GOING from covering 31 mares in 2020 to 56 last year might not seem significant for a National Hunt stallion, but a look at the breeders who availed of the services of Policy Maker (Sadler’s Wells) in 2021 shows that some well-known names felt it was still opportune to use the multiple Group 2 winner, even at the age of 21 years.

Standing with Peter Maher at his Blackrath Stud, a farm long associated with famous jump stallions under the guidance of Frank Latham, Peter’s grandfather, Policy Maker continues to be in focus thanks to the exploits of his best offspring, the six-time Grade 1 winner Chacun Pour Soi. The Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old gelding, bred in France by Didier Berland, won the Dublin Chase for a third time last weekend, and all his Grade 1 wins have come at the Co Dublin track or Punchestown.

Policy Maker was bred and raced by the Wildenstein family and four of his seven wins, from 10 to 12 furlongs, were at Group 2 level, notably the Grand Prix de Chantilly twice. He chased Gamut home in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud as a four-year-old, two years later occupying the same position behind Alkaased. He finally went to stud as a seven-year-old in France, while his first Irish-conceived crop are now five.

His initial crop included the 10-furlong listed three-year-old winning filly Polarena, but it was when his runners started to perform with some distinction over jumps that his name began to resonate a little more. His fifth crop, born in 2012, has been his best, giving up two of his three blacktype National Hunt winners to date. Chacun Pour Soi is head and shoulders his best runner.

Notable performers

Policy Maker’s third crop too gave us a couple of notable performers, the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil d’Ete 4YO Hurdle winner Roll On Has, while Art Mauresque was multiple placed at Grade 2 level over fences in England.

While Chacun Pour Soi has been keeping the name of Policy Maker in lights, another of the sire’s relatives has been increasing in popularity too. Group 1 winner Planteur (Danehill Dancer), a son of Policy Maker’s half-sister Plante Rare (Giant’s Causeway), is the sire of the French and English Group 1 winning stayer Trueshan.

The female family has also been boosted by the success of Persian King (Kingman). Out of Planteur’s winning half-sister Pretty Please (Dylan Thomas), he covered last year at a fee of €30,000. A classic winner at three in the French 2000 Guineas, he added a pair of Group 1 victories at four.