FEW breeders have enjoyed the levels of success that Paul and Marie McCartan have in recent years. Their Ballyphilip Stud is a byword for quality, and the latest ‘star’ performer from their Bruree, Co Limerick nursery is Fairy Godmother.

When M.V. Magnier and his team went shopping last year in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Lot 83 had obvious appeal. With no inbreeding for five generations, the filly was a daughter of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi), and out of a two-year-old winner by Siyouni (Pivotal). A great match in time for any of their sons of Galileo, she was from a solid female line, though its only Group 1 winner in four generations was the John Dunlop-trained Hello (Lycius), and he earned that honour as a two-year-old in Italy in 1996.

Prior to the sale, the filly’s pedigree had an update. Her year older half-brother Sketch (Showcasing), a 100,000gns yearling and successful on his debut at the time the catalogue was printed, managed to place in the Listed Roses Stakes at York, though he was no match for Vandeek when an outsider in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes days before the sale. Sketch is now with Conor Murphy in the USA after his 220,000gns sale last October.

The Coolmore team gave the daughter of Night Of Thunder the name Fairy Godmother, and on Sunday at Naas she made her second start a winning one when she landed the Group 3 Juvenile Sprint Stakes, turning the tables on Sparkling Sea who had beaten her comfortably on their debuts three weeks earlier at the same venue. Fairy Godmother has great scope and could well become a Group 1 filly, but first she will take in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot on the way to that ambition. The last two winners of this Naas Royal Ascot trial have won the Albany, and two years ago it was the Aidan O’Brien-trained Mediate.

How lovely it is for Paul and Marie McCartan to have a yearling half-sister to Fairy Godmother at home, this one being by Mehmas (Acclamation). It would be quite something for them if, should they decide to sell the yearling this autumn, Fairy Godmother becomes a Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner, a target Team Ballydoyle already have in mind for her.

Scintilating

Fairy Godmother and Sketch are out of Scintilating (Siyouni), and she raced just four times after her purchase for 150,000gns as a yearling. She won on her debut over six furlongs for Highclere Thoroughbreds, trained by Ralph Beckett, and was thought highly enough about to make two more juvenile starts in Group 3 company, though well held on both runs. At three she made her seasonal debut in a handicap, finished last, and was sent to the July Sale where she recouped a large part of her yearling cost, selling for 130,000gns.

Scintilating is one of five winners from Photo Flash (Bahamian Bounty), a mile winner at three who was beaten a neck and half a length when twice runner-up. Her winning offspring are headed by the Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner Prolific (Compton Place) and the US stakes winner Deal Breaker (Night Shift).

Good juvenile form is a constant in this family, and Photo Flash’s eight winning siblings include Atlantic Prince (Tagula), successful almost a quarter of a century ago in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes.

Fairy Godmother is the 43rd stakes winner for Night Of Thunder, and was the culmination of a great seven days for the stallion who stands for €100,000 at Kildangan Stud. His son Economics put himself firmly in the Derby picture with a hugely impressive win in the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York, his daughters Vespertilio and Romantic Style finished third and fourth in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas, while Sounds Like A Plan was an exciting debutant juvenile scorer at Navan.

Birdman unbeaten

Speaking of Navan, keep an eye on the unbeaten three-year-old gelding Birdman, who could well become a leading stayer in the years to come. He won the Listed Yeats Stakes at the Co Meath track, will now head to the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, and he is a runner with real potential to go on and become a Group 1 horse.

A homebred for Mrs Cristina Patino’s Anamoine Limited, Birdman is a son of Free Eagle (High Chaparral), and out of the winning mare Carol (Acclamation). She comes from the same family as a number of Mrs Patino’s great winners, most notably Snow Fairy (Intikhab). Birdman continues the fine run of success being enjoyed by Jessica Harrington, and he is a half-brother to the dual two-year-old winner Manhattanville (Tamayuz).

The latter won for Ed Dunlop, who trained six-time Group 1 winner Snow Fairy, and he also handled the racing career of Carol, a mile winner at Chepstow who was placed at up to 10 furlongs. Dunlop has the two-year-old half-brother to Birdman, and intriguingly he has been given the name Arundel (Make Believe). You would have thought that this name would only be given to a horse considered to be a real talent, so maybe he is one for the notebook.

Elusive Pimpernel

Carol’s dam, Miss Topsy Turvy (Mr Greeley), is a winning half-sister to Group 3 Acomb Stakes and Craven Stakes winner Elusive Pimpernel (Elusive Quality), and this Group 1 Racing Post Trophy runner-up is at the Irish National Stud. Other siblings are the Group 3 winner Palavicini (Giant’s Causeway), and the stakes winner and pattern-placed Prince Gagarin (Dubawi).

Free Eagle stands at Alastair Pim’s Anngrove Stud. The Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner is now responsible for six stakes winners on the flat, including the Group 1 Derby runner-up Khalifa Sat, and eight stakes-placed performers, while it is only a matter of time until he gets his first blacktype winner over jumps, with a few of them already knocking on the door.