ARCTIC Cosmos produced a career-best performance in 2010 when he won the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster, and it was no ordinary renewal of the classic. Three lengths and more in arrears were such international Group 1 stars as Snow Fairy, Joshua Tree and Rewilding.

Trained by John Gosden, Arctic Cosmos was from the first crop of the Derby winner North Light (Danehill) and he retired to James Hannon’s The Old Road Stud where he has remained. Now he has sired a standout winner from his own first crop, this being the seven-year-old mare Waitnsee.

At the weekend she won the Grade 3 Baroneracing.com Chase, better known as the Imperial Call Chase.

This was a well-deserved win at this level as the mare, landing her third win, has been three times runner-up in Grade 3 chases at Naas, Cork and Tipperary. Her previous wins were in the colours of her breeder Michael Daly.

It may not be too long before Arctic Cosmos adds to his tally of blacktype winners, and one to watch for into the future is Stellar Magic. He comes from the sire’s second crop and won a point-to-point on his debut for Jonathan Fogarty, before joining Philip Hobbs and for whom he won his first two outings over hurdles. Arctic Cosmos has had a lot less opportunities than many sires, but again he is a stallion who is making the most of the chances he is given.

Waitnsee is one of two winners for her dam Madame Stella (Snurge) who was bought by Michael Daly’s brother Edward for €230,000 at Tattersalls Ireland in 2006. The mare has had just one other winner to date, Bitview Colin (Whitmore’s Conn) who, despite not winning over the smaller obstacles, was placed at Grade 2 and Grade 3 level.

Madame Stella is one of six winners from the winning Kogina (Lyfko), a half-sister to the Grande Steeplechase de Paris winner Mon Filleul (Tanerko). One of six winners from her dam, Madame Stella is one of a remarkable five blacktype winners among that half a dozen. One of her half-sisters, Kadaina (Kadalko), won a listed hurdle race at Auteuil and is the dam of Ma Filleule (Turgeon).

Winner of the Topham Chase at Aintree and a Grade 2 hurdle race, Ma Filleule was runner-up in both the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase. She sold for €220,000 to Richard Aston in 2018.

First crop sire successes

LAST week I noted the fact that the leading sprinter, Coolmore’s Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) who is now at Ashford Stud, won the race to become the first sire with their initial runners in 2021 to get off the mark. With more than 150 juveniles, he is certain to add many more as the year goes on.

Two more stallions have now joined him, Darley’s Kildangan Stud-based Profitable, and Overbury Stud’s Ardad. Profitable (Invincible Spirit) has 130 juveniles, while Ardad (Kodiac) will be well represented by more than 90 two-year-olds.

Thunder Love was bred by Mickley Stud and sold to Joanna Morgan as a foal for 13,000gns. She made a paper profit when selling for £18,000 as a yearling, officially recorded as €21,240 as the sale was the relocated Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. Robson Aguiar signed for her last year.

Thunder Love is winner number six for Nantyglo (Mark Of Esteem), a listed winner at Goodwood when trained by Michael Bell. Her five previous winners all sold as yearlings for values between 30,000 and 90,000gns, but the manner of her debut success suggests Thunder Love might be the first of Nantyglo’s offspring to gain some blacktype.

Even with the paltry prize money available in British racing, Blue Collar Lad’s win at Bath this week which was worth £2,322 was more than double what he realised as a yearling. Sold for 1,000gns by breeder Phil Cunningham in Book 4 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the colt gave his sire a great start at stud.

Ardad was a precocious sort, winning the Windsor Castle Stud at Royal Ascot before adding the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes. Blue Collar Lad was one of a pair of his yearlings last year to sell for 1,000gns. It bodes well for the better-priced lots.

Bargain of the week

THERE is no ‘rags to riches’ story like that of the ‘Shark’ Hanlon-trained Skyace, a daughter of Westerner (Danehill).

Her trainer was deservedly bullish ahead of her run at Fairyhouse in the Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final. The €60,000 winners’ purse pushed hear career earnings to more than €120,000.

She was adding to a Grade 3 success at Down Royal, victory in the Listed Voler La Vedette Mares Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, and a fine fourth at Cheltenham over a trip that is not ideal for her.

Bred by Breandan Long, she was put in training with Willie Mullins and showed plenty of ability when she was placed on all her three starts in bumpers at Ballinrobe, Galway and Tramore for Graiglore Racing. Sent to the Tattersalls Ascot Sale in November 2019, she hardly covered the cost of travelling when she was sold for an unbelievable £600 to Hanlon.

Skyace is the first of four fillies for her unraced Milan (Sadler’s Wells) dam Graigace, the second being a four-year-old full-sister. Her youngest is a yearling by Mahler (Galileo). Graigace was also bred by Breandan Long and is a daughter of Ace Ciel (Be My Native) who won a Thurles bumper on her racecourse debut. She in turn was one of three winners from Vital Touch (Le Bavard), a hunter chase winner at Downpatrick who won four point-to-points and was placed many times, including in bumpers and over hurdles.

Another winning daughter of Vital Touch was Erkindale Touch (Supreme Leader). That mare landed a Fairyhouse bumper and was runner-up in another from just three starts, while her offspring are headed by the listed chase winner A Genie In Abottle (Beneficial) who was third in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown.

Westerner is at Castlehyde Stud where his fee this year was reduced slightly to €5,000. Skyace is his latest Grade 1 winner, joining Ferny Hollow, Total Recall, Champagne West, Empire Of Dirt, Cole Harden, Gilgamboa, Western Warhorse and Captain Cutter.