ROBERT Norton bred this year’s Royal Ascot winner Dandalla, but his mother Clody, formerly Hall-Dare, played a pivotal part in the development of the family that yielded another winner at the meeting.

Battlegound, a son of War Front (Danzig) and the exceptional racemare Found (Galileo), descends from Martinova (Martinmas), a very smart racemare and successful broodmare for Mrs Norton at her Newtownbarry House Stud in Co Wexford.

Martinova won the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes at two when trained by Con Collins, with whom Clody Hall-Dare had a long and fruitful association. At three Martinova progressed and added the Group 3 Athasi Stakes, before running third in the Group 1 Goffs Irish 1000 Guineas to Arctique Royale. At stud, Martinova had eight winning offspring, Export Price (Habitat) winning the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis, while Ninepins (Niniski) graduated from Arthur Moore’s academy to become a major winner over jumps in the USA.

One of Martinova’s daughters was Malafemmena (Nordico) and her sole success was gained in the Listed Premio Vittorio Crespi for two-year-olds at Milan, though she was also group-placed at the same age in France. She had just two winners, but one of them was Red Evie (Intikhab), winner of the Group 1 Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes and the Group 1 Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes. She also finished runner-up in the Matron Stakes.

As we see on such a regular basis, when a mare ‘clicks’ with Galileo it can be hugely rewarding. Red Evie has certainly done so and all of her six winners are by the super-sire. Group 3 winners Magical Dream and Best In The World are two of that group, but the undoubted star is Found, the mare who famously led home a Ballydoyle 1-2-3 in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly. Only Highland Reel among the offspring of Galileo have won more money than Found.

Foaled in 2012, Found won six of her 21 starts, but they included the Arc, the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two, and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland. Incredibly she never won a Group 1 in Ireland or Britain, finishing second at that level 10 times between both countries. Nonetheless, she is among the greats and now she is a stakes-producer as her first foal, Battleground (War Front) won the seven-furlong Listed Chesham Stakes at the second time of asking.

War Front needs no introduction and the Coolmore team has plenty of reasons to be one of his biggest supporters. They have been involved with many of his best runners, including Lancaster Bomber, U S Navy Flag, Brave Anna, Air Force Blue, Hit It A Bomb, Declaration Of War and War Command.