THERE were a pair of graded National Hunt races for mares run at Limerick on Sunday and both were won by runners from Willie Mullins’ yard. The Closutton trainer has totally embraced the enhanced programme for racemares over jumps and here was another example of how well he has done so.

The 10-year-old Presenting mare Daisy’s Gift was already a listed winner over hurdles and had been runner-up in a Grade 2 chase at Thurles to Westerner Lady. She won her only start in a bumper under Patrick Mullins and her victory in the Grade 2 Charleville Cheese EBF Mares Novice Chase was the sixth of her career. This race was won two years ago by Vroum Vroum Mag.

Daisy’s Gift is the latest star in a family that has produced no end of good National Hunt performers. Her unraced Dr Massini dam Daizinni is a half-sister to Shivermetimber and that daughter of Arctic Lord numbered a Grade 3 novice chase at Limerick among her six wins. She has gone on to even greater success as a broodmare and is the dam of Katie Too, The Pirate’s Queen and The Dutchman.

All three of those named runners are sons and daughters of King’s Theatre. The Dutchman is a Grade 2-placed hurdler, but his two full-sisters did even better and are blacktype winners. The Pirate’s Queen won a listed mares’ hurdle at Haydock and was third in the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle at Chepstow.

Katie Too featured in this column after she won a listed mares’ novice hurdle at Cheltenham for Chris and Carol Harris. She won four times and her placed efforts included running second in the Grade 2 Weatherbys GSB Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown. She was trained by the Harris’s great friend Alan King.

Further back in the family you will find a number of well-known runners. Lord Noelie won the Grade 1 Royal & SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham, while Sean Ogue’s eight victories included the Power Gold Cup at Fairyhouse and the Arkle Cup Chase at Leopardstown. Though not a winner at Grade 1 level, Addington Boy was very smart and he claimed victory in such races as the Grade 2 Mumm Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree and the Grade 3 Tripleprint Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

The multiple champion sire Presenting continues to reign at the Cashman’s Glenview Stud, and from that base he has sired a long and growing list of leading National Hunt performers, including Gold Cup winners War Of Attrition and Denman, while among his current crop of stars is Yorkhill.