IT is no surprise to see horses who have blacktype form on the flat go on to excel under National Hunt rules and Sempre Medici is one of the latest former flat horses to achieve graded success over obstacles.

He made a winning debut over nine furlongs at Longchamp as a two-year-old and then finished fourth behind the runaway winner Morandi in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud the following month.

He earned his blacktype when third behind the subsequent Group 2-winning pair Vancouverite and Terrubi in a listed contest over 10 furlongs at Compiegne as a three-year-old, and he joined the Willie Mullins stable just over five months ago.

He made a winning hurdles debut over two miles at Cork, was runner-up at Kempton in December, well-beaten behind Nichols Canyon in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, and then sixth in the Grade 3 Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, a promising effort for such an inexperience jumper.

He was sent off favourite for the Grade 2 Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Novice Hurdle over two miles at Fairyhouse last Monday and won by five and a half lengths. He may now go to Punchestown and it will be fascinating to see how his career develops from this point.

Sempre Medici was bred by the partnership of Miriam Bollack-Badel, Noel Forgeard, and Haras de Pierrepont, and he is, as might be guessed from his name, a son of the Group 1 winner and Cheveley Park Stud stallion Medicean (by Machiavellian).

He is the second foal out of an unraced mare called Sambala (by Danehill Dancer) and her other runner is the Group 3 Queen’s Vase third Ed De Gas (by Peintre Celebre), a multiple middle-distance flat scorer.

The next dam, Amaranthus (by Kingmambo), was also unraced and she is the dam of a minor listed scorer in the USA by the sprint star Stravinsky (by Nureyev). Indeed the third generation of the family is not particularly exciting either.

If you go back to the fourth and fifth generations, however, you will find a glittering array of international Group/Grade 1 stars as the fourth dam of Sempre Medici is Minnie Hauk (by Sir Ivor) and the fifth dam is Best In Show (by Traffic Judge).

Minnie Hauk was listed-placed at Leopardstown and at the Curragh, and her eight winning progeny included the contrasting duo Chief Contender (by Sadler’s Wells) and Aviance (by Northfields), winners of the Group 1 Prix du Cadran and the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes respectively.

Tafrah, the winning third dam of Monday’s big race winner, is a full-sister to Chief Contender.

Aviance became the dam of the Group 1 winners Denon (by Pleasant Colony) and Chimes Of Freedom (by Private Account), and the latter extended the family honour by coming up with the Grade 1 stars Aldebaran (by Mr Prospector) and Good Journey (by Nureyev).

Imperfect Circle (by Riverman), who won the Listed Firth of Clyde Stakes as a two-year-old, is another daughter of Aviance and is it she who gave us the champion miler Spinning World (by Nureyev), in addition to becoming the grandam of the juvenile Group 1 scorer Pathfork (by Distorted Humor).

Group 1-placed Piquetnol (by Private Account) is the dam and grandam of pattern-winning sprinters, whereas the non-blacktype earning dual scorer Remote Romance (by Irish River) became the dam of the German Group 1 scorer Saddex (by Sadler’s Wells).

Those are the highlights of Minnie Hauk’s contribution to what is one of the most famous families in the stud book.

Her full-brothers Gielgud and Malinowski were talented racehorses, while her full-sister Monroe became the dam of the Group 1 star Xaar (by Zafonic), and that mare’s descendants include horses such as Close Hatches (by First Defence), Senure (by Nureyev) and Cityscape (by Selkirk), and the Group 1-placed Group 2 winner Bated Breath (by Dansili), the latter pair now promising young sires in England.

Best In Show, of course, is the mare from whom Group 1 standouts such as El Gran Senor (by Northern Dancer), Try My Best (by Northern Dancer), Blush With Pride (by Blushing Groom), Rags To Riches (by A.P. Indy), Peeping Fawn (by Danehill), Redoute’s Choice (by Danehill), and so many more descend.

Sempre Medici’s branch of this great family is, however, a weak one, but with such strong roots there was always the chance that one or more good horses would emerge from it at some stage.