BRYAN Mayoh is a well-known figure in the National Hunt scene in Britain and Ireland and is a regular visitor to this country. He will love the country even more after watching Sizing John, a horse he co-bred, record his second Grade 1 success on Sunday in the Stan James Irish Gold Cup.

Another big race winner this season who has changed stables, the former Henry de Bromhead inmate is now in the care of Jessica Harrington. He has made three starts from Commonstown, finishing runner-up in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown over Christmas, winning the Grade 3 Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles and now capturing the feature on a quality programme at Leopardstown.

The Co Dublin racecourse is a firm favourite for Sizing John and it was there that he had his biggest win over the smaller obstacles in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novices’ Hurdle. He has had numerous Grade 1 placings also. The seven-year-old Sizing John is by Midnight Legend and out of the winning French-bred mare La Perrotine.

Midnight Legend raced for Lady Clarke and was trained on the flat by Luca Cumani and over jumps by David Nicholson. The son of Night Shift died at the age of 25 last July at Pitchells Farm Stud near Stratford-Upon-Avon.

A triple listed winner on the flat and runner-up in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, he was a better hurdler and his wins in that code included the Champion Novices’ Hurdle at Punchestown and the Seagram Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, both Grade 2 races.

In 2009 Mayoh penned an opinion piece for Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder in which he outlined his views on stallion selection – and he chose Kayf Tara and Midnight Legend as his two leading choices.

Sizing John is the best winner from La Perrotine who won a bumper at Hexham and three hurdle races at Sedgefield for Howard Johnson. Mayoh bought her privately after an injury curtailed her racing career to just eight starts. She was also winner of the mare and filly show class at the 2006 Doncaster Spring Sale. Her first foal, a daughter of Old Vic, was the listed-placed hurdler Scholastica who sadly died on the gallops, while she was followed by the King’s Theatre mare La Doelenaise who was placed a few times in France and is now a broodmare for Mayoh.

Sizing John is the third foal from La Perrotine, and he is followed by Batoutahell (five-year-old mare by King’s Theatre retained by Mayoh), French Steps (four-year-old gelding by Schiaparelli with Jack Barber), Deadringerforlove (three-year-old filly by Black Sam Bellamy) and a two-year-old daughter, also by Galileo’s and Sea The Stars’ sibling Black Sam Bellamy. Last year La Perrotine visited Telescope and will do so again this year.

Sold through Ballincurrig House Stud as a foal, Sizing John is yet another racing star sourced by John Bleahan who paid €16,000 for him as a foal at the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale.