SEAN Reilly had a couple of goes at getting directly into racing before it clicked for him. He started by riding out in Michael Scott’s Farnagh Stud in Moate in 1996, before taking to plunge to go and buy a filly. It didn’t work out with the filly, whose foals turned out to be worse than the other, by Reilly’s own admission. He then decided to give it a go as an amateur jockey, but again, by his own admission, it was probably 15 years too late for that.

The click came in the form of a shadow. Rubys Shadow, to be more precise. She was a Supreme Leader broken mare Reilly bought at the Tattersalls August Sale in 1999 and she has been some servant since.

“Unsurprisingly, she did not work out as a race mare but what a broodmare she has turned out to be,” Reilly says. “She’s now 23 and is in foal to My Dream Boat. I’ve held on to her six fillies, four Beneficials including Shadow Eile and Corskeagh Shadow and two Oscars which hopefully will hit the track before too long. My policy has always been to sell on the colts as foals and keep the mares. All six mares are in foal.

“It’s been hard work and I have great team here. My wife Ger helps out during the foaling season and the sales prep. Vets Micheal O’Donoghue and Padraig O’Reilly and farriers Matty Smith and Brian Horohoe are great people to have on your side.”

Shadow Eile, a nine-time winner, has been the highlight mare in a very talented family which also includes 2008 Cheltenham Champion Bumper runner-up Corskeagh Royale. Incidentally, Shadow Eile’s Flemensfirth colt is Lot 1014 on Wednesday at the Tattersalls November NH Sale.

Also in the family is Steven Mahon’s He Rock’s and the Jonjo O’Neill-trained, J.P. McManus-owned As You Like, a €120,000 purchase at the 2014 Derby Sale.

Corskeagh Shadow didn’t make as big an impact on the track, but she has had a fair go as a broodmare, producing the sadly ill-fated Hollowgraphic, who finished second in the 2017 Goffs Land Rover Bumper for Willie Mullins, and Dawn Shadow, now a five-time winning mare in Reilly’s colours after her recent beginners chase success at Galway.

Trained at Dot Love’s Charlestown base, just a stone’s throw away from Reilly’s home, the King’s Theatre mare has proven right up to scratch in a family that sets a high standard. And, significantly, she will be allowed to further herself for at least this season and maybe longer.

“We were delighted with her in Galway. We think she is still improving and a little juice in the ground and a trip will help her. We always hoped she would make a staying chaser.”

In many ways, the Weatherbys ITBA NH Fillies Bonus is designed to encourage owner-breeders like Reilly, who are keen to race on with their mares.

“I suppose we just enjoy the racing part so much, when you have a nice one you just want keep going and they will tell you when to stop. Shadow Eile was such a good mare, Dot and Ciaran (Murphy) managed to win nine races with her and she also went very close on some very big days!”

Reilly adds: “Dawn Shadow has picked up two of these bonuses, one over hurdles and one over fences. I qualify all my fillies for the scheme, the €5,000 is a great boost to the winner’s purse as there are no deductions.

“The thing is though, the races are very competitive, everyone with a nice filly has them highlighted. Nevertheless, it is a super scheme and has definitely helped the plight of the National Hunt filly which is very important.”