EIGHT pages of Breeding Insightswould not have been enough to cover the many winners during the past week that I would have loved to review. With next week’s issue being solely devoted to winners at Cheltenham, there is just enough space to mention three winners that caught my eye, two of them bumper winners on their debut.

On Sunday, Oneinthewell was made favourite on his debut in the bumper at Leopardstown, and duly obliged. Trained by Tom Cooper, the Paddy Behan-bred four-year-old son of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) is the second produce of the bumper second Melior (Milan), and that name might be a small clue as to the name of her famous sibling. He is Altior (High Chaparral).

Bought as a foal by Aidan O’Ryan for €56,000 at Tattersalls Ireland, Oneinthewell has a couple of interesting siblings, but hats off to the Magnier team at Grange Stud who paid just €10,000 for the winner’s half-brother, now a yearling, at last November’s National Hunt Sale in Fairyhouse. He is a son of Vadamos (Monsun).

Altior, the Latin word for higher, was nothing short of a racing icon. When he won the Grade1 Bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown Park for a third time he established a record in National Hunt racing, winning for the 19th consecutive time. His final tally stands at 21 wins, a bumper, five hurdle races and 15 chases. Four wins at the Cheltenham Festival includes two editions of the Grade 1 Champion Chase

The Nicky Henderson-trained Altior was the second produce of his dam to be successful at graded level. He was preceded by the Old Vic (Sadler’s Wells) mare Princess Leya and she landed the Grade 2 New Stand Hurdle at Fairyhouse and is dam of a listed Newbury bumper winner, Top Dog (Leading Light). Altior and Princess Leya are out of Monte Solaro (Key Of Luck) who carried Paddy Behan’s colours to success in a Grade 3 hurdle race at Tralee when trained by the late Francis Flood. She is the dam of six winners.

Moon Eclipse

Trained by Joseph O’Brien and bred by his parents, Aidan and Annemarie, Moon Eclipse (Getaway) won the mares bumper at Leopardstown on Monday on her debut. The win will mean a lot to the O’Brien and Crowley families, and what a valuable broodmare she will make in due course.

Moon Eclipse is the fifth winner for the unraced Milan (Sadler’s Wells) mare Lunar Beauty, and she is an own-sister to the listed hurdle winner Lunar Display (Getaway). She is one of 29 blacktype winners for her sire, standing at Grange Stud for just €3,000, and that list includes six who are winners at Grade 1 level. The listed race at Thurles won by Lunar Display was a few years earlier contested by her half-sister Kalopsia (Flemensfirth), and she was second in it. Her five-win tally was one more than that achieved by Lunar Display.

Lunar Display is a daughter of Lunulae (Tumble Wind), and she won at two, went on to be successful three times over hurdles, and beat some smart horses when second to Royal Derbi in the Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle at Punchestown. Lunulae’s grandson Hebridean (Bach) won the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at three before gaining a single success over hurdles, a Grade 2 at Kempton. While further removes of this family have been responsible for good flat runners, Moon Eclipse’s third dam Boldella (Bold Lad) made a big impact on jumps racing.

Boldella is grandam of Beef Or Salmon (Cajetano), nine of whose wins were in Grade 1 chases, and the Grade 2 hurdle winner Brogella (King’s Theatre) who was placed in the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse. She has been an outstanding broodmare, producing Grade 2 bumper, hurdle and chase winner Knappers Hill (Valirann), Grade 3 winner Swamp Fox (Windsor Knot) and listed chase winner Rene’s Girl (Presenting).

Honesty Policy

Harry Fowler, Alex Frost and Charlie Longsdon are the trio who bred the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Novice Hurdle winner Honesty Policy at Leopardstown, and plans will surely include making a challenge for the final of that great series at Punchestown.

The five-year-old son of Jukebox Jury (Montjeu) was sold from the Fowler’s Rahinston Stud as a foal to Richard Frisby for €28,000, but left no profit when reselling as a store for €35,000 at the Derby Sale.

Runner-up in his only point-to-point for Pat Doyle, Honesty Policy has now won two of his three starts over the smaller obstacles. He is the third multiple winner for his dam Molo (Kalanisi), herself a Fowler-bred with the late Robert Chugg.

Molo won a bumper and two hurdle races and her other winners are Cuthbert Dibble (Kayf Tara), A Grade 3-placed four-time winner, and Honesty Policy’s full-sister Molto Bene (Jukebox Jury).

The emergence of this family as a leading National Hunt dynasty really started with the unraced Camello (Pampered King) who was foaled 59 years ago. She bred a couple of smart runners in France, the ultra-smart hurdler Highello (High Line) and the very useful dual-purpose runner Margello (Bargello). The fillies in this family are often more distinguished than the males and other blacktype winners descending from Camello include Banjaxed Girl (King’s Theatre), Amorello (Be My Native), Maire Banrigh (King’s Theatre), and Mischievous Milly (Old Vic). Banjaxed Girl is the dam of a Grade 3-winning chaser.