DOWN in Baltinglass, hopefully enjoying the nicer weather of recent days, is a three-year-old gelding by Shantou (Alleged) out of the King’s Theatre (Sadler’s Wells) mare Village Queen. He is unaware of the achievements of his three full-brothers, Shantou Village, Bun Doran and Portrush Ted. The latter gave the family its most recent boost when he captured the Grade 2 Weatherbys Bumper at Aintree.

Trained by Warren Greatrex, Portrush Ted is now a two-time bumper winner and he has repaid a sizeable portion of his purchase price of €53,000 at the 2015 Goffs Land Rover Sale. There he was picked out by the trainer’s wife Tessa who works with Highflyer Bloodstock. Portrush Ted was bred by Mary Griffin, wife of the veterinary surgeon Peter.