BASIL Brindley died just over a year ago. One of the best known and loved members of the racing and hunting fraternity, he was also a successful breeder and he is brought to mind following the recent victory of Ballyadam at Downpatrick.

This five-year-old son of the deceased Fame And Glory (Montjeu) was not bred by Basil, but rather by Pat Connell. Winner on his only outing in a point-to-point, he was sold to Gordon Elliott for £330,000 last November at Cheltenham and now races in the increasingly prominent colours in National Hunt racing of Cheveley Park Stud. This was his second start for them and his rider Jamie Codd was fulsome in his praise for the winner.

Ballyadam is the second winner for his unraced dam Grass Tips (Bob Back) and he was preceded by Legal Eyes (Court Cave), winner of two of his four chases for Ben Pauling and sure to win more in the future. Grass Tips has been an irregular breeder, and her fourth and most recent offspring is a four-year-old daughter of Sageburg (Johannesburg). Last year she was covered by Valirann (Nayef).

Crossing Fame And Glory with this family has already produced results. Grass Tips’ unraced half-sister Night Heron (St Jovite) is the dam of Glory And Fortune (Fame And Glory), one of three blacktype winners to date for his sire. That came about when he won a mile and six-furlong listed bumper at Cheltenham on his racecourse debut last year. He followed up with a success over hurdles.

Grass Tips and Night Heron are daughters of Andrea Cova (Strong Gale). She was trained for Basil Brindley by Noel Meade and won five times, twice in bumpers, once over hurdles and twice over fences. Apart from one chase success at Thurles, she won all her other races at Downpatrick. She bred a racecourse and a point-to-point winner, the former being Flemenson (Flemensfirth). He sold to Jonjo O’Neill for £190,000 in 2013 after winning his point-to-point. Twice a winner for O’Neill over hurdles and twice runner-up, he was not seen again after falling on just his seventh start out of Jackdaws Castle when only a five-year-old.

Andrea Cova is one of four winners from Blue Suede Shoes (Bargello), a bumper and hurdle winner who was a goldmine at stud when it came to breeding winners. Indeed, Andrea Cova is her only winner not to win a blacktype race. The others, Commercial Artist (Furry Glen), Mass Appeal (Furry Glen), and Andrea Cova’s full-brother Macallister (Strong Gale), all were useful.

Commercial Artist won the then Grade 2 Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown (by 13 lengths from Nuaffe with the only other finisher, Flashing Steel walking from the final fence to cross the line) and two editions of the Grade 2 P Z Mower Chase at Thurles, and he was second to Soft Day in the Grade 1 Dennys Gold Medal Novice Chase at Leopardstown.

Mass Appeal won a Grade 2 novice chase at Leopardstown, a Grade 3 and a listed hurdle at Naas, and like her own-brother was also runner-up in the Grade 1 Dennys Gold Medal Novice Chase at Leopardstown. Meanwhile, the best of Macallister’s four wins came in a Grade 3 hurdle race at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival meeting.

The 14-time winner Fame And Glory was runner-up in the Group 1 Derby at Epsom before going one better in the Irish equivalent. Kept in training, he added the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and Coronation Cup at four and crowned his career with success in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup at five. His first crop, now six-year-olds, includes the Grade 1-winning hurdler Commander Of Fleet, while blacktype bumper winners Glory And Fortune and Uhtred are from his second crop.