THERE was a good mixture of Northern-bred horses during the period under review headed by Main Desire who landed the Listed Marygate Fillies Stakes at York on Friday afternoon.

This was a second success in two outings for the High Chaparral bay who is highly-regarded by her trainer Michael Bell and is now on course for Royal Ascot. Main Desire was bred by Max Ervine out of the Orientate mare Purple Glow and was sold at Tattersalls Ireland as a yearling.

Bred by Jim Bolger and the winner of one race and listed-placed, Purple Glow was purchased by her present owner at Tattersalls Newmarket in December 2011 carrying her first foal, a colt by New Approach. Now gelded, that five-year-old Magical Effect has run 10 times, has won twice and has never been out of the first four. Last year, Purple Glow had a colt by Rip Van Winkle. The pedigree is reviewed in more detail on page A26.

Also on Friday, but up in Aintree, the Callie Berry-bred Knight Of Noir won the extended three-mile handicap hurdle for the Neil Mulholland yard. Successful in a point-to-point and now three times over hurdles, the 2009 Winged Love gelding is out of the unraced Lashkari mare At Dawn.

The previous day, the Stephen Mahon-trained Stormey won for the second time over hurdles at Clonmel. The seven-year-old by September Storm was bred by Michael McEvoy and is the last of six foals out of the unraced Insan mare Celia Barros.

One of the two winners trained by Stuart Crawford at Perth last Thursday, and briefly mentioned in this column, was the Oratorio gelding Don Franco who landed the three-mile handicap chase in the hands of Richard Johnson. The seven-year-old was bred by Tilly Conway and is the last of just five recorded foals out of the winning Hernando mare Handora.

The Clock Leary, who moved to Donald McCain’s yard this year, having spent most of his career in the care of Venetia Williams, made it third time lucky for his new trainer when winning the extended two and a half-mile handicap chase at Bangor on Saturday.

Twice second in his previous starts for McCain, the Helissio nine-year-old was bred by Francis Small out of the Karinga Bay mare Kiwi Babe. He won a Ballydarragh maiden on the last of three point-to-point starts for Darragh Brennan in the autumn of 2012 and a chase and a hurdle for Williams.

On Monday at Carlisle, the Keith Dagleish-trained Forever A Lady landed the seven-furlong handicap in the hands of Graham Lee. This was a third success, and the first in nearly a year, for the four-year-old Dark Angel filly who was bred by Mick McGinn. The bay is the 10th of 12 foals out of Royal Academy dam Unicamp.