THERE will never be another like Istabraq – or could there be?

Winner of 23 of his 29 career starts over hurdles, including a remarkable 14 Grade 1 races, the son of Sadler’s Wells is living out a long retirement at Martinstown at the age of 32.

Everything about this multiple Champion Hurdle winner is remarkable, and he will forever have a special place in the hearts of racegoers, and the McManus family.

J.P. McManus co-owns another hugely-talented young hurdler in Mystical Power, whom he shares with Sue Magnier and Susannah Ricci, and they bred this five-year-old son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) from the superstar racemare Annie Power. That daughter of Shirocco (Monsun) won three bumpers and a dozen hurdle races, and one of the many highlights of her racing career was her victory in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Annie Power raced 17 times in all, enjoyed five Grade 1 successes, and the only times she failed to win were at Cheltenham, finishing second to More Of That in the Grade 1 Ladbroke World Hurdle, and falling when she had the Grade 1 mares’ hurdle at her mercy.

Winner of his sole start in a bumper, Mystical Power added the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in January, and it was a big ask for him to go straight to the Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham, where he was second-best to Slade Steel. He was back to winning ways at Aintree in the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle, and again got the better of Firefox this week at Punchestown, with Slade Steel third, in the Grade 1 KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle.

Top-class

Mystical Power is the first foal out of Annie Power who comes from a top-class flat family, but one in which success over jumps is also common. Her dam Anno Luce (Old Vic) was a Group 3 winner in Germany, a listed winner at Newmarket, and placed in the Group 2 German Oaks. Anno Luce’s six winners also include the Grade 3 chase winner Head Waiter who posted some good performances over hurdles.

Anno Luce is grandam of this year’s Grade 3 Red Mills Trial Hurdle winner Lantry Lady (Saint Des Saints), the Grade 2 Thurles hurdle winner Giantofaman (Stowaway), and the US Grade 3 flat winner Lady Pimpernel (Sir Percy). The latter mare is the dam of one of last year’s best two-year-old fillies in England, Shuwari (New Bay).

A listed winner of two races, Shuwari was runner-up in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile to Ylang Ylang, and while she held an entry in this weekend’s 1000 Guineas, she is not a participant.

Anno Luce was herself a daughter of the outstanding German runner Anna Paola (Prince Ippi), winner of the Group 2 German Oaks and the champion two-year-old in her native country. Her six winners also numbered Atlaa (Shareef Dancer) l, a blacktype winner over hurdles and fences and runner-up in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle. Daughters of Anna Paola bred a number of good runners, and from them many more have descended.

International stars

Some of the international stars to appear under Anna Paola are the classic winner Billesdon Brook (Champs Elysees) who won the Group 1 1000 Guineas six years ago, the 2021 Group 1 Derby winner Adayar (Frankel), the Group 1 two-year-old winner National Defense (Invincible Spirit), Italian Group 1 winner Anna Monda (Monsun), and the Group 1 Australian-winning half-brothers Helmet (Exceed And Excel) and Epaulette (Commands).

What joy there was on the double for J.P. McManus on Tuesday when his six-year-old Spillane’s Tower (Walk In The Park) added to his earlier win in the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup Novice Chase at Fairyhouse. One can see this hugely talented runner developing into a Gold Cup contender.

As well as the joy of seeing Jimmy and Mary Mangan celebrate another Grade 1 win, J.P. had the added pleasure that the winner was bred by his wife Noreen. A winner over hurdles, Spillane’s Tower has now won four of his seven starts over fences, and enjoyed his first blacktype win in the Grade 3 Killiney Novice Chase at Punchestown. He was runner-up in the Grade 3 Flyingbolt Novice Chase at Navan.

Spillane’s Tower is the first winner from the unraced In The Habit (Duke Of Marmalade). She comes from a top-notch family, but one that will be unfamiliar to many, as it made its mark in Germany. In The Habit’s half-sister Cherry Danon (Rock Of Gibraltar) was a Group 3 mile winner there and ran second in the Group 2 German 1000 Guineas. At stud Cherry Danon is already dam of four stakes winners, the most recent being Calif (Areion), a Group 2 winner who sold for €400,000 at the Arqana Arc Sale last year.

West Germany

Spillane’s Tower’s third dam Shona (Windwurf) was a listed winner in West Germany in the late eighties, and bred eight winners, one of whom was successful at stakes level. A count of all the blacktype winners, both on the level and over jumps, that descend from Shona stands currently at 24, among them the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Sirius (Dashing Blade).

What a finish we witnessed to the Grade 1 William Hill Champion Chase, snatched on the line by Banbridge (Doyen). This was a deserved second Grade 1 success for the eight-year-old, and follows his win last year at Aintree in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase. Incredibly, Banbridge failed to win in three outings in point-to-points, but in 17 starts since he has won a bumper, four hurdle races and five chases.

Doyen, the champion older horse in Europe in 2004, retired in 2022 from breeding after 17 years at stud. Following three years at Dalham Hall in Newmarket and three years in Germany, he joined the stallion ranks at Michael and Sheelagh Hickey’s Sunnyhill Stud in 2012. His flat crops yielded 18 stakes winners, the Group 1 Preis der Diana-German Oaks winner Turfdonna being his best.

Doyen

Winner of the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, Doyen has gone on to prove equally adept as a National Hunt sire. Battleoverdoyen was his first Grade 1 winner over jumps, and he achieved this feat over hurdles and fences. Beacon Edge joined him when he won the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse, and Banbridge became a member of that exclusive club last year.

Beacon Edge and Banbridge are both out of daughters of Presenting (Mtoto). Doyen has added a further Grade 1 winner in Captain Teague.

Bred by Dan and Danielle McSorley, Banbridge was sold as a yearling for €36,000 to Ian Ferguson at Tattersalls Ireland. He is the first winner for his dam who failed to show anything in a few starts as a seven-year-old in point-to-points. She was deserving of a chance at stud nonetheless, as her four winning siblings included the Midlands Grand National runner-up Major Malarkey (Supreme Leader).

The third dam of Banbridge is the two-time winning point-to-pointer Pineway VII (General Ironside), and she bred the multiple Grade 2 winning hurdler and chaser Valley Henry (Step Together). He won five times at that level, four times over fences and once over hurdles.