WITHIN the flat racing sector we are used to a short time elapsing between the end of a colt’s racing career and the decision as to whether or not he is going to be a success at stud.

National Hunt stallions, however, may not have many runners until their first progeny are five or six years old, in contrast to the plethora of two-year-old runners for flat sires, and as many hurdlers and chasers will be seven, eight, or nine years old before reaching their peak, it can happen that the true merit of a jumps stallion may only become apparent when he is quite old, or has already died.

Stowaway was lightly-raced on the flat, but following a winning sole appearance as a juvenile, and a half-length defeat in a conditions race first time out at three, he went on to take the Group 3 Gordon Stakes and the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes before finishing fourth behind Pilsudski in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Newmarket.

His only other race was the Dubai Turf Classic at Nad Al Sheba, before that prestigious event got pattern status, and he won that 12 furlong contest by three and a half lengths.

One of the best representatives of the runaway Derby hero Slip Anchor (by Shirley Heights), he covered small books of mares in his early years at stud, but such is the success that has emerged from those limited opportunities, that the now 21-year-old Whytemount Stud horse is one of the most popular National Hunt stallions in service.

His progeny include Champagne Fever, Hidden Cyclone, Western Leader, Mart Lane, and Rory O’Moore, and now he has a new graded star in the Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old Outlander.

Ronnie O’Neill, who owns Whytemount Stud, bred Sunday’s big-race winner, and in addition to Stowaway he stands Salutino (by Monsun), Mr Dinos (by Desert King) and Valirann (by Nayef) at the Co Kilkenny farm.

Outlander won his first three bumpers and was favourite when sixth behind The Liquidator in the Grade 1 Champion INH Flat Race at Punchestown in April 2013. He was then off the track until November 2014 but returned with an odds-on success in a two mile maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse.

The following month he was beaten a neck by Martello Tower in the Grade 3 Cliona’s Foundation Novice Hurdle over three miles at Limerick, and last week he beat that same rival by just over three lengths to take the Grade 2 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle over two and a half miles at Leopardstown.

O’Neill sold the horse for €78,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in Fairyhouse four years ago when, at that time, he was a three-year-old full-brother to the Grade 1-placed, Grade 2-winning novice hurdler Western Leader, and also to the bumper scorer Mart Lane.

Western Leader was injured and has since disappointed, but he won a novice chase at Fairyhouse two years ago, and was last seen in action in a point-to-point at Ballinaboola two weeks ago.

Mart Lane, on the other hand, won over hurdles at Perth before finding his forte as a chaser, the most recent of his four wins over fences coming in a listed handicap over two miles, six and a half furlongs at Market Rasen in late September.

This high-class trio also have a five-year-old full-brother whom Noel Meade trains. Ice Cold Soul was with Gordon Elliott, and sent off at odds-on, when winning his only point-to-point by eight lengths at Belclare last March, and odds-on again when making a winning racecourse debut in a two mile Cork bumper in October.

This represents an exciting start to his career, a gelding who is an €82,000 graduate of the 2013 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

These geldings are all out of an unraced mare called Western Whisper (by Supreme Leader) and she is also responsible for their full-sister Lough Roe Lady, who won a handicap hurdle over two miles at Thurles just over two years ago, and a novice chase over the same trip at Clonmel last April.

All but one of Western Whisper’s 13 foals were sired by Stowaway, and the youngest of them are a four-year-old gelding, three-year-old colt, two-year-old filly, and their yearling full-sister.

The mare has brought prominence back to what was a somewhat weak branch of a successful line, and with her standout performers all sharing the same sire it would appear likely that Stowaway is largely responsible for it all.

Tsing Tao (by He Loves Me), who is the grandam of Outlander, was unplaced on the flat and over hurdles and none of her five progeny was a winner.

Her half-brother Fiddlers Three (by Orchestra) won twice over hurdles and four races over fences, and he was one of only two winners among six foals produced by the dual flat scorer Kirin (by Tyrant).

Her dam Mag (by Noble Jay) was placed twice on the flat in the USA and the 10 winners that were among her 17 foals included the Group 3 Moyglare Stud Stakes third Quick J (by Jim J), the Aurelius Hurdle winner Lir (by Lord Gayle), the listed-placed hurdler Mr Bones (by Red Regent), and the hurdle winner Mazuma.

The latter, a daughter of Mazaad (by Auction Ring), will be well-known to National Hunt pedigree enthusiasts as she is the dam of the top-notch mare Asian Maze (by Anshan), whose nine wins featured the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown and also the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle.

Mazuma is also the dam of Quantitativeeasing (by Anshan), a bumper and dual hurdles scorer whose form over the larger obstacles includes victory in the Grade 3 Spinal Research Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, and the runner-up spot in the Grade A Galway Plate.

The 10-year-old’s most recent outing was in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase over three miles, seven furlongs at Cheltenham in mid-December when he chased home the 12-length winner Any Currency.

Outlander holds three Grade 1 entries at the Cheltenham Festival, and he looks like an exciting prospect.