MINELLA Drama cemented his love affair with Aintree when he recorded the biggest win of his career in the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase, a race in which he was second last year. An eighth career success, and first at Aintree, the nine-year-old son of Flemensfirth (Alleged) has also been second in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle and third in the Grade 1 Melling Chase there.

The gelding’s trainer Donald McCain has a long and intimate family association with the Liverpool course, while winning jockey Brian Hughes was landing the Old Roan Chase for a third time. McCain, a Grand National winner with Ballabriggs in 2011, gave much of the credit to Hughes for his role in the development of Minella Drama, who also won a Grade 2 at Haydock as a novice chaser, and a listed hurdle race.

Bred by Robert McCarthy at The Beeches Stud, home throughout his career for the gelding’s sire, Minella Drama was sold as a three-year-old at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for €28,000, and resold by John Nallen, after placing twice in point-to-points, for £60,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale two years later. He has since earned some £250,000.

A full-brother to bumper and hurdle winner Ballycashin (Flemensfirth), Minella Drama has a three-year-old half-sister Dolly Drama (Mahler) in training with Donald McCain, and a cleverly-named four-year-old half-brother, unraced to date, Springs Steen (Wings Of Eagles). They are all out of Midsummer Drama (King’s Theatre), and what good value she was when Bobby McCarthy spent €5,000 on her, having won a point-to-point and been placed in bumpers.

What A Question

A half-sister to a couple of winners, Midsummer Drama is out of a winning hurdler, What An Answer (Executive Perk), and she was a half-sister to What A Question (The Parson), and to the dams of Grade 2 winners Medical Card (Flemensfirth) and The Real Article (Definite Article).

What A Question was a smart staying hurdler in the nineties, and were he running today he would be a Grade 1 winner. His Grade 2 wins included the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown, the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury and the Boyne Hurdle at Navan, and he was placed in Grade 1 races at Cheltenham, Aintree, Punchestown and Ascot.

Minella Drama is one of 108 blacktype winners sired by the French and Italian Group 1 winner Flemensfirth, and one of four who are out of mares by King’s Theatre (Sadler’s Wells). Mind you, there are plenty more out of mares by sons of Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer), one of the most exciting of these being Ballyburn who is out of a mare by Old Vic (Sadler’s Wells).

Taking a horse to the sales and coming home with it is a disappointing experience, but sometimes it is for the best. Fiona McStay took a filly foal by King’s Theatre (Sadler’s Wells) to the Tattersalls November Sale in 2008, and reloaded her for a trip home after she was unsold at €21,000.

Seven years later she had the same filly in foal for the first time, but not until after a great career on the track. Glens Melody, as she was later named, was put in training with Willie Mullins and she went on to win three bumpers and nine hurdle races. She won the Grade 1 Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association EBF Mares Hurdle at Punchestown, and, on what was her swansong, she was perhaps a lucky winner of a second Grade 1, the David Nicholson Hurdle at Cheltenham, as Annie Power departed at the last.

Nevertheless, Glens Melody was high-class, and very consistent, and a number of her offspring since she went to stud have made more of an impression in the sale ring than on the racecourse to date. She was also unfortunate that her second produce, a son of Walk In The Park (Montjeu) sold for £72,000 as a foal but was never named.

Her first three named offspring have run and won, two on the racecourse and another in a point-to-point. Shantou’s Melody (Shantou) was a €72,000 store purchase and won a bumper, while Glens Sensation (Mount Nelson), an €82,000 foal, won a point-to-point last year. Now, the first filly out of Glens Melody, Glens Lullaby, another by Mount Nelson (Rock Of Gibraltar), has won a bumper for Fiona McStay.

Glens Music

Glens Melody has had three offspring since Glens Lullaby, a three-year-old Harzand (Sea The Stars) filly, a two-year-old daughter of Poet’s Word (Poet’s Voice) who sold as a foal to Gerry Hogan for €78,000, and a colt foal this year by Affinisea (Sea The Stars). Glens Music was the best of six winners from the smart Grade 2 chase winner Glens Music (Orchestra). Those winners also included Grade 2 hurdle winner Lean Araig (Old Vic), and the listed bumper and hurdle winner Ceol Rua (Bob Back).

Five of the six winners out of Glens Music earned blacktype, while two of her daughters bred blacktype winners. Ceol Rua is the dam of Ashdale Bob (Shantou), his five wins included two Grade 2 hurdle victories, he was also runner-up three times in Grade 1 hurdles. Cottage Theatre (King’s Theatre), an unraced full-sister to Glens Melody, bred Minella Melody (Flemensfirth), and this Grade 3 winner finished second in Punchestown’s Grade 1 Annie Power Mares Champion Hurdle.