THE mighty Danzig (by Northern Dancer) sire line has never achieved the sort of dominance in National Hunt circles as it has done on the flat, although a growing number of its representatives are getting graded winners over hurdles and fences and Westerner (by Danehill) is close to becoming the eighth stallion to hit the £1 million in earnings this season.

Sunday’s Grade 2 totepool National Spirit Hurdle over two miles, three furlongs at Fontwell was another success for that male line, but rather than being a horse bred for the winter game, this winner is by a leading US sire and from the immediate family of a horse whose best offspring include a recently retired classic and Breeders’ Cup hero.

Lil Rockerfeller is trained by Neil King, he was bred by Brushwood Stable and he won only two of his six starts on the flat. His record over obstacles stands at four wins and seven placings from a dozen starts, he won a listed contest at Sandown in December, and he was both Grade 2- and Grade 3-placed before Sunday’s nine-length success.

His classic-placed Grade 1-winning sire Hard Spun (by Danzig) stands at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky and has a roll of honour that includes the Grade 1 scorers Wicked Strong, Hard Not To Like and Questing.

Lil Rockerfeller is out of Layounne (by Mt Livermore), which makes him a half-brother to the blacktype-placed Dark Cheetah (by Storm Cat), his multiple-winning half-brother Jan Van Eyck (by Raