THE first four of the European mile Group 1 classics are now behind us, with the Irish pair due to be run next weekend, and so the focus of the bulk of the classic trials held in the past 10 days has been on the Derby and Oaks.

When trying to assess the future potential of the main players from any race, there are a number of caveats to keep in mind as underfoot conditions, the pace of the race, and the quality of the opposition can make a performance seem better or worse than it really was.

With all of that in mind some caution is needed when analysing the result of the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes, which was run over 10 furlongs on heavy ground at Leopardstown last Sunday, but with the way that Success Days put 10 lengths between himself and his closest pursuer it would be hard not to be impressed.

He was green and staying on from the rear when unplaced over seven furlongs at Galway on his debut in early August.

Ridden more prominently at Gowran Park two weeks later he got his head in front 50 yards from home to take a maiden, and he was also an outsider when only fifth in the Listed Eyrefield Stakes over nine furlongs at Leopardstown in late October.

He won over an extended mile at Cork on his reappearance but it is his two most recent efforts that have advertised his potential to become a Group 1 horse.

Both have been over 10 furlongs on heavy ground at Leopardstown, new front-running tactics have been employed, and his runaway victory last Sunday was preceded by a four and a half length score in the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes.

In the space of a month the grey has gone from being a promising 94-rated colt to a potential Group 1 Irish Derby contender.

He is trained by Ken Condon and his owner Robert Ng also bred him in partnership with Dermot Farrington.

His Group 2-winning sire Jeremy (by Danehill Dancer) was related to the Japanese Group 1 star and sire sensation Deep Impact (by Sunday Silence), among others of fame, and, like the Group 1 placed Group 2 scorer Kool Kompany, Success Days comes from the stallion’s fourth crop.

Jeremy spent five seasons at the Irish National Stud and he was in his second year as member of the Garryrichard Stud team at the time of his death, aged just 11.

Success Days is the third foal out of the capable sprinter Malaica (by Roi Gironde), whom Ng bought for just €20,000 in Deauville as a yearling.

The grand-daughter of Fairy King (by Northern Dancer) won three times from five to six furlongs, her first bit of blacktype came when she finished an eight-length third in the Listed Albany Stakes at Ascot as a juvenile, but when placed in each of the Group 3 Prix Miesque, Listed Prix Contessina and Listed Criterium de l’Ouest, she was never beaten by more than a length.

The last-named was over a mile in soft ground as a juvenile, and her margin of defeat was just a head.

Malaica’s fourth foal is a juvenile filly named Justice Angel (by Dark Angel) and her fifth is a yearling first-crop son of the prolific stakes winner Famous Name (by Dansili).

The mare’s siblings include Chambois (by Whipper), who won over a mile at Chantilly in September but was unplaced in the Group 3 Prix Sigy over six at the same venue last month.

Her dam Caramel (by Highest Honor) did not race but that mare is out of She’s My Lovely (by Sharpo) and so is a half-sister to five blacktype earners, plus a non-winner whose best son is a classic star in Scandinavia.

The best of the quintet is Execute (by Suave Dancer), one of the best sons of his sire, winner of nine races including the Group 1 Prix Ganay and the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt, and who was also twice runner-up in the that same Group 1 contest.

His half-brother Tot Ou Tard (by Robellino) won six including the Group 2 Grand Prix d’Evry, the Group 3 Prix d’Hedouville and two listed contests, and it is he who did better of the pair at stud.

Their half-sister Ing Ing (by Bering) won the Group 3 Prix Quincey, Hasene (by Akarad) was listed-placed at Longchamp, and Glorious Linda (by Le Glorieux), a stakes-placed 13 times scorer, is the dam of the triple listed-placed multiple Dundalk scorer Finicius (by Officer).

The non-winner of note is She Is Zen (by Zieten) and that grand-daughter of Danzig (by Northern Dancer) is responsible for the 2009 Svenskt Derby hero Handsome Hawk (by Hawk Wing).

Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock bought that mare’s now two-year-old Le Havre (by Noverre) colt for 38,000gns in Newmarket in November, and her current yearling is a first-crop son of the international Group 1 star So You Think (by Montjeu), so there is the potential for further updates for this family before too long.

These are the highlights of the first three generations of the pedigree of Success Days, and as his prolific sprint pattern-winning fourth dam Girl Friend (by Birdbrook) is responsible for the talented six to eight furlong horse Comrade In Arms (by Brigadier Gerard) - sire of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club winner Celtic Arms - he comes from a family that has yielded three sires of winners.

Whether or not Success Days goes on to earn a place at stud will depend largely on how his season develops, but with the way he has been winning so far, he could be anything.