AFTER William Munny repaid Barry Connell’s patience by winning a Navan bumper on his belated debut at the age of six in January, I highlighted him in this column.

That day he won by a whisker, but there was no doubting his total superiority last weekend at Naas, where he was five lengths clear of the rest.

William Munny is also the main character in the 1992 western movie, Unforgiven, and his part was played by Clint Eastwood. The equine William Munny is no villain, and he will not be heading to Cheltenham either, Connell choosing to keep him for Punchestown. A man who doesn’t pull his punches, Connell claims that William Munny is quite simply the best bumper horse in Ireland.

Bred by Denis and Teresa Bergin at their Kilbragh Stud in Fethard, Co Tipperary, William Munny was sold as a foal through Railstown Stud for €14,000, and for €45,000 as a three-year-old, both times at Goffs. On the latter occasion he was signed for by bloodstock agent Gerry Hogan who had previously bought the gelding’s dam, Court My Eye (Elmaamul), as a store. Indeed, Hogan knows the family well as he also purchased Court My Eye’s only other winner, Okavango Delta (Ocovango), twice, as a foal and a store.

Court My Eye had five offspring, William Munny being her last, and her only daughter was never named. Three of the four geldings raced, two winning and the other was placed over fences. Court My Eye herself showed nothing in two bumper starts, but she was certain to find a place in the breeding shed, her five winning half-brothers being headed by the dual Grade 2-winning chaser Mister McGoldrick (Sabrehill).

Sue Smith

He was trained by Sue Smith, after he won on the flat for James Given, and won five of his 29 starts over hurdles, and nine of his 55 runs over fences. Indeed, Mister McGoldrick won his final chase at the age of 13. He was placed behind Newmill in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham and behind Well Chief in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree.

A more recent horse with decent form in the immediate family is Tightenourbelts (Mahler). The seven-year-old gained his first piece of blacktype in December when running third behind Hermes Allen in a Grade 2 novices’ chase at Newbury. He is one of a number of winners out of Court My Eye’s unraced half-sister Miss McGoldrick (Kasakov).

This is a branch of a family that has become better known for its National Hunt performers, while the other wings of it, descending from William Bunny’s third dam Quiet Harbour (Mill Reef), have been very successful on the flat. Quiet Harbour bred eight winners, two stakes winners, and one of these was successful at Maison-Laffitte in France, Cutting Reef (Kris).

Special mention

A special mention for Cutting Reef as her list of successful offspring include the Grade 2 Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle winner Sure Reef (Choisir). Another of Quiet Harbour’s daughters, Guest Harbour (Be My Guest), was group-placed in Italy where she bred the Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano winner Benvenue (Iffraaj).

However, in many ways, pride of place among the fillies out of Quiet Harbour must go to Travel Magic (Henbit). That mare won, bred some winners, but her unraced daughter Umlani (Great Commotion) is the dam of Peniaphobia (Dandy Man) and grandam of No Speak Alexander (Shalaa).

A star in Hong Kong, Peniaphobia earned €4.86 million with a dozen victories, notably landing the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint. No Speak Alexander was a more recent Group 1 winner, success coming in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in 2021, and she was classic-placed in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas.

Good week for Old Road’s Arctic Cosmos

THE Old Road Stud’s Arctic Cosmos produced the best performance of his career in 2010 when he won the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster, and it was quite a special renewal of the great classic. Three lengths and more in arrears were such international Group 1 stars as Snow Fairy, Joshua Tree and Rewilding.

Trained by John Gosden, Arctic Cosmos is from the first crop of the Group 1 Derby winner North Light (Danehill), and after his racing career ended the bay retired to James Hannon’s farm in Tallow, Co Waterford where he has remained. Arctic Cosmos sired a standout winner from his own first crop, the Grade 3 Imperial Call Chase winning mare Waitnsee.

Better by far was to come when another daughter of Arctic Cosmos, Apple Away, appeared a few crops later. This winning graduate of the point-to-point circuit gained the best of her four hurdle wins last season at Aintree, collecting the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. Now a winner and graded-placed over fences, she is one to watch if she runs in the mares’ chase at Cheltenham.

It may not be too long before Arctic Cosmos adds to his tally of blacktype winners, and one to watch for into the future is the five-year-old Derryhassen Paddy. Bred and raced in a point-to-point by Patrick Sweeney, Derryhassen Paddy won his only start between the flags at Tattersalls Farm in December. Now with Lucinda Russell, the gelding was impressive on his bumper debut at Ayr, and this is a chaser in the making.

Upgraded

Arctic Cosmos has certainly upgraded the family of Derryhassen Paddy, as he is just the second racecourse winner in three generations. The other was his grandam Winter’s Folly (Leading Counsel), and she won a bumper in 2002.

Another five-year-old son of Arctic Cosmos to keep an eye on is Thistle Be The One. Sold as a foal for €18,000 and as a store for £28,000, he was a well-beaten third on the second of two starts in point-to-points in England. Sold to trainer Keiran Burke at last year’s Tattersalls Ascot June Sale, he made a surprise winning racecourse debut at the weekend in a Kempton bumper, a race won in the past by some useful sorts.

In contrast to the sparse pedigree of Derryhassen Paddy, Thistle Be The One is now a fifth racecourse winner, along with a couple of point-to-point winners, out of the mare Which Thistle (Saddlers’ Hall). She never ran, but her offspring include Irish Thistle (Luso) and Why Not Thistle (Flemensfirth), both of whom earned blacktype when placing in graded races over fences and hurdles respectively.

Scottish Maid

The grandam of Which Thistle was Scottish Maid (Giolla Mear), a bumper, hurdle and chase winner who gained a big race win in the Drogheda Chase at Punchestown. She was one of four blacktype winners out of Roman Thistle (Albus Superbus), and that mare was born in 1959. Roman Thistle won twice and her quarter of blacktype winners also included the Thyestes Chase-winning mare Tarthistle (Tarqogan), Roman Bar (Bargello) and Romanogan (Tarqogan).

Not only was Tarthistle a smart racemare, but six blacktype winners can trace back to her. They include the Grade 3 Cheltenham Festival chase winner Croco Bay (Croco Rouge), the Grade 3 Midlands Grand National winner Major Dundee (Scorpion), Grade 2-winning hurdlers Restless Harry (Sir Harry Lewis) and Lite Duties (Mountain High), and the Grade 3 chase winner A Decent Excuse (Fruits Of Love).

Arctic Cosmos has had too few opportunities at stud, and is a stallion who is making the most of any of the chances he is given.