THE two feature races at Punchestown on Sunday were the Listed INH Stallion Owners EBF Novice Hurdle and the Grade B Boylesports Grand National Trial Chase, won respectively by the cousins Hardline and Folsom Blue. The latter was repeating a feat he achieved back in 2014 as a seven-year-old when he was trained by Conor O’Dwyer.

Hardline made news before he raced, topping the 2015 Goffs Land Rover Sale at €155,000. The son of Arctic Tack Stud’s German-bred Arcadio (Monsun) was bred by Nadja Humphreys and sold through the Jamestown Consignment as a foal to Hugh Bleahen for €20,000. Bleahen sold him on as a store from his Clifton Farm, with Mouse Morris signing the purchase docket.

Winner of his only point-to-point, Hardline has since won a bumper and three hurdle races and finished third in a pair of Grade 1 hurdle races last December, at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown. He is continuing to improve for trainer Gordon Elliott and the Meath trainer also handles another star son of Arcadio, the 12-time winner The Game Changer.

Hardline’s dam Hidden Reserve (Heron Island) won on her only outing in a bumper when she was trained by Noel Meade and ridden by Nina Carberry. Hardline is her third foal and one of three winning offspring. The most recent addition to that trio is Hardline’s full-sister Sangha River (Arcadio) and she won a Doncaster bumper in December for trainer Olly Murphy.

Hidden Reserve is one of five winning offspring of the unraced Executive Perk (Lord Gayle) mare That’s The Bonus and all but one of these were by Heron Island (Shirley Heights) who stands at Arctic Tack Stud. The most talented of the quintet was the Grade 2 bumper winner Crocodiles Rock and he was trained by Jonjo O’Neill. His full-sister Fickle Fortune (Heron Island) was placed in a listed bumper at Navan.

Another full-sister to all of these is the unraced Gilt Ridden and she is the dam of the aforementioned The Game Changer, the Grade 3 Paddy Power Gold Cup winner and Grade 1-placed Johns Spirit (Gold Well), and the useful Morgan (Big Bad Bob) who sold at the Derby Sale for €170,000.

Go back another remove and you find Hardline’s third dam That’s The Spirit (Mandalus). This unraced mare had a dozen foals and two winners. That pair of winners was made up of That’s My Man (Remainder Man) and Spirit Leader (Supreme Leader), both top-class runners.

That’s My Man raced just seven times for Aidan O’Brien and won six. These wins included the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse and For Auction Novice Hurdle at Navan. His early departure from the racing scene was unfortunate, but his half-sister Spirit Leader is keeping the family flame shining brightly.

Trained by Jessica Harrington, Spirit Leader was Grade 1-placed in a bumper and over hurdles, while her five victories included the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury and the William Hill Hurdle at Sandown. Now a broodmare, she is the dam of the recent Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle winner Prince Of Scars (Flemensfirth) and last weekend’s big race winner Folsom Blue (Old Vic).

Folsom Blue was bred by Eamon Salmon and bought last September for just £21,000 at the Goffs UK September Sale. His winning purse on Sunday was €59,000 and this was his second success since his purchase last autumn by Aidan O’Ryan. His sire Old Vic (Sadler’s Wells) stood until his death at Michael Hickey’s Sunnyhill Stud.