MOUNT Mews gained a bloodless victory in the Grade 2 Premier Kelso Novices’ Hurdle last Saturday and this is a six-year-old to note for the Aintree Festival where he will likely be seen out next.

Owned by Trevor Hemmings and trained by Malcolm Jefferson, the son of Rathbarry and Glenview Studs’ stalwart Presenting and the Bob Back mare Kneeland Lass was bred by Tom Meagher at his Kedrah House Stud. Having failed to sell as a foal, he was reoffered at the following year’s Tattersalls Ireland November Sale and was knocked down to Highflyer Bloodstock at €23,000.

Winning this Grade 2 contest means that he has become the latest blacktype winner in his family and he continues a fine tradition, as the family has now had such a winner in each of the last four generations. He is the first racecourse winner for his dam, while he has a year younger Well Chosen half-brother called Chozen who fell on his only outing in a point-to-point this year. You would imagine that this will change in time as he started favourite that day, was ridden by Jamie Codd and is trained by Tom Mullins.

Mount Mews and Chozen are sons of Kneeland Lass who showed little in five starts. Nonetheless she was worth her chance at stud as her full-brother Burton Port, a useful performer in bumpers and over hurdles for Trevor Hemmings, went on to excel over fences. His five victories in that code include a trio of Grade 2s, the Reynoldstown Novice Chase at Ascot, the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree and the December Novices’ Chase at Lingfield Park.

He twice came close to landing a big one, finishing second to Weapon’s Amnesty in the Grade 1 RSA Chase at Cheltenham and to Follow The Plan in the Grade 1 Betfred Bowl Chase at Aintree. He was fourth in the Gold Cup won by Synchronised.

Kneeland Lass’s dam Despute is an unraced daughter of Be My Native and she is also a resident at Kedrah House Stud. Her other winners include Burtons Well, a son of Kedrah’s Sadler’s Wells stallion Well Chosen, and he has won a couple of times for Trevor Hemmings also, though trained by Venetia Williams.

Mount Mews’ third dam Line Of Reason bred three winners and is grandam of the Grade 2 winning mare Delgany Rose. That daughter of Roselier had a number of trainers but gained her biggest win when in the care of Joe Crowley. Go back a further remove and the big race winner is Blazing Walker. In a family that has done well at Aintree, his biggest success came in the Melling Chase there. Perhaps this all points to Mount Mews continuing the family tradition?