RICHARD Rohan sourced the 14-year-old Mystic Masie as a foal for Brian and Cheryl Byrne in Midleton, paying €17,000 for the daughter of Turgeon (Caro) at Tattersalls Ireland in 2008.

At the time of her purchase the filly was a half-sister to three winners, Narock (Great Palm) being the best of them and he was runner-up in a Grade 2 Chase at Auteuil. The investment was made to look even better thanks to the filly’s then two-year-old half-brother Toubab (Martaline) going on to win a listed hurdle race and placing in both the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle and finishing runner-up in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree.

Mystic Masie did not race and was covered as a three-year-old. The resulting filly, Reine De Whitfield (Robin Des Champs), was in training with Willie Mullins but did not race. However, she is now a member of the broodmare band at Kieran and Conor Mariga’s Coolmara Stables. She was followed a year later by Outofthisworld (Shantou), a bumper and hurdle winner who sold as a foal for just €1,600.

Got better

If this all seems like an underwhelming start to her career as a broodmare for Mystic Masie, it was to get better. Offspring number three was her first colt, another by Shantou (Alleged), and he sold for €17,000 as a foal, but was a most profitable store sale at the Goffs Land Rover Sale when realising €85,000. In training with Nicky Henderson, Angels Breath is a Grade 2 winner over hurdles and fences but has not raced now for over two years, while still holding an entry for this year’s Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Two more fillies followed Angels Breath, clearly a high-class runner, and they are Flying Nun (Robin Des Champs) and Fairy Gem (Shantou), seven- and six-year-olds respectively. Fairy Gem is trained by Harry Fry and she won a bumper at Plumpton in December, while at the weekend she ran second in the Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ Open NH Flat Race at Cheltenham for the Chasing Gold Racing Club.

Flying Nun opened her winning account in a handicap hurdle on Sunday at Fontwell, and she is trained by Emma Lavelle for joint-owners Nick Mustoe and Andrew Gemmell, the latter of Paisley Park fame. This brings to four the number of winners Mystic Masie has with her first five runners.

Well-named

The fifth runner is the five-year-old gelding, and well-named, Ben Bulben (Yeats). He was bought as a foal by Tom Chadney who raced Outofthisworld. He had to pay €10,000 for Ben Bulben and last month the gelding made a pleasing debut when fourth in a bumper, and he is another in the care of Harry Fry.

With a couple of geldings by Califet (Freedom Cry) and a two-year-old filly by Walk In The Park (Montjeu) coming along, the winners have surely not stopped flowing.

Brian and Cheryl are now eagerly looking forward to the birth this month of Mystic Masie’s 10th foal, by Blue Bresil (Smadoun), and the 14-year-old has only missed one year since she retired to the breeding shed. Her sire Turgeon won the Group 1 Irish St Leger and Prix Royal Oak at five and was one of the most consistent stayers of his generation. A multiple Grade 1 sire, we know him best in these parts for the Lexus Chase winner Exotic Dancer.

Intriguingly, Turgeon also appears on the dam side of this family, being a grandson of the fourth dam of Mystic Masie.