LAST Saturday night. Michael Kinane gained another award to put in an already bulging trophy cabinet, that of Lifetime Achievement from the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.

While most of his trophies, almost all indeed, were gained for his exploits in the saddle, this was in recognition primarily for his successes as a breeder from a small band of mares, as well as buying the world’s all-time money winner Romantic Warrior as a yearling, and his many big-race wins as a rider.

If you get a chance to watch the evening’s proceedings on the itba.ie website, you might agree that his next award will be for comedy!

I hope that Kinane will take time out to travel to Capital Stud in Co Kilkenny soon to meet up with Authorized (Montjeu) again. This month sees the Group 1 Derby winner embark on his second season there, Ger O’Neill having repatriated him after just two years standing in Turkey. Last year he covered some 140 mares, and the mare owners list contains just about every National Hunt breeder of note in Ireland.

One of Authorized’s burgeoning stars is the French-bred five-year-old Anzadam, bred by Richard Corveller. After Naas on Sunday, he is now a four-time undefeated winner, and it is clear that his owners, and trainer Willie Mullins, have a bright prospect on their hands. Whether he goes to Cheltenham or waits for Aintree was uncertain after the race.

Twice a winner for Arnaud Chaille-Chaille in late 2023, Anzadam only made his Irish debut for Marie and Joe Donnelly at the end of November in Fairyhouse, taking the honours in the Grade 3 WillowWarm Hurdle with consummate ease. Now he done likewise for the second time in Ireland, enjoying a stroll to victory in the Grade 3 Limestone Lad Hurdle at Naas.

Anzadam is a half-brother to one other winner, Astadame (Poliglote), a Grade 3 chase winner at Auteuil. While she gained the best of her four victories over fences, Astadame was runner-up four times at Grade 3 and listed level, always over hurdles in France. She is now at stud and her first produce is a yearling colt, already named Volendam (Doctor Dino).

10-time winner

The dam of Anzadam and Astadame is Astaradame (Astarabad), and she won three races over jumps in France, but this achievement pales by comparison with the next dam, Summer (Lomitas), as she was a 10-time winner over jumps and placed on nine occasions, all from 23 starts. Few of these runs were at the main tracks, but her soundness and consistency were admirable.

As we have become aware, it is not uncommon in French pedigrees that breeders have enjoyed racing their fillies and mares for many decades.

Anzadam’s first four dams are all winners, a mix of on the flat and over jumps, and all went on to breed winners. Summer had five successful progeny, and all bar one were successful on multiple occasions. Her most prolific son was Summary (Ballingarry), a seven-time winner who was second in the Listed Grand Steeplechase de Lyon.

There are a number of familiar names under the third and fourth dams of Willie Mullins’ emerging star. His third dam Move Again (Noir Et Oir) won five times in France, twice over jumps, and is the dam of two blacktype winners among her five successful offspring. The best of these is Cap Soleil (Kapgarde). Peter Molony spent £75,000 to buy her two years ago, and she won two listed bumpers and a listed hurdle race in England. Placed second to Laurina in the Grade 2 Dawn Rune Mares Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham, Cap Soleil’s first offspring was sold for €150,000 last year by Tom Howley and Caoimhe Doherty to Mags O’Toole, That gelding has just turned four.

Romeo Coolio

Cap Soleil herself, and the family in general, has had a few boosts boost since the Rathmore Stud man purchased the mare. Already a half-sister to Prince Picard (Sleeping Car) who gained both his wins over hurdles in listed races at Auteuil, Cap Soleil is a full-sister Miss Bailly (Kapgarde). That three-time jumps winner in France is the dam of Romeo Coolio (Kayf Tara), and he was second last year in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. Now gone hurdling, he won the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas, He skips this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival but remains one of the favourites for the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham next month.

Under the fourth dam in this family are a few more runners who will be familiar to readers. Flying Machine (Lightening) won twice and only bred a pair of winners. They were Cap Soleil’s dam and Boxing Day (Deep Roots). The latter was a solid Group 3 performer in France and his four wins were headlined by victory in the Prix de la Jonchere at Saint-Cloud.

Flying Machine’s unraced daughter Move Along (Northern Crystal) bred Blood Cotil (Enrique), and he was a Grade 1 novice chase winner at the Punchestown Festival a few years back, and won at Grade 2 level as a juvenile hurdler. He also was second at the Punchestown Festival in the Grade 1 Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle.

Much more recently, Move Along’s own-sister Young Blood (Northern Quest), is grandam of Blood Destiny (No Risk At All). He is a Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed in novice chases, and last time out a few weeks ago at Thurles he was placed in the Grade 2 Kinloch Brae Chase.

Authorized

The Group 1-winning juvenile Authorized, successful as a maiden in the Racing Post Trophy when the race was run at Newbury, went on to win the Group 1 Derby from Eagle Mountain and the Group 1 Juddmonte International, beating Dylan Thomas and Notnowcato. He has been as much at home siring Group 1 winners on the flat as he is with his jumpers, and his son Santiago, the Group 1 Irish Derby and Royal Ascot winner stands under the Coolmore National Hunt banner at Castlehyde Stud.

Authorized is responsible for half a dozen Group 1 winners on the flat, the others include Hartnell, Seal Of Approval and Ambivalent, while he has matched that tally with the number of Grade 1 winners he has sired over jumps. While most famous for siring the dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll (winner of the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle), Authorized’s winners at the top level over jumps also feature I Am Maximus, Nichols Canyon, Echoes In Rain and Readin Tommy Wrong.

Between his runners on the flat and over jumps, at home and abroad, Authorized has sired 71 horses that have won blacktype races (Anzadam being among the 34 who have done so over jumps), and a total of 135 who have earned some level of blacktype.