CECIL McCracken spent 10,500gns at the 2012 Tattersalls February Sale for the Darley cast-off An Andalyya, a daughter of Kingmambo (Mr Prospector) out of a stakes-placed full-sister to Brian Boru. Fourth once as a two-year-old and the only time she earned money in five career starts, she had been purchased for $100,000 as a yearling by Rabbah Bloodstock. At the time of her sale she was the first foal of her dam and McCracken was taking a gamble on some of her younger and future siblings turning out well.

The gamble paid off and since then her half-sister Kosmiche (Fastnet Rock) won a listed two-year-old race in Germany in 2015, while her half-brothers Cape Clear Island (Fastnet Rock) and Squire Osbaldeston (Mr Greely) are stakes-placed. They are all out of the Aidan O’Brien trained Kushnarenkovo (Sadler’s Wells), group and listed placed in Ireland before being sold as a four-year-old at Keeneland for $1,250,000.

It is not only her siblings that have added gloss to the family but Al Andalyya has done so herself. Her Kodiac (Danehill) son Best Solution is a three-year-old and he notched up his third stakes win last weekend in the Group 3 St Simon Stakes at Newbury. Last year he won the Group 3 Autumn Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, while this year he came close to a top level success when second in the Group 1 Grosser Dallmayr Bayerisches Zuchtrennan in Munich.

This third stakes win for Best Solution can only be a plus when McCracken Farms offer his Gutaifan (Dark Angel) half-sister at the upcoming Tattersalls December Sale.

Kushnarenkovo is a full-sister to the Group 1 St Leger and Racing Post Trophy winner Brian Boru, a successful National Hunt sire, and the unbeaten stakes-winner Kitty O’Shea. Their siblings also include Sea Moon (Beat Hollow) and Moon Search (Rainbow Quest). These successful Juddmonte breds won the Group 2 Voltigeur Stakes and Group 2 Prix de Royallieu respectively, while Sea Moon was runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Brian Boru and the others are offspring of the American-bred Eva Luna (Alleged) and she is the grandam of the Group 1 Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce (King’s Best).

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