RORY O’Moore won the Grade C Ticket Sales Online Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles at Cork on Sunday, and although the most immediate aspects of his pedigree are clearly National Hunt, this is a horse who can also claim to come from the family of two flat Group 1 winners, and from that of a fairly recent five-furlong pattern placed two-year-old stakes winner.

Debbie O’Neill’s homebred nine-year-old is trained by Roland O’Neill, and although this was his first blacktype success, he was previously Grade 2-placed in a bumper, and both Grade 2 and listed placed over hurdles.

The gelding is another good advertisement for his sire Stowaway (by Slip Anchor) who, from few early chances at Ronnie O’Neill’s Whytemount Stud, went on to attract huge books there in recent years.

Winner of the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes, the Group 3 Gordon Stakes, and the Dubai Turf Classic, he was fourth behind Pilsudski in the Group 1 Champion Stakes, and this representative of the powerful Mill Reef (by Never Bend) line is the stallion responsible for standouts such as Champagne Fever, Hidden Cyclone, Western Leader, and Away We Go.

He had another potential star son in action, a couple of years ago, in the Tim Vaughan-trained Aland Islands.

Also bred by Debbie O’Neill, he won his only bumper, took two from three over hurdles, and was a winner and placed from three tries over fences, sadly sustaining a fatal injury when odds-on for that final start.

He was the year-younger full-brother to Rory O’Moore.

HURDLE WINNER

Their dam Champagne Lady (by Turtle Island) had previously produced a flat and hurdle winner in Miss Champagne (by Tagula), but the youngest of her sons is the Ted Walsh-trained Champagne James (by Stowaway) who chased home Valseur Lido in a two and a half mile novice chase at Punchestown on Saturday.

That was his first start over the larger obstacles, and this lightly-raced Naas hurdle winner was a Grade 2-placed bumper scorer from two outings in those events.

Champagne Lady ran seven times on the flat, from five to seven furlongs, and the best she managed was a third place finish in an Epsom maiden, for which she earned a career peak rating of 75.

Three of her siblings were multiple minor winners under National Hunt rules but of those who ran on the flat it is her half-brother Classic Fountain (by Classic Music) who stands out.

TALENTED JUVENILE

He was a talented juvenile for the Ger Lyons stable, winning over six furlongs at Fairyhouse and earning placings in the Group 3 Futurity Stakes and Listed Tyros Stakes, but his blacktype victory came later, in the Listed Centurion Trophy in Hong Kong.

His half-sister Carpet Lady (by Night Shift) became the dam of the Listed St Hugh’s Stakes winner and Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes third Cake, a first crop daughter of Acclamation (by Royal Applause).

The grandam of Rory O’Moore is Lucky Fountain (by Lafontaine), and she is an unraced full-sister to the Group 2 Geoffrey Freer Stakes winner and Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak runner-up Shambo.

Their dam Lucky Appeal (by Star Appeal), who did not win, was, in turn, a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat scorer Lapierre (by Lafontaine), and to three others who deserve a mention.

Lucky Hunter (by Huntercombe) was runner-up to Cajun in the 1981 edition of the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, La Signorina Silca (by Star Appeal) was placed in a classic in Norway, and the one-time winner Lucky Coin (by Hadeer) went on to make her name at stud.

The best of her winning offspring is the Group 1-placed stakes winner Super Bobbina (by Daggers Drawn), and that filly is, in turn, the dam of this year’s Group 1 Premio Presidente della Republica scorer Refuse To Bobbin (by Refuse To Bend).