THERE were Grade 1 hurdle wins in Ireland and Britain last weekend for Irish-bred geldings, and both winners are horses with Cheltenham very much on their radar.

The Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle at Naas has a high-class roll of honour when it comes to former victors and there is little doubt that this year’s winner Death Duty will enhance the reputation of the race further.

The last hurdle fall of Augusta Kate (by Yeats) was a disappointment but there was no denying that the Gordon Elliott-trained Death Duty was impressive as he was watched on course by owner Michael O’Leary.

Also present in the stands was Geoffrey Thompson and his wife Eithne who bred the six-year-old Shantou gelding from Midnight Gift.

This is a female line with which Thompson and his Morning Star Stud in Rathcannon, near Kilmallock, have a very long association.

The dam of Death Duty is the Presenting mare Midnight Gift and she carried Eithne Thompson’s colours to three victories when trained by Tom Hogan.

She came close to winning a blacktype race but had to settle for second-best in a Grade 2 hurdle race at Fairyhouse and third in a listed bumper at Cheltenham. Death Duty is the best of her winners.

Midnight Gift is a half-sister to Hidden Agent, a son of Pistolet Bleu who was runner-up in a Grade 2 hurdle race, and they are among four winners from the unraced Long Pond mare Midnight Pond. She is out of the Menelek mare Midnight Oil who bred the Le Bavard-sired Shannon Spray, a blacktype winner on the flat and over hurdles, and the listed chase winner Renagown, a son of Pragmatic.

Midnight Oil is also grandam of the Grade 1 Royal & SunAlliance Chase winner One Knight (by Roselier), the Grade 2 wining chaser Eirespray (by Executive Perk), the Grade 3 winning chaser Sunset Lodge (by Electric) and Grade 3 winning hurdler Direct Access (by Roselier), and she is the third dam of the Grade 1 Leopardstown Chase winner Foxrock, a son of Flemensfirth.

The Grade 1 winners One Knight and Foxrock were both bred by Geoffrey Thompson.

PRIDE

The veteran Shantou, a son of Alleged, is the pride of Victor Connolly’s Burgage Stud and continues to be in fine fettle, covering 120 mares last season. He retired to stud in 1999 and commanded a fee of €7,000 last year. He has an amazing record of more than 50% of his National Hunt runners being winners and Airlie Beach is another Grade 1 winner for him this season. He is also a Group 1 winner producing sire on the flat.

What heights can the Grade 1 32Red Tolworth Hurdle winner Finian’s Oscar reach? Sent off the 11/10 favourite on just his third ever appearance, including a point-to-point, he was impressive when landing the contest by five lengths.

Last October he won a point-to-point at Portrush by eight lengths before heading to the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sale the following month where he sold for £250,000 to Tom Malone and Colin Tizzard, his trainer now.

The five-year-old son of Oscar carries the colours of Ann and Alan Potts and he made a pleasing hurdle debut at Hereford in mid-December and won by seven lengths. The Tolworth was his next port of call.

Unsold as a foal when offered at the Tattersalls November Sale, the then colt appeared five weeks later at Goffs and Richard Frisby secured him this time for €24,000.

He was back at Tattersalls Ireland for the Derby Sale in 2015 and cost Tower View Stables €50,000 on that occasion.

Bred by Richard and Martin O’Keeffe, Finian’s Oscar is the second produce of the Taipan mare Trinity Alley who failed to trouble the judge in a few point-to-point starts.

Her first foal has not been named, while she also has a four-year-old gelding by Presenting (sold to John O’Byrne as a foal for €27,000) and a two-year-old filly by Jeremy. Last year she visited Sageburg.

Trinity Alley is now the dam of a Grade 1 winner and a half-sister to another. Her half-brother Finian’s Rainbow, by Tiraaz, won three Grade 1 races over fences; the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham and the Maghull Novices’ Chase and Melling Chase, both at Aintree.

Oscar retired from stud duties in April 2015. The son of Sadler’s Wells is sire of a host of talented jumpers, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Lord Windermere and Champion Chase winners Big Zeb and God’s Own, while his notable hurdlers include Peddlers Cross, Oscar Whisky and Rock On Ruby.