WHEN Sonia Rogers and her brother Sir Thomas Pilkington sent their Galtres Stakes winner Firecrest to visit Teofilo in 2011 they already had some idea what the mating would produce.

The previous year Firecrest, a daughter of Darshaan, had foaled a daughter by the Dewhurst and National Stakes winning son of Galileo. At least they could see that she produced a good foal. The full-sisters have both gone on to become winners, though not showing their best on the flat but rather reserving it for National Hunt racing.

The now four-year-old filly is named Tocororo and she recently became her dam’s first blacktype winner when she beat Tiger Roll by no less than 16 lengths in the Grade 3 Ballybrit Novice Chase at Galway. Racing for Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House, she beat her stablemate with a display of jumping that had anyone watching with their heart in their mouth.

This was her third run over fences and her second victory. On her previous outing she won by a furlong at Tramore, again in a style that left you gasping. She is great value for her age and sex allowance and could well run up a sequence over fences.

Bought as a maiden from Ed Dunlop’s yard at the Tattersalls July Sale in 2015 for 25,000gns, she has won almost twice her purchase price since and increased her value considerably also.

Sent hurdling by trainer Gordon Elliott immediately following her acquisition, she won twice over the smaller obstacles, being especially impressive when credited with a 75-length win at Ballinrobe. She was runner-up in a Grade 3 hurdle at Fairyhouse, third to Ivan Grozny in a Grade 3 hurdle at Tipperary but has now filled that gap in her CV with victory at Ballybrit.

Her full-sister Bantam is trained by Sonia Rogers’ nephew Henry Daly and she is a dual winner both on the flat and over hurdles, being runner-up also in a listed hurdle race for mares at Cheltenham.

A third offspring of Firecrest is the Verglas gelding All Set To Go, and his most recent start saw him finish second in the valuable Grade 3 Swinton Hurdle at Haydock from the Paul Nicholls yard. On the flat he was third to the subsequent dual Group 1 winner Fascinating Rock in the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes at Navan.

To date Firecrest, now 19 years of age and sold as a yearling by breeder Rebecca Philipps through Round Hill Stud as a yearling for IR£50,000, has had 12 progeny, the most recent being a filly foal by Zoffany.

The first 11 have run and eight have won, five being successful over hurdles at some point in their racing career. This toughness and soundness are certainly qualities to be admired in her offspring, and a number of her daughters are now themselves winner producers also.

One of Firecrest’s daughters is in India and this is no surprise given the success a branch of the family has had there.

Firecrest’s half-sister Trois Etoiles was foaled in America, won three times in France but has been an outstanding success as a broodmare in India, breeding leading winners Noble Opinion and Artesia (winner of the Calcutta Oaks and St Leger), and she is grandam of Set Alight who won the Indian 1000 Guineas and the Bangalore Derby.