THE list of current first season sires with a pattern winner in their first crop got another name added to last Saturday when Steip Amach, a daughter of Redmondstown Stud’s Vocalised (by Vindication), sprang a surprise in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes over seven furlongs at Leopardstown.

Her regally-related sire won the Group 3 Tetrarch Stakes, the Group 3 Greenham Stakes, and the Listed Loughbrown Stakes as a three-year-old, and his first crop runners also include the Sligo and Roscommon winners Vocal Nation and Vocaliser.

Steip Amach is bred and trained by Jim Bolger, and although this was her first win from four starts, her first two outings were in listed company at the Curragh, and she finished fourth in each.

She holds an entry in next year’s Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas, and it would be no surprise to see her do well in that classic.

Steip Amach is the second foal out of Ceist Eile (by Noverre), and that makes her a half-sister to the stakes placed Ceisteach (by New Approach). That filly has a weanling full-sister, and their dam had an Intense Focus (by Giant’s Causeway) filly in 2013.

Ceist Eile was only placed, and her dam Sharafanya (by Zafonic) is the unraced dam of two winners from six foals, but as she is by such a well-bred horse, and from the family of Shergar, there is not really any mystery as to why she could come up with a pair of blacktype fillies with her first two foals.

Sharafanya is out of the Group 3 Prix Minerve scorer Sharamana (by Darshaan), which makes her a half-sister to the Group 2 winning sprinter Giant Sandman (by Footstepsinthesand) and to Shalamantika (by Nashwan), who is the stakes-placed dam of the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera heroine Shalanaya (by Lomitas) and of the Group 1 placed, Group 2 Prix Chaudenay scorer Shankardeh (by Azamour).

The next dam is Sharmeen (by Val De Loir), so in addition to being a half-sister to the ill-fated King George and dual Derby hero, and Group 1 sire Shergar (by Great Nephew), the third dam of Steip Amach is a half-sister to the Group 2 scorer and successful sire Shernazar (by Busted), and also to the non-winning mares from whom the Group 1 winners Shamdala (by Grand Lodge), Choc Ice (by Kahyasi), Shamdinan (by Dr Fong), and Brazilian Pulse (by Captain Rio) descend.