The other race was the Listed Prix Lutteur III, a chase over two miles and six furlongs, and it was won by the five-year-old Califet gelding Mister Bal. Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and trained by Guy Cherel, the gelding is the third blacktype performer from the first three foals produced by the Turgeon (Caro) mare Royale Surabaya.

The mare’s first produce was the Nickname gelding Royale Flag and he put his dam on the map when, as a four-year-old in 2014, he won the Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois Chase at Auteuil. That race is run over the same distance at the Prix Lutteur III. He was also placed at the same level, running third in the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure chase.

Royale Flag was followed by the Al Namix gelding Mr Mix and he was placed in a listed hurdle race on his debut at three in France and was then transferred to Paul Nicholls’ yard. He was a two-time hurdle winner last year but on his most recent start he was last in the Pertemps Hurdle Final at the Cheltenham Festival. Mister Bali is the mare’s third produce and his form suggests that he is on the upgrade. The fourth progeny of Royale Surabaya is a four-year-old Konig Turf filly named Punta Lara.

Royale Surabaya was placed twice over hurdles at three and she is a half-sister to Blue Royal. That son of Dauphin Du Bourg was trained by Nicky Henderson and gained just a single piece of blacktype, though it was a significant one. He ran third to Istabraq and Hors La Loi III in the Champion Hurdle in 2000 when only a five-year-old.

Blue Royal’s full-sister Before Royale won on the flat and over jumps in France and she bred a gelding who is well known to followers of English National Hunt racing. Module is a 10-year-old son of Panoramic and he won the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury three years ago from Dodging Bullets, as a prelude to running third behind Sire De Grugy in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Royale Surabaya’s third dam Homeward Bound II was a very successful racemare, but not over jumps. She in fact won both the Epsom and Yorkshire Oaks and she is the dam and grandam of a number of top-class performers. Her grandson Super Concorde won the Group 1 Grand Criterium and Prix Morny and was a successful sire.