WHILE no filly or mare struck gold over the Christmas period and was victorious at Grade 1 level over jumps, 10 females did earn valuable blacktype, and for three of them is was for the first time.

Allegorie De Vassy (Fr) is a daughter of leading sire No Risk At All (My Risk), responsible for Epatante and Allaho, and she won at the first time of asking over fences when taking the Grade 2 Dawn Run Novice Chase at Limerick. She had already won a Grade 3 from just two starts over hurdles since joining Willie Mullins, and these successes are from a career that to date has only meant facing the starter seven times.

Mind you, she has a pedigree that would warrant consideration for flat breeding, as her dam Autignac (Solon), a winner over jumps, is a half-sister to none other than six-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Siyouni). Autignac is now a broodmare in Japan.

Less than a year ago Sean Doyle sent the Kathleen Wickham-bred Presenting (Mtoto) mare Credrojava (Ire) out to win a point-to-point on her debut at Ballinaboola. Days later she sold to bloodstock agent Kevin Ross and joined Harry Fry. After winning a bumper at Aintree in October, she has twice raced over hurdles in December and remains unbeaten, meanwhile earning blacktype thanks to being successful in a listed race at Taunton.

Ross paid £80,000 for Credrojava at Tattersalls Cheltenham, and she is the first foal from Knock View Vic (Kalanisi) who cost Mrs Wickham just €3,800 as a three-year-old. At Tattersalls Ireland’s recent November Sale, Kevin Ross paid €28,000 for Credrojava’s half-sister, a foal by Jet Away (Cape Cross). He obviously knew how special her sibling was.

Knock View Vic is out of a full-sister to dual Grade 1-winning chaser Our Vic (Old Vic) and half-sister to Grade 1 Connolly’s Red Mills Thyestes Chase winner Siegemaster (Lord Americo).

Clody Norton bred Liberty Dance (Ire) who won the Listed Boreen Belle Mares Novice Hurdle at Thurles. This was her fourth win in six starts, two each in bumpers and over hurdles, and she was placed in a Grade 2 bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival.

A daughter of Soldier Of Fortune (Galileo), she is one of seven winners from Didn’t I Tell You (Docksider), and the first to earn blacktype.

John Hurt

Didn’t I Tell You is a daughter of Heed My Warning (Second Set), and she carried the colours of actor John Hurt when runner-up, beaten a head by subsequent classic winner Tarascon, in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. The Oaks winner Shahtoush was half a length back in third.

A few weeks ago, writing about Lossiemouth (Fr), I posed the question - have we seen the next Benie Des Dieux? This followed her victory in the Grade 3 Bar One Racing Price Boost Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse, and she enhanced her reputation with a Grade 2 win at Leopardstown. Lossiemouth is a worthy Triumph Hurdle favourite.

Winner of her only start over hurdles in France when trained by Yannick Fouin, this Elevage Des Vallons-bred daughter of Great Pretender (King’s Theatre) failed to sell at €14,000 as a yearling. Lossiemouth is out of a mile and a half-winning daughter of Gentlewave (Monsun), Mariner’s Light, and is that mare’s fourth foal and second winner.

Mariner’s Light is one of nine winners out of Lady Glitters (Homme De Loi), the dam of Lord Glitters (Whipper). To date he has won more than £2.1 million, being successful in four countries. At Group 1 level he has visited the winners’ enclosure following the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Jebel Hatta Stakes in Meydan.

Cashel winner

Bred by Dan Breen in Cashel, Co Tipperary, Marie’s Rock (Ire) won the 2022 Grade 1 David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and followed up with a second win at that level in Punchestown. She made a winning return to racing over the festive period and won the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham. Successful now in eight of her 13 starts, she is proving to be value for her €35,000 sale price at the Goffs Land Rover Sale.

A daughter of former champion sire Milan (Sadler’s Wells) who died just before Christmas, Marie’s Rock was sold by Breen through Railstown Stud to Highflyer Bloodstock and Middleham Park Racing. Her winnings now top £230,000 and she is one of a pair of winners for her dam, produced from her first two offspring. It is fitting that Marie’s Rock should demonstrate such talent as her dam By The Hour (Flemensfirth) won and placed in graded chases when trained by Robert Tyner.

Maskada (Fr) has started to repay some of the investment of £80,000 made in her by Coolmara Stud when she sold at an online sale last year staged by ThoroughBid, landing the Grade B Tim Duggan Memorial Chase at Limerick. She was already a listed winner over fences when trained in England, and she also won three times over hurdles.

Previously, Maskada featured in the bargain of the week column on these pages as she had been purchased as a two-year-old by bloodstock agent J.D. Moore for just €4,000. The daughter of Group 1 St Leger winner Masked Marvel (Montjeu) is out of a winning Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) mare.

Saylavee

Seana Sammon bred the Listed Voler La Vedette Mares Novice Hurdle winner Saylavee (Ire) from Mae’s Choice (Presenting). The dam was also bred by the Sammon family, and raced for Seana in partnership. Mae’s Choice won a Grade 3 hurdle race for mares at Punchestown and is now dam of a pair of winners. The lightly-raced Saylavee has been successful four times, twice in bumpers.

Saylavee is a daughter of Shantou (Alleged) and he has worked his magic on a number of occasions with this female line. Saylavee’s fourth dam was the Morrow’s Deep Shine (Deep Run), dam of Grade 1 hurdle winner Mighty Mogul (Good Thyne). Also descending from Deep Shine are Ballynagour (Shantou), a Grade 3 Cheltenham winner and placed many times at Grade 1 level, and the listed chase winner Rocco (Shantou).

Speaking of stallions working for a family, Scarlet And Dove’s sire Jeremy (Danehill Dancer) did so with hers. She has been a revelation over fences, as well as being a bumper and hurdle winner. Four of her five chase wins have come in graded races, latterly the Grade 3 John and Chich Fowler Memorial Chase at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day, while six of her seven places have been in blacktype chases.

Our Conor

A half-sister to two point-to-point winners, the Eddie Donoghue-bred Scarlet And Dove (Ire) is out of a half-sister to one of Jeremy’s best winners, the 2013 Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle winner Our Conor.

It has taken a while for Shewearsitwell (Ire) to gain her second Grade 3 success, but she did so in style at Leopardstown. It’s a case of all duck or no dinner for the Cathal Ennis-bred daughter of Shirocco (Monsun), as she has won six of her 11 starts, but has not been placed! One of three winners from her unraced Old Vic (Sadler’s Wells) dam, she is from a lovely family.

Shewearsitwell’s third dam Ware Princess (Crash Course) bred the Grade 1-winning chaser Bradbury Star (Torus), while three of the five winners out of her fourth dam, Peppardstown (Javelot), were blacktype chase winners.

Rounding out the list of blacktype winning fillies and mares is Zamballa (Fr), bred by Anne Boisnard and Yannick Fouin. Three times a winner in France, she sold for €100,000 at Arqana to Highflyer Bloodstock and seven of her eight chase wins since have been in listed contests, earning connections more than £200,000. She is the best winner for her sire, Coolagown Stud’s Zambezi Sun (Dansili).