MASAR is embarking on his second season at Micheal Hickey’s Sunnyhill Stud this spring, and he got a very warm response from breeders during the recent ITM Stallion Trail. Having fallen out of favour with flat breeders during his time at Dalham Hall Stud, National Hunt breeders took to him last year, and he covered almost 70 mares, from a wide range of successful mare owners.

That number deserves to grow, and hopefully will, as news filters through of the quality of his first Irish-conceived crop. Maser (New Approach) was a high-class racehorse who has shown his ability to get winners, and good quality stock, and he has the sort of profile that will ensure he does well as a jumps sire. He has a very good day on Tuesday, and just in time for the start of the covering season, when his son Stencil won a novice chase at Chepstow in the colours of J.P. McManus, and daughter Orestina was a debut bumper winner at Newcastle.