IRISH National Stud graduate Danny Collins was thrilled with the recent well-deserved victory for the intriguingly named Youcantcallherthat in the Grade 2 Dawn Run EBF Mares Novice Chase at Limerick. The seven-year-old daughter of Brian Boru (Sadler’s Well) was bred by Danny’s brother Darren and races for a local syndicate which includes Collins family members.

Runner-up to the very smart Ms Parfois on her debut in a point-to-point at Boulta, Youcantcallherthat won next time up at Quakerstown. Trained, as she continues to be, by Denis Hogan, the trainer persuaded the team not to sell her and she embarked on a career on the racecourse proper.

Fifth on her only start in a bumper, she fell on her chasing debut and quickly had her attention turned to the smaller obstacles. Eight starts later and with a best effort of finishing 10 lengths behind the winner at Fairyhouse when fifth, the decision not to sell after that point-to-point victory looked like a missed opportunity.

Last October the mare was sent chasing again and after a second place finish at Thurles and another fall at Wexford, the mare finally returned to winning ways at Cork and followed up with a victory at Fairyhouse. A third-place finish in a Grade 2 chase at Thurles was good, especially for pedigree purposes, but that has now been bettered with a Grade 2 success. Sadly, bad weather meant that she did not get a chance to add to that at Fairyhouse this week.

The dam of Youcantcallherthat is Fruitful Venture, a daughter of Fruits Of Love (Hansel) and the bumper-placed Miss Paddy (Yashgan). She won a bumper at Thurles as a five-year-old after which she was acquired by the Collins’s for their Ryehill Stables in Monivea, Co Galway. There they have bred National Hunt horses for two decades.

Dedication and perseverance has paid off and Fruitful Venture’s first foal is now a Grade 2 winner, Youcantcallherthat, and she is followed by a six-year-old full-sister Havasupai, a three-year-old filly by Dahjee (Seeking The Gold) and now a filly foal by Westerner (Danehill). The Co Galway-based sire Dahjee is a full-brother to Dubai Millennium.

The resurgence of Youcantcallherthat has also meant that the quality of sire that her dam is being sent to has been upgraded, and this year she has been covered by Boardsmill Stud’s Califet (Freedom Cry). Fruitful Venture’s dam Miss Paddy bred a point-to-point winner but she came from a very smart flat family that enjoyed great success on both sides of the Atlantic.