THERE were a lot of northern-bred winners in Britain over the past week including Make Good who, under an excellent ride from Richard Johnson at Cheltenham on Saturday, landed the three-mile Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle by seven lengths.

The five-year-old Fast Company gelding, who has now won twice over hurdles and three times on the flat, was bred at Desert Gallops by Ivan and Eileen Heanen out of the unraced, and sadly deceased, Rectify. That daughter of Mujadil was dam also of the Trans Island mare Transfixed, who won seven races, and the Tamayuz gelding Red Tide, who won three times.

From the family of Park Appeal, Cape Cross, etc, Rectify has a four-year-old filly by Bungle Inthejungle who is still owned by her breeders. Named Just A Rumour, she too is now in training with McConnell. In the photograph above, which was taken by their daughter Lorraine (Mitchell), Ivan and Eileen are seen with their 2014 unraced Invincible Spirit mare Buroog whose dam, Habaayib (by Royal Applause) won the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Ascot and was Group 2-placed.

Also on Saturday, but at Doncaster, the Alfred Buller-bred Tipalong Tyler won the mares’ handicap hurdle over an extended three miles. The Winged Love six-year-old is the sixth of 10 recorded foals out of the unraced Supreme Leader mare Supreme Cove, the first of them being the Deploy gelding Destroyer Deployed who won four races and was second in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. She is dam also of the six-time winner First Drift (by Generous).

The opening novices’ hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday was won by Make Me A Believer who was bred by the Enniskillen Campus of CAFRE. The five-year-old Presenting gelding is the second of six recorded foals out of the unraced Robin Des Champs mare Kiltiernan Robin. He is also the mare’s second runner and winner following a 2014 Stowaway gelding, King Roland.

Later in the afternoon, the John Kidd-bred Storm Control, a seven-year-old September Storm gelding out of Double Dream (by Double Eclipse) recorded his fourth success, all over fences, when landing the Grade 3 Unibet Handicap Chase. The dam’s colt foal by Sageburg was sold for €17,000 at the recent National Hunt sale at Tattersalls Ireland.

Unfortunately, space restrictions mean I can’t write about other recent winners but will include them in next week’s column of The Irish Field which will be on sale on Thursday next, December 24th – Christmas Eve.