IRISH breeding’s fifth Grade 1 win of the week was achieved when Flooring Porter made it two wins in succession in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, much to the delight of his west of Ireland breeder Sean Murphy.

All of Murphy’s pre-race nerves vanished as Danny Mullins guided the Gavin Cromwell-trained seven-year-old to his third Grade 1 success.

It has taken more than six decades, and many generations, for this first significant winner to appear in the family, not since Turkish Spice (Turkhan) won the Irish Cambridgeshire in 1954.

Turkish Spice is the fourth dam of Lillymile, a Sean Murphy homebred, and that winning point-to-pointer won a couple of hurdle races when trained by Pauline Gavin.

Lillymile is the dam of Flooring Porter, the son of Yeats (Sadler’s Wells) adding a second Stayers’ Hurdle to a win in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. This was his seventh win in 19 starts, all over hurdles. Sean is the chairman of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s western region.

The four-time Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats stands at Castlehyde Stud and last year he had four winners at the Cheltenham Festival, one of which was Chantry House who won the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase.

Four-in-a row for Parkhill

THANKS to the victory of Bob Olinger (Sholokhov) in the four-runner Golden Miller Novices’ Chase, Ken Parkhill has now bred a Grade 1 winner at each of the last four Cheltenham Festivals. Last year the seven-year-old won the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, adding to a previous success in the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle.

Bob Olinger has now won eight of his nine starts, including a point-to-point for Pat Doyle, suffering his only defeat on his hurdling debut behind Ferny Hollow. He is from a family that Ken’s family has a long and distinguished connection with.

His dam Zenaide (Zaffaran) was bred by Ken and 16 years ago, trained by his wife Lulu and ridden by their son Peter, she won a bumper at Cork on her first start and was beaten a short-head on her only other run. She is an even better broodmare, being the dam of six winners on the track and another who won a point-to-point.

Bob Olinger is a half-brother to three-time bumper winner and listed-placed at Cheltenham, Darling Carlotta (Kayf Tara), and the listed novice hurdle winner Myska (Presenting). Rathbarry Stud’s Sholokhov is also responsible for Shishkin and Don Cossack, and on the flat he sired the dual Group 1 winner Night Magic.

Rathbarry’s quick race to a double

FORTY minutes after Bob Olinger gave Rathbarry Stud’s National Hunt division Glenview Stud a Grade 1 winner for their stallion Sholokhov, the eight-year-old Third Wind gave another of their sires, Shirocco (Monsun), a Cheltenham Festival winner.

Bred by Mrs Mouse Hamilton-Fairley, and racing in her husband’s colours, Third Wind was recording his third success in graded company over hurdles, his five other victories including wins in the Grade 2 Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock and a Grade 3 at Sandown.

A top-class international performer, Shirocco progressed from winning the Group 1 German Derby through to landing the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf and the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. He is the sire of three Grade 1 winning jumpers, most notably Annie Power and Lac Fontana. His son Minella Rocco was runner-up in the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Third Win is the sole winner from Act Three, a daughter of Beat Hollow (Sadler’s Wells). His grandam Rada’s Daughter (Robellino) won five times and was group-placed.

French success continues apace

A GOOD week for French-breds was enhanced when Allaho added to a great week also for owners Cheveley Park Stud, trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend.

Sarthe is a region in north-west France which is best known for the 24-hour Le Mans car race. It is also home to Eric Leffray who bred the dual Grade 1 Ryanair Chase winner Allaho. The eight-year-old also won the Grade 1 Punchestown Chase and, in 16 starts, he has won seven and been placed on another seven occasions.

Allaho is a son of No Risk At All (My Risk), also sire of the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle winner Epatante and Grade 1 winning novice chaser Esprit Du Large, and is one of the best of the 21 blacktype winners for the Group 3 winning sire who is standing this year at Haras de Montaigu for €12,000.

