OVERBURY Stud’s Group 1 star Kayf Tara (by Sadler’s Wells) is the top National Hunt stallion in Britain, third in this season’s championship title race (up to Monday night) and with his current representatives featuring the Grade 1 stars Thistlecrack and Identity Thief. They also include Blaklion who took the Grade 2 totepool Towton Novices’ Chase over three miles at Wetherby on Saturday, his first blacktype success over the larger obstacles but adding to an earlier pair of Grade 2 victories over hurdles.

The seven-year-old holds entries in both the Listed National Hunt Chase and the Grade 1 RSA Chase at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, and having already been rated 150 before his latest success, he looks like a horse who has a very bright future as a staying chaser.

Blaklion was bred by Mary Morrison and he is the best of three winners out of Franciscaine (by Legend Of France), a one-time French scorer also responsible for the listed-placed hurdler Francesa (by Silver Patriarch) and for the blacktype-placed chaser Francis Du Mesnil (by Saint Preuil).

Her half-brother The Knight (by Kenmare) won a listed chase at Auteuil, she is a half-sister to the Grade 3-winning chaser and successful sire Indian River (by Cadoudal), and her siblings also include the listed-placed hurdle winner The Dream (by Deep Roots), a filly who won seven times on the flat.

THE WONDER

They are among seven winners, from 10 foals, out of The Fun (by Funny Hobby), and although that mare was only placed and had just four winners among nine siblings, one of the quartet was the top-class flat horse The Wonder (by Wittgenstein).

He won the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan, Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois, Grade 1 Century Handicap and Grade 1 Californian Stakes, and the races in which he was placed included the Group 1 Prix de la Foret, Group 1 Prix Lupin, and two editions of the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Their triple-winning dam The Lark (by Lanark) was also responsible for Leah The Lark (by Lear Fan) who, although unraced, became a successful broodmare in South Africa where her daughter Cyber Cento (by Centenary) won the Grade 2 South African Oaks at Turffontein and her son Oratory (by Centenary) was a Grade 1-placed pattern scorer.

With such a strong blacktype family behind him, and a top sire as his father, it is hardly a surprise that Blaklion has done so well on the track.