WILLIE Mullins stands on the verge of winning both the British and Irish National Hunt trainers’ championships, and should this transpire, he will have many equines and humans to thank.

Victory for I Am Maximus in the Randox Grand National was a key factor in putting him in with a chance of landing the British crown, but he will also have been significantly helped by the efforts of the six-year-old Macdermott and Danny Mullins, who battled hard to win the Grade 3 Scottish Grand National, one of four winners the Closutton trainer had at Ayr.

Bred in France by Pierre Julienne, Macdermott is one of just five foals out of the winning Alberto Giacometti (Sadler’s Wells) mare Venerie. Both her wins were over jumps, and she is also responsible for one placed runner, her first foal. Her five-year-old son Lathan (Doctor Dino) changed stables in recent months, moving from Dan Skelton to Rebecca Menzies, but is yet to race.

Now in Ireland is Venerie’s three-year-old daughter Sans Maniere (Nirvana Du Berlais), while her yearling filly La Genevraie (Nirvana Du Berlais) was the first of her offspring to be sold at public auction, realising €20,000 last autumn at Arqana to Capucines Bloodstock. She looks even better value now.

Venerie is one of four racecourse winners from the unraced Peggy Pierji (Cadoudal), and the best of these was another mare, Ambroise (Epalo). Three of her four hurdle wins were in graded contests, with victory in the Grade 2 Prix Amadou Hurdle at Auteuil the highlight. Peggy Pierji is likely to build on her tally of winners as she has a number of youngsters still to race, all by leading sires in France.

Full-sister

Peggy Pierji is a full-sister to Princesse Pierji (Cadoudal) who was runner-up in a listed hurdle race and bred a smart racemare. Their half-sister Vole Au Vent (Sleeping Car) won over jumps in France but she failed to transfer that form to Ireland, though managing a few places. One of these was when third of four finishers in a Grade 3 chase at Cork, but she was some 33 lengths adrift of the winner, Vroum Vroum Mag.

If Macdermott’s female family is smart, though not top-class, his sire Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) has been a sire sensation in France. I am not sure if he would be classed as Willie Mullins’ favourite sire, but he must be odds-on to hold that position. After the Grade 1 Hennessy Gold Cup winner Quel Esprit emerged in the stallion’s first crop, Mullins has also handled such standouts as Djakadam, Irish Grand National winner Burrows Saint, Gentleman Du Mee and Gaillard Du Mesnil.

One race that Mullins didn’t win on the card at Ayr was the Grade 2 Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle. Bialystok was denied half a length by the Ballymorisheen Stables-bred six-year-old Favour And Fortune, a son of Soldier Of Fortune (Galileo). Now winner of five of his nine starts, twice in bumpers, Favour And Fortune could well improve next season to become a Grade 1 winner, having already shown good form at that level when runner-up in December in the Tolworth Hurdle, run at Aintree.

Loved him

“He’s a beautiful-actioned horse,” Alan King said after the race. “I’ve always loved him and he’s certainly the best of my novices. I’d like to stay over hurdles with him, he’s not had a lot of racing.”

Favour And Fortune carries the colours of Hemmings Racing. Sold as a foal through Ballincurrig House Stud at Tattersalls Ireland for €25,000 to Weir View Stud, the gelding turned a decent profit when purchased by Highflyer Bloodstock for €58,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale three years ago.

Favour And Fortune becomes the second Grade 2 winner produced from the unraced Flemensfirth (Alleged) mare Fleur Rose. The first was Dreal Deal (Arvico), a surprise winner of the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, and this month winner of his first chase at Down Royal. This is a solid National Hunt female line, though Fleur Rose has brought it back to prominence after it skipped a generation.

Fleur Rose is a full-sister to Ballyrath (Flemensfirth), a dual chase winner six years apart, and successful five times in point-to-points, most recently last year at the age of 13. He was the only one of seven offspring of the unraced Rose Wee (Roselier) to win, and all bar Fleur Rose raced.

Smart type

After that you have a pedigree full of blacktype. Rose Wee’s half-brother Buachaill Alainn (Oscar) looked a smart type when he was third to At Fisher’s Cross in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, and while he won six chases, that proved to be his only blacktype. Two of his siblings did win blacktype races, while two more are smart broodmares. They are all out of Bottle A Knock (Le Moss), and that mare’s only glimmer of form in eight outings came when she won a chase at Downpatrick on her final start.

Bottle A Knock’s daughter Knock Down (Oscar) won a Grade 3 chase at Auteuil and her son Murchu (Oscar) won the Grade 3 Porterstown Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse.

A Flemensfirth daughter of Knock Down, the bumper and hurdle winner Carries Darling, is the dam of What’s Up Darling (Shirocco). Sold for 280,000gns after he won his point-to-point, last year What’s Up Darling won a bumper and a Grade 3 hurdle race, and looks a fine chase prospect next season.

Bottle A Knock is a daughter of the useful Goolagong (Bargello) who won seven races over hurdles and fences over half a century ago, her biggest success coming in the Wetherby Pattern Novices’ Chase. She is an own-sister to Lord Browndodd (Bargello).

Malaita

What a smart broodmare Malaita (Malinas) will make, now that her fifth career win has been gained in a Grade 2 mares’ chase at Cheltenham. Bred by David Futter and Will Kinsey, Malaita’s first sale ring appearance was in the Goffs Land Rover Sale when she was sold by Hugh Bleahen’s Clifton Farm for €36,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock.

Having won her bumper and been placed over hurdles, Malaita reappeared at the Goffs UK January Sale last year, and was again knocked down to Highflyer, this time for a reduced value of £10,000. Soon afterwards she won over hurdles, the first of two victories, and has now added a pair of chases. She has been very consistent and earned more than £80,000.

In addition to being a Grade 2 winner, Malaita has a strong female line. Her three winning siblings include The Saint James (Saint Des Saints). A winner and Grade 2-placed in France, he sold for €320,000 but was largely disappointing in England, despite running second in a Grade 3 hurdle at Aintree and being placed in the Grade 3 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham.

There is no shortage of blacktype jump winners in this family, but perhaps the most interesting is a horse who did not win a Grade 1, rather he was successful in a Grade 2 hurdle race and a Grade 3 chase in France. Balko (Pistolet Bleu) is the sire of many smart runners, and they include a quintet of 150-plus rated runners in Balko Des Flos, Vision Des Flos, Fago, Gitane Du Berlais and Le Patron.