WHAT a thrill for Evie Stockwell to land the Group 1 Connolly’s Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday with her home-bred Brave Anna. The daughter of War Front had previously won the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. Perhaps it is from his mother that John Magnier inherited his brilliant skill in bloodstock!

The Danehill Dancer filly Lahinch was purchased in the name of Mrs Stockwell at Goffs as a yearling in 2000 for IR£200,000. Put in training with Aidan O’Brien, she was a smart runner at two and three, finishing second in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket after landing a listed race at Tipperary as a juvenile. She opened her second season at Leopardstown with victory in the 1000 Guineas Trial Stakes.

One of seven winners for her unraced Private Account dam Dublah, Lahinch was a half-sister to the listed winning colt Perugino Bay. Not surprisingly given her ownership and her stakes-winning performances, Lahinch was given every opportunity at stud where her matings included Sadler’s Wells and Galileo. Three of her four winning offspring are stakes performers and include The Bogberry (by Hawk Wing), a Group 3 winner and runner-up in the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt.

However, it is Lahinch’s Sadler’s Wells daughter Liscanna that we will focus on. She was trained by the soon to retire David Wachman and as a two-year-old broke her maiden in the valuable Birdcatcher Stakes at Naas. The next season she did even better with her only win that year as it came in the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown. This was enough to ensure that she would be mated with the best at stud.

Her first foal was a son of Kingmambo named Taigon and he raced in the colours of Sue Magnier. He showed plenty of ability in Ballydoyle and was twice runner-up in four starts, to After and Speaking Of Which. Incredibly he sold for only 12,000gns as a three-year-old to champion Qatari trainer Mohammad Ghazali and has won for him.

Next up was a son of Giant’s Causeway named Knightofthegarter and he was a $550,000 yearling but never raced under rules. However he is a point-to-point winner from a handful of starts. The first daughter from Liscanna was the Smart Strike filly Good Strike and her first produce, an American-bred son of Mastercraftsman, will sell in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale as part of The Castlebridge Consignment.

Liscanna was then sent to War Front and the first of three consecutive offspring by him was Hit It A Bomb, winner last year of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He was followed by Brave Anna and there is a yearling colt by War Front too. Liscanna is only a 12-year-old and already has a pair of Group/Grade 1 winners to her credit.

The sky is the limit for her, while Brave Anna and Hit It A Bomb can also add to their recent achievements.

Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact Leo Powell at leopowell@theirishfield.ie with news and updates for the column, and to visit our website www.theirishfield.ie for daily breeding news