ANNIE Mc, bred by Jay Kavanagh, became the seventh blacktype winner for her sire Mahler (Galileo), the Group 3 Queen’s Vase winner at Royal Ascot who was runner-up in the Group 1 St Leger and third in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup. She won a Grade 2 mares’ hurdle at Newbury and joins Glen Forsa, Chris’s Dream and Sutton Place as winners at that level for her sire.

She is the second foal and first winner for her dam Classic Mari (Classic Cliché) who showed little in three starts. However she earned her place at stud as her winning siblings included Princeful (Electric), winner of the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

This is a female line that has a good record of producing high-class National Hunt performers, and an occasional good winner on the flat.

Princeful is the best winner out of the unraced Iram (Proverb) and her eight successful siblings included the smart flat horse Old Dundalk (Derrylin) who was an even better hurdler, winning the Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown, the Grade 2 Rendlesham Hurdle at Kempton and running second in the Grade 1 Irish Champion Hurdle. He ended his career by winning five point-to-points.

The fourth remove of Annie Mc’s family gave us runners such as the then Group 2 National Stakes (now Group 1) winner Day Is Done, the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham winner Rustle (Homeboy) and the Grade 2 Troytown Chase winner Heist (Homeboy).

Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact Leo Powell at leopowell@theirishfield.ie with news and updates for the column, and to visit our website www.theirishfield.ie for daily breeding news