THE Grade 1 Hennessy Gold Cup, over three miles at Leopardstown last Sunday, was the feature race of the weekend and it provided the John Kiely-trained Carlingford Lough with his third victory at the highest level.

Previously winner of the Grade 1 Topaz Novice Chase over the same course and distance, and also the Grade 1 Growise Champion Novice Chase over a furlong further at Punchestown, his only other victory over fences is the Grade A Galway Plate, which means that he was a maiden over the larger obstacles before taking one of the country’s most prestigious handicaps in the summer of 2013.

Carlingford Lough, who has run 17 times over fences, also has a record of four wins from six starts over hurdles, and the €80,000 graduate of the foal section of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale has paid back his original cost several times over.

Bred by Kenilworth House Stud and carrying the famous colours of J.P. McManus, the nine-year-old is a son of the Group 1 winner and late Ballylinch Stud stallion King’s Theatre (by Sadler’s Wells).

Long established as being one of the best National Hunt sires of recent years, and previously successful as a sire of flat pattern winners, King’s Theatre has had a clear lead in the 2014/15 sires’ championship title race for the past few months and his seasonal earnings are already well in excess of £2 million.

Carlingford Lough is out of Baden (by Furry Glen) whom Paddy Mullins trained to win twice in bumpers, once on the flat, and three times over hurdles.

Her final start was a neck defeat of Double Symphony in the Grade B New Stand Handicap Hurdle over two miles at Fairyhouse in December 1994, and as her first foal was Thisthatandtother (by Bob Back), she was an immediate success at stud.

He won a bumper, his four wins over hurdles featured the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle at Wincanton, and his six wins over the larger obstacles included the Grade 2 Festival Trophy Chase (now the Ryanair) at Cheltenham, a Grade 2 novices’ event at that same venue, and the Grade 2 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

He was runner-up to Monet’s Garden in the Grade 1 Ascot Chase, placed in a variety of other graded events, and he notched up 10 wins in point-to-points.

Baden’s second foal was the hurdle, point-to-point, and triple chase scorer Polar Scout (by Arctic Lord), and her other progeny before Carlingford Lough arrived include The Tother One (by Accordion), winner of a Grade 3 handicap hurdle at Sandown seven years ago.

That grandson of Sadler’s Wells (by Northern Dancer) was also placed in a string of big races, including the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Spa Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, and the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.

Baden is out of a mare called St Moritz (by Linacre) and her string of winning siblings include her prolific full-brother Seon who took a bumper, nine races over hurdles and three over fences, all at around two miles.

Their half-sister St Carol (by Orchestra), who won a bumper and was placed over hurdles, has done her bit for the family at stud as she is the dam the Grade 2 placed bumper winner Bygones In Brid (by Old Vic), who was sadly met with a fatal accident when only six, and also the triple chase and triple point-to-point scorer Jolly Boys Outing (by Glacial Storm).

St Moritz, who had six winners from nine foals, was not just a successful broodmare as she was a talented dual-purpose racehorse too, an 11-times scorer whose blacktype came with second and third place finishes in listed handicap hurdles at Listowel and Galway.

She was among eight winners for her flat-placed dam Machete (by Macherio) and although her half-brother Big Daddy (by Tyrant) won a listed hurdle at Listowel, among a dual-purpose career total of 11 wins, her two other blacktype siblings acquired their bold type on the flat.

Simette (by Simbir) finished third in the Group 3 Queen’s Vase at Ascot and Amber Sword (by El Gallo), who won twice over hurdles, picked up four on the flat including the Listed Irish Lincolnshire Handicap at the Curragh, and a listed handicap at Phoenix Park.

Their half-sister Favoured (by Pampered King), who won three times on the flat in the late 1960s and was placed once over hurdles, had just one winner at stud but that was the bumper scorer Going Again (by Giolla Mear), and she became them dam of the high-class and prolific chaser Gale Again (by Strong Gale).

Carlingford Lough has plenty of talented relations but it appears that he may the brightest star among them all