GARRYRICHARD Stud recently announced the addition of Grade 1 winner Hillstar to their roster for 2016, a son of Danehill Dancer (by Danehill) who comes from a top blacktype family. Three years ago they had another regally-related Danehill Dancer horse on the team, the Group 2 scorer Jeremy who moved to Co Wexford after spending five years at the Irish National Stud.

His career as a dual-purpose stallion was just beginning to take off when, in 2014, the white-faced bay died, aged just 11, and as happens all too often, his profile has risen even higher since then.

Some flat blacktype winners were joined, in 2013, by Our Conor, an easy winner of the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown a month before his 15-length demolition job in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

In a strange twist of fate, that exciting youngster, whose rating rose to 164 when he chased home Hurricane Fly in the Grade 1 Irish Champion Hurdle the following January, died due to a fall in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham two months later, a race for which he had been sent off at just 5/1.

Father and son gone too soon and in the same year.

Last year Jeremy had talented flat horses such as Baino Hope, Kool Kompany and Success Days to represent him, and in the current National Hunt season he has recorded an easy Grade 2 success with the unbeaten hurdler Who Dares Wins, he’s the sire of the listed heroine Jer’s Girl, who was beaten a head in a Grade 2 contest over hurdles at Leopardstown last month, and last week he added further big race success to his roll of honour.

Unlike the other pair, who are four-year-olds, Henry Higgins is six, and he sprang a 16/1 surprise in the Grade B Coral.ie Hurdle over two miles at Leopardstown.

This was his second win from a dozen starts over obstacles, he has also won two from 10 on the flat, and although this was his first blacktype success he has been placed previously in listed, Grade 3, and Grade 2 events.

Henry Higgins was bred by Glending Bloodstock, and as one might expect of a Jeremy who was conceived during his days at the Irish National Stud, this latest winner comes from a family more noted for its talent on the flat than under National Hunt rules.

Indeed, Henry Higgins is a direct descendant of a dual classic heroine and he is related to several others who have classic form to their names.

His siblings include the flat winners Miyake (by Namid) and Moon Over Rio (by Captain Rio) and his dam is Moonchild (by Acatenango), a mare who was placed on the level in Germany.

She is a full-sister to the listed scorer Mendosino and she also has three half-sisters who have done their part for the family’s extensive blacktype record.

Malinda (by Law Society) won a listed contest at Munich, Mandrella (by Surumu), who won once as a four-year-old, is the dam of the French listed scorer Maningrey (by Soldier Hollow), while Minaccia (by Platini), whose four wins included a listed event at Krefeld, is the dam of the notable pair Macleya (by Winged Love) and Montclair (by Montjeu).

The best of Macleya’s seven wins came in the Group 2 Prix de Pomone at Deauville and her placings include the runners-up spot in the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp.

Montclair won just twice but one of those was the Group 3 Prix de Barbeville at Longchamp and her many blacktype placings include when runner-up in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay at Longchamp.

The grandam of Henry Higgins is a one-time scorer called Maji (by Shareef Dancer) and her seven successful siblings include the Group 1 Deutsches Derby third Masterplayer (by Alzao), the Group 3-placed prolific winner Majority (by Dancing Brave) and also Malinas (by Lomitas), the classic and multiple Group 1-placed German Group 2 scorer and successful National Hunt sire who has joined the Glenview Stud team for 2016.

Maji’s siblings also include Majorata (by Acatenango), who is the dam of 2007’s Group 1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) heroine Mystic Lips (by Generous), and Midnight Fever (by Sure Blade), and unraced mare with classic representatives in two continents.

Her daughter Midnight Angel (by Acatenango) was runner-up to Salve Regina in the Group 1 Preis der Diana and third behind Guadalupe in the Group 1 Oaks d’Italia, and the most highly graded of the string of pattern races won by Moonlady (by Platini) was the Group 2 Deutsches St Leger in 2000.

Moonlady then went to Japan and in 2010 her son Eishin Flash (by King’s Best) won the Group 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). Two years later he added the Group 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) over 10 furlongs, at the age of six he beat Just A Way by half a length in a Group 2 contest over nine furlongs, and he is now a member of the team at Shadai Stallion Station.

Majoritat (by Konigsstuhl), the third dam of Henry Higgins, was champion three-year-old filly in Germany in 1987 when she took that country’s equivalents of the 1000 Guineas and Oaks.

Based on what he has achieved so far, Henry Higgins does not appear to have Grade 1 pretensions, but he is clearly a capable gelding and there should be more good prizes to be won with him.