THE late Bob McCreery had a most successful breeding operation at his Stowell Hill Stud. There, among the many great horses he bred, he was responsible for the dual Derby winner Old Vic.

A member of the first crop of Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer), Old Vic won the Prix du Jockey Club by seven lengths and then came to the Curragh and won the Irish Derby by four.

In 2005 Bob McCreery attended the Tattersalls December Sale and paid 45,000gns for a daughter of Old Vic who was offered by the Hillman’s Castledillon Stud as agent. She was Anna Oleanda and she was sold in foal to Dubai Destination (Kingmambo).

A winner twice in Germany, Anna Oleanda was a full-sister to Anno Luce, a Group 3 winner in Germany and a successful broodmare since, being best known as the dam of the outstanding hurdler Annie Power (Shirocco). However, this is far from the best of the successes that the family has enjoyed.

Anna Oleanda has gone on to produce eight winners from nine runners, the most recent being the Group 3 Dick Poole Stakes winning two-year-old Anna Nerium (Dubawi). She is the mare’s third stakes winner, following in the hoofprints of her Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes winning own-brother Piping Rock, and the group winner and classic-placed Middle Club (Fantastic Light).

The only offspring of Anna Oleanda to race and not to win was Coplow (Manduro) and she came close a few times, finishing second twice for McCreery. She has added substantially to the family success story recently as her first two foals and runners are now stakes winners. The three-year-old Billesdon Bess (Dick Turpin) won the Listed Upavon Stakes over nine furlongs at Salisbury, while the year younger Billesdon Brook (Champs Elysees) went one better and landed the Group 3 Prestige Stakes over seven furlongs at Goodwood. Their yearling half-sister by Showcasing (Oasis Dream) will command even more attention next month at Tattersalls when offered from Stowell Hill.

In the last 12 years the family has produced a plethora of top-class winners and descendants from Anna Oleanda’s siblings include Group 1 winners Helmet (Exceed And Excel), Epaulette (Commands), Anna Monda (Monsun), Ave (Danehill Dancer) and last year’s Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winning two-year-old National Defense (Invincible Spirit).

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