BARRONSTOWN Stud’s David and Diane Nagle missed watching the Group 3 Bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown Park on Friday thanks to a delayed flight, but they had every reason to be cheerful with the outcome. The King Power Racing-owned Bangkok notched up his second success, beating Technician (Mastercraftsman) in the process.

Both three-year-old colts were bred at the Grangecon-based nursery which the couple has developed over four decades into one of the world’s finest stud farms. Barronstown Stud was established in 1980 by the Nagles, each bringing a mix of experience and pedigree to the equation.

The farm is set on 500 acres on the border of Wicklow and Kildare and has yielded the winners of 34 Group 1 races in nine countries and across three continents. Generous initiated the Barronstown roll of honour of champions, becoming a dual Derby winner, and the stud can boost of producing, on average, a Group 1 or classic winner for each crop of racing age it has produced.

In addition to being breeders of renown, they have also enjoyed great success as owners, and Diane’s name has been associated with many high-profile victories. None has been more famous than the immortal Yeats, celebrated with a bronze in the paddock at Ascot following his feat of winning four consecutive Ascot Gold Cups. He was bred in partnership by the Nagle and Magnier families and raced for Sue Magnier and Diane.

In a previous life David was a pioneer in the world of thoroughbred auctioneering, and during his travels around the globe was instrumental in attracting auctioneers from abroad to come and sell in Ireland. Last year was another memorable one with the stud breeding two classic winners on the one weekend, Kew Gardens and Flag Of Honour. These many achievements earned David and Diane a place in the ITBA Hall of Fame in January.

Bangkok is from the first crop of the dual Derby winner Australia, a colt who has claims to being among the best-bred stallions in the world. He is a son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) and out of the dual champion and seven-time Group/Grade 1 winner Ouija Board (Cape Cross). Winner of five of his eight starts, including the Group 1 Juddmonte International, his only defeats came in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes (to The Grey Gatsby), the Group 1 2000 Guineas (to Night Of Thunder), and on his debut in a maiden at the Curragh sponsored by Barronstown Stud!

Last week’s victory for Bangkok brought to three the number of group winners from the initial crop of Australia, who last year sired three Group 1-placed juveniles. Post-race comments from Andrew Balding indicate that the Derby at Epsom will be next for his potential stable star who cost a cool 500,000gns as a yearling when acquired by SackvilleDonald.

The Nagles have been well rewarded for their investment of €250,000 at the Goffs November Sale in 2014 in the Darshaan (Shirley Heights) mare Tanaghum, part of an annual cull of mares from Shadwell. A winner and listed-placed for Sheikh Hamdan, Tanaghum had bred five winners at the time of her sale in Kill, but that number has risen to nine with the emergence of Bangkok.

When Tanaghum was sold she had bred a single stakes winner in Group 3 scorer Tactic (Sadler’s Wells) and a listed-placed daughter in Zahoo (Nayef). That picture is very different now and Tactic has been joined as a blacktype winner by Bangkok and the listed French winner and Group 2-placed Yaazy (Teofilo).

Zahoo has also gone on to breed the Group 3 winner Convergence (Cape Cross), while her unplaced sibling Mujarah (Marju) has eclipsed all of the above and she is the dam of the dual champion and multiple Group 1 winner Ribchester (Iffraaj).

Bangkok could well be the colt to give Barronstown Stud their next Group 1 winner, but keep an eye on Technician who had no luck in running, and was very green, when he stayed on to take second place at Sandown.