ACQUIRED for €130,000 as a four-year-old through Highflyer Bloodstock at Arqana, Ma Filleule was already a prolific winner, landing a hat-trick which culminated with a victory at Auteuil.

Moved to Nicky Henderson’s yard, she went on to add five more successes to her record, and she was unlucky not to land a Grade 1 race. Her most important victory over hurdles came in the Grade 2 OLBG.com Mares’ Hurdle at Warwick, the only time that AP McCoy rode her. Over fences her biggest success came over the Grand National fences when she was a comprehensive winner of the Grade 3 Topham Chase.

She put up many fine displays in defeat too, notably when finishing runner-up to Uxizandre in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and second in the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase. When she retired to the breeding shed she had amassed winnings of more than €400,000.

A daughter of the immensely successful Group 1 Irish St Leger and Group 1 Prix Royal Oak winner Turgeon (Caro), Ma Filleule is from a hugely successful family of top-class performers over jumps, and her half-sister Katioucha (Mansonnien) is already improving the family fortunes, breeding a pair of Grade 3 winners which includes Aubusson (Ballingarry) who was third in the Grade 1 JLT Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

Ma Filleule’s grandam Kogina (Lyfko) bred six winners from six foals, four of which were blacktype winners over jumps, and she was a half-sister to the Grand Steeplechase de Paris winner Mon Filleul (Tanerko).

An outstanding prospect for any top-class broodmare band, Ma Filleule’s first foal born this year is a colt by the leading sire Martaline (Linamix) and she is ready for an early cover in 2019.

ONE of the most exciting National Hunt mares ever to come under the hammer will be Gitane Du Berlais, a Grade 1 winning daughter of Balko (Pistolet Bleu). She is very closely related to Let’s Dance (Poliglote) and that Grade 2 winner last week topped the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale at €200,000.

In addition to being a Grade 1 winner of the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase, Gitane Du Berlais has the considerable attraction of being in foal to Martaline (Linamix), one of the best jumping sires in Europe.

She was trained by Willie Mullins and won her Grade 1 by an impressive eight lengths, never looking in real danger at any time. Prior to coming to Ireland she was a minor winner in France, but for Mullins she won blacktype races in Ireland, England and France.

A half-sister to Tzigane Du Berlais (Poliglote) who last month won the Listed Velka Pardbicka, one of the toughest races in the world, Gitane Du Berlais is out of a half-sister to the listed hurdle winner Baraka Du Berlais (Bonnet Rouge), the dam of multiple graded hurdle winner and Grade 1 placed Let’s Dance. This is also the immediate family of another Willie Mullins star performer in Bel Ami De Sivola (Network).

UNE Artiste ran up a sequence of victories on the flat and over jumps in France for Emmanuel Clayeux before joining Nicky Henderson and adding eight more successes to her CV.

They included a Cheltenham Festival victory in the Grade 3 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle, and she also won at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival when she captured the Grade 3 John and Chich Fowler Memorial Mares’ Chase.

While she is the outstanding runner in her immediate family, a deeper look into her female line reveals that a number of top-class performers have emerged from other branches. They include the hugely popular Silviniaco Conti (Dom Alco) who twice won three Grade 1 races, the King George VI Chase, Betfred Bowl at Aintree and the Lancashire Chase at Haydock.

Une Artiste is the best winner sired by the Group 1 winner Alberto Giacometti (Sadler’s Wells) and the best of half a dozen winners out of her dam Castagnette III (Tin Soldier) who won six times over jumps.

Une Artiste is another outstanding prospect carrying a March foal by Martaline (Linamix).

AN opportune victory in the Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois 4YO Grand Chase at Auteuil less than three weeks before the Arqana Autumn Sale meant that Utopie Des Bordes was one of the most attractive lots in the sale.

So it proved to be and she was purchased for €255,000 and sent to join Nicky Henderson. She added a listed novice hurdle at Sandown to her list of big race triumphs, and was runner-up in the Grade 2 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

With winnings of in excess of €450,000, Utopie Des Bordes has made a substantial contribution to a family that keeps getting better and better. Her third dam Miss Recitation (Recitation) won in France and her three winners were headed by Gamine Royale (Garde Royale).

She won the Listed Prix Sagan Hurdle at Auteuil and at stud bred four winners, a pair of which won blacktype chases. One of these, Olivia Des Bordes, is a daughter of Utopie Des Bordes’ sire Antarctique (Sadler’s Wells).

Gamine Royale is also grandam of Utopie Des Bordes through her Cadoudal (Green Dancer) daughter Miss Berry.

Miss Berry has further enhanced the family as the dam of five winners to date, four of them blacktype winners over jumps and the other has been placed in graded races and could yet add to the family record. Utopie Des Bordes is a full-sister to the €500,000 earner Victoire Des Borde, winner of the Grade 2 Prix Jean Stern Chase.

Utopie Des Bordes is due to foal in March to Balko (Pistolet Bleu), the sire of Grade 1 Ryanair Chase and Galway Plate winner Balko Des Flos and Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices Chase winner Gitane Du Berlais.