Allaho is one of three winners from his unraced dam Idaho Falls (Turgeon), and the others include Shanning (Spanish Moon) who was placed a number of times at Grade 2 level over hurdles in Ireland. Idaho Falls is an own-sister to five-time chase winner Tarquinius (Turgeon) and he was beaten just a head in a thrilling finish to the Goffs Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.

There are blacktype winners aplenty in this family, in France, Italy, Ireland and Britain, including Grade 1 winner Shannon Rock (Turgeon), Goonyella (Presenting), the Midlands Grand National winner, and Grade 3 winning hurdler Tea Clipper (Stowaway).

Bargain buy is Cheltenham hero

IN a normal Breeding Insight’s column Coole Cody, bred by Tim Considine, would be up for bargain of the week.

After winning a Kildorrery point-to-point as a five-year-old, on his third outing, he was sent to the sales at Tattersalls Ireland Ascot where Tom Malone acquired him for just £5,200. Now four wins over hurdles and four over fences have put almost £300,000 into the bank account of owner Wayne Clifford.

Coole Cody’s chasing victories now include a trio of Grade 3 wins, and he is a fine example of the type of winners sired by the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes winner Dubai Destination (Kingmambo), who spent a number of years at the Cashman’s Glenview Stud. He is a Group/Grade 1 sire on the flat and over jumps, Next Destination being one of his stars under National Hunt rules.

Coole Cody is a son of the five-time chase winner Run For Cover (Lafontaine), and her other winners include the Grade 3 Greatwood Gold Cup hero Fine Parchment (Presenting). Run For Cover’s six winning siblings are headed by the Grade 1 Cheltenham novice hurdle winner Fundamentalist (Supreme Leader), while the Festival standout Badsworth Boy (Will Hays), winner of the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase three times, is out of Coole Cody’s third dam.

Fry’s Midas touch pays dividends

DYSART Dynamo failed to provide Westerner (Danehill) with an expected Grade 1 success on the opening day of this year’s Festival, but the Coolmore National Hunt sire was in the winners’ enclosure after the Grade 2 Ryanair Mares’ Novices Hurdle.

Love Envoi, bred by Ciaran O’Toole, enhanced Harry Fry’s reputation for training high-class racemares when she recorded her sixth victory in as many starts in the Grade 2 race, adding to another win at that level in Sandown Park. She was a most appropriate winner at the Festival, given that her third dam Greek Light (Greek Star), bred the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Rathgorman (Super Sam).

Greek Light went on to even greater influence as she is the third dam of Lord Windermere (Oscar), and he won the Grade 1 RSA Chase before stepping up to win the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup. She is also third dam of the Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 Ryanair Chase runner-up Sub Lieutenant (Brian Boru).

Westerner is another stallion who is no stranger to Cheltenham success, thanks to the likes of Grade 1 winners Cole Harden, Western Warhorse and Ferny Hollow.

Fifth Festival win for French breeding

THE concluding Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Chase on Thursday is one of the few races at the Cheltenham Festival that doesn’t carry blacktype status. It was won by the 10-year-old Chambard, bred in France by Andree Cypres, Antoine-Audoin Maggiar and Emmanuel Roussel, and he won three times in France before being sold for €40,000 to Guy Petit as a four-year-old.

Five wins since, all but one over fences, have repaid that investment, and he is one of a handful of runners by Gris De Gris (Slickly) to perform well outside France where the sire has just a pair of blacktype winners, one each on the flat and over hurdles. Winner of nine races, at up to Group 2 level, Gris De Gris was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan, with Goldikova among the also-rans. He stands this season at Haras de la Hetraie for €3,000.

While blacktype performers are as rare as hen’s teeth in the first few removes of the family, Chambard’s fourth dam Galia III (Baraban) had seven successful offspring, the best of which was Edmond (Video Rock), He gained his biggest win in the Grade 3 Welsh National at Chepstow. Another decent descendant of Galia III was the Grade 2 Cheltenham novices’ hurdle winner Moulin Riche (Video Rock).