THE feast of top class action last weekend included a trio of Grade 1 events held at Fairyhouse, and the first of those was the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurde over two miles.

The race was not without drama as the well-regarded favourite Allez Colombieres suffered a fatal injury, and with him out of the running it went to his stable companion Nichols Canyon.

A son of the Derby hero and Haras du Logis stallion Authorized (by Montjeu), Nichols Canyon won listed events at Ascot and Saint-Cloud in recent months, and he was runner-up in a Group 3 contest in between those fine efforts.

He was 1/4 when making a winning debut over hurdles at Cork a month ago, last Sunday’s race was his second start under National Hunt rules, and he holds an entry in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in three weeks time.

Nichols Canyon was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd, is a 48,000gns graduate of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and, as one might expect of a son of his sire, he has a good flat-oriented pedigree.

He is the first foal out of an unraced mare called Zam Zoom (by Dalakhani), and his year-younger half-sister is the lightly-raced stakes-placed winner Bright Approach (by New Approach).

The mare had a Teofilo (by Galileo) filly in 2012, and a Pivotal (by Polar Falcon) colt foal who was born in April, so there is still plenty of potential for this family’s record to get even stronger in the next few years.

Zam Zoom is a half-sister to the Group 3 Winter Derby scorer Nideeb (by Exceed And Excel), and her dam Mantesera (by In The Wings) is an unraced full-sister to Cloud Castle, the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner who was placed in both the Group 1 Prix Vermeille and Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks.

In addition to being the dam of the pattern scorer Queen’s Best (by King’s Best) and of the pattern-placed stakes winner Reverie Solitaire (by Nashwan), Cloud Castle has the distinction of being a half-sister to the Group 1 stars Luso (by Salse) and Warrsan (by Caerleon), to the Group 2 scorer Needle Gun (by Sure Blade), and to three mares who have made their names at stud.

Luso’s trio of Group 1 wins included the Derby Italiano, and he achieved some good results as a National Hunt sire, as has his classic-placed half-brother Needle Gun.

Warrsan was a dual winner of both the Group 1 Coronation Cup and the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden, but sadly died before getting his chance at stud.

Their half-sister Luana (by Shaadi) got her blacktype when finishing third in a listed contest at Newmarket, and her sons Hattan (by Halling) and Tastahil (by Singspiel) have both been successful in Group 3 company.

Lunda (by Soviet Star) was unplaced, but her son Blue Monday (by Darshaan) won the Group 3 La Coupe, and two runnings of the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Arc Trial at Newbury, and the races in which he was placed include the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes and the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes.

She also has a descendant who is even better than that, as Lunda is the third dam of this year’s dual French classic star Avenir Certain (by Le Havre), the filly who was still unbeaten when winning the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) and Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks), only to have her six-race winning sequence come to an end in the Arc.

The Listed Sweet Solera Stakes winner Lucayan Princess (by High Line), who is responsible for all of these horses, is also the dam of Maskunah (by Sadler’s Wells), an unraced filly who went on to become the dam of the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes winner Laaheb (by Cape Cross) and of the blacktype-placed duo Guarantia (by Selkirk) and Ruwaiyan (by Cape Cross).

Nichols Canyon is bred to be a top class horse, and with a Grade 1 success to his name so early in the National Hunt part of his career, he is clearly one who has considerable potential.