LAST Saturday I met Max and Lyn Morris before racing at the Curragh, and just days later they were celebrating the listed race success of Drumfad Bay, the three-year-old daughter of Acclamation (Royal Applause) and Manieree who landed the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cairn Rouge Stakes over a mile at Killarney.

Carrying the colours of another hugely successful breeding operation, Stonethorn Stud Farms Ltd, the Jessica Harrington-trained filly was deserving of her stakes win, having shown consistent form at this level but just hitting the crossbar each time.

The first foal of her dam, Drumfad Bay sold as a foal from Iverk House Stud at the Goffs November Sale for €140,000 and was purchased by Anthony Stroud. She reappeared at Tattersalls the following year where her value increased to 200,000gns and BBA Ireland signed for the Leslie Ward-owned, Chester-based Longview Stud consignee.

A winner at Galway on her two-year-old debut, Drumfad Bay was far from disgraced in group company after that victory last year. This year she was twice runner-up in listed races at Naas, failing by half a length and a head behind Doctor Geoff and Texas Rock on each occasion. By winning this listed race she is contributing to a fine family tradition as her first four dams have now bred a stakes winner. Hopefully she will step up successfully to a group success.

Manieree, the dam of Drumfad Bay, is a daughter of Medicean (Machiavellian) and she carried Max Morris’ colours to four victories when trained at Currabeg by John Oxx. These wins included the Group 2 Blandford Stakes, Group 3 Kilboy Estate Stakes, both at the Curragh, and the Listed Garnet Stakes at Naas. After that she was sent to the Newmarket December Sale where she was retained at 750,000gns. After Drumfad Bay, she has a two-year-old Lawman (Invincible Spirit) colt named Jathi (sold €470,000 as a yearling at Goffs last year) and a yearling filly by Lope De Vega (Shamardal).

This a family that produces good looking stock which command premium prices in the sale ring. Max Morris bred Manieree and she is one of seven winners to date for her winning Caerleon (Nijinsky) dam Sheer Spirit. The latter was trained for the late Isabel Morris by David Elsworth and won at three and placed a few times from only four starts.

Sheer Spirit has bred a couple of stakes-placed performers too, while her most recent winner was last year’s juvenile Justice Frederick who gave Joseph O’Brien his first winner as a trainer (owned by Max) and later traded for £200,000 at the Goffs London Sale. Her Lope De Vega two-year-old filly Wonderland sold to Nawara Stud Company last year at Newmarket through Ballylinch Stud for 300,000gns.

Sheer Spirit was one of 10 winners, from 11 foals, for her dam Sheer Audacity (by the Derby winner Troy). Half of the winning offspring won stakes races, and two of them were classic winners. Oath (Fairy King) won the Derby in 1999 and was followed by Pelder (Be My Guest), whose three Group 1 victories comprised the Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas), Prix Ganay and the Gran Criterium at two. Sheer Audacity’s other stakes winners were the colts Sheer Danzig (Roi Danzig) and Audacious Prince (Desert Prince), and the filly Napoleon’s Sister (Alzao).

Sheer Audacity failed to win but managed a couple of placed efforts in Italy. Her half-sister Miss Petard (Petingo) won the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, while an unraced full-sister Gay Fantasy is the third dam of Big Bad Bob (Bob Back) and fourth dam of Snow Fairy (Intikhab).