LAST week we reported in the paper about Sheikh Mohammed’s decision to renew his relationship with John Oxx, sending the Currabeg trainer five juveniles. Days later the trainer celebrated at Roscommon when the four-year-old Holy Roman Emperor filly Flying Fairies landed the track’s Listed Lenabane Stakes.

Oxx paid 280,000gns to acquire Flying Fairies at last year’s December Sale. Formerly trained by Joe Murphy, the filly boosted her sale prospects at Leopardstown in late October when she won the Listed Trigo Stakes, her third career victory. She did so in the colours of Geraldine Magnier, wife of David, and the filly was bred in partnership by the Magnier’s Grange Stud and Peter Magnier’s Brittas House.

Flying Fairies carries the colours of Anne Marshall, partner of Hamwood Stud’s Frank Dunne. Flying Fairies will be a major addition to the stud’s broodmare band when her racing days are over, but hopefully she may yet progress to enjoy group success. John Oxx’s record of improving fillies is second to none.

Flying Fairies is a daughter of the Danehill stallion Holy Roman Emperor who retired to stud at Coolmore a decade ago. This year he stood at a fee of €17,500 and he has established himself as a sire of tough, globetrotting performers. His biggest earner is the brilliant and hugely popular Designs On Rome who won some €6.5 million and who was accorded a farewell celebration in Hong Kong during the past week.

Another son of Holy Roman Emperor is the Group 1 winner of some €4.5 million, Beauty Only, while the Australian-bred Mongolian Khan has surpassed €2.5 million in earnings. Other Group 1 winning sons and daughters are Homecoming Queen, Maraton, Morandi, Rich Tapestry, Roll Out The Carpet, Salto Olimpico and Sheidel. The latter is his most recent winner at the highest level, landing the Oakleigh Plate in February.

Flying Fairies is the first winner for her unraced Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) dam Bright Birdie. That mare is an own-sister to Meath and a half-sister to Twist And Turn (Groom Dancer), both Group 3 winners. Meath won the Gallinule Stakes for Aidan O’Brien, was beaten a head by Grey Swallow in the Listed 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown and ran in the Epsom Derby.

Twist And Turn was conditioned by Sir Henry Cecil and he too ran in the Epsom Derby, surpassing his half-brother’s efforts when finishing fifth behind Dr Devious with Michael Kinane in the saddle. He won the Chester Vase ridden by Steve Cauthen and also captured a pair of listed races.

Dalcassian was another full-brother to Bright Birdie and he was placed in the Group 3 Tetrarch Stakes after landing his maiden at the Curragh for Ballydoyle. John Oxx trained an Arazi half-sister to these winners, the placed Twizzle. She later found her way to New Zealand where her best runner was the Listed St Leger winner Serpent, a son of the Stravinsky stallion Chinese Dragon.