OWNER Paul Byrne and trainer Emmet Mullins have enjoyed plenty of success together, and they own and train a four-year-old filly Maxine (Maxios) who was purchased in July at Tattersalls for 13,000gns through Martin Wanless.

A dual winner for the retiring Harry Dunlop, both times over 10 furlongs, Maxine ran with promise on her first start in Ireland and I am sure that connections will be hoping for another success, and maybe even some blacktype, for the filly. This might be even more important as time goes on, thanks to an eye-catching debut by Maxine’s two-year-old half-brother, Salt Bay.

Trained by man-in-form Ralph Beckett, Salt Bay looked smart when disposing of nine rivals on his debut at Haydock over a mile on Saturday, and there will have been great relief to see him make such a start. After all, he cost 350,000gns as a yearling when purchased by Alex Elliott from his breeders, Gestüt Fährhof, in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale last year.

All won

Salt Bay and Maxine are two of the three named foals out of the unraced Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Saltita, and all have won. The third winner, and the dam’s first foal, is Palavecino (Cacique), and he is now a six-time winner, including this year, and has been placed at up to Group 2 level. Saltita’s only other foal was never named.

Salt Bay is from the sixth crop of Group 1 Champion Stakes and Lockinge Stakes winner Farhh (Pivotal), and that Darley stallions has three sons at stud in Ireland, King Of Change at Derrinstown Stud, Far Above at Starfield Stud, while Dee Ex Bee has just completed his first season at Arctic Tack Stud.

There is no shortage of class on the dam side of Salt Bay’s family, and this year’s Group 1 Deutsches (German) Derby winner Sammarco (Camelot) is under the third dam, as too is the 2022 Turkish stakes winner Cipce (Native Khan). Salt Bay’s dam Saltita has six winning siblings, five of them earning blacktype. The best of these is Saphir (Black Sam Bellamy), winner of the Group 3 Bavarian Classic. He and Saltita are by full-brothers.