MAHLER is featuring more and more often in these columns as his list of big race winners continues to grow. His eldest crop was produced in 2010 and already he is sire of Sutton Place, the exciting three-time graded winner over hurdles for Gordon Elliott, Ms Parfois, and another seven-time winner in Delusionofgrandeur.
The ultra-smart Mahler (Galileo) mare Ms Parfois won her third smart chase in just under a month when capturing the Listed Hampton Novices’ Chase at Warwick on Saturday.
She won by five lengths in the hands of Sean Bowen for trainer Anthony Honeyball and was following up on wins in a Cheltenham novices’ chase and a Newbury listed chase, both in December.
Her trainer feels that she is a natural for the four-mile National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham in March.
Ms Parfois was bred by William and Daryl Deacon at The Borotown Stud in Co Wexford and she was sold by them to Shane Hassett for just €4,200 as a three-year-old at the Tattersalls Ireland August sale four years ago. Winner of her only start in a point-to-point just before she turned five, she travelled to Cheltenham in February 2016 and sold to her present trainer for £50,000. The latest victory saw her earnings reach £55,000 and have come from six wins in 11 starts.
It is appropriate that Ms Parfois should become as blacktype winner as her female family is renowned for producing high quality runners.
Ms Parfois joins Mr Pictatee (Heron Island) and Carrigready (Craigsteel) as winners from the unraced Dolly Lewis, a daughter of Sir Harry Lewis (Alleged). Dolly Lewis was bought by the Deacons for €9,000 at Goffs 14 years ago as a foal.
DISAPPOINTING DOLLY
She is one of eight foals from the largely disappointing Dolly Sparks (Electric) and only one of that mare’s foals managed to win, though he did so five times.
However, thankfully the Deacons persevered with Dolly Lewis and she has revitalised a branch of the family that effectively skipped a generation. This is also a family that the Deacons know well.
The third dam of Ms Parfois is Affordthe Queen (Pitpan) and her best runner was also a mare, Queen Of Spades (Strong Gale). Her biggest success was in the Grade 2 November Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.
Three of Affordthe Queen’s daughters have gone on to produce smart runners. The unraced Queen Of Natives (Be My Native) is the dam of Pettifour (Supreme Leader) and he won the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree a decade ago, before travelling to Ireland the following year to chase home Fiveforthree in the Grade 1 Tipperkevin Hurdle at Punchestown.
Two other unraced daughters of Affordthe Queen bred the Grade 2 Kinsale Chase winner Pires (Generous) and the Grade 3 chase winner Heathfield (Definite Article).
Affordthe Queen did not race but her full-brothers Garamycin and Afford A King, along with her half-brother Dark Dawn (Pollerton), flew the flag with distinction. Afford A King won the 1988 Galway Plate for trainer Tony Mullins and jockey Padge Gill, having finished in the frame a year earlier.
Dark Dawn gained his biggest success in the Listed Computote Hurdle at Punchestown when trained by Michael Hourigan and was placed later the same year in the Munster Chase at Limerick.
Garamycin was the best of the trio of blacktype winners and he was trained by Willie Deacon.
He won 12 times, reserving his best efforts for the larger obstacles. Over fences he won the Leopardstown Chase twice, beating Ebony Jane on one occasion, the Power Gold Cup at Fairyhouse and the Punchestown Chase when he had Feroda in arrears.
Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact Leo Powell at leopowell@theirishfield.ie with news and updates for the column, and to visit our website www.theirishfield.ie for daily breeding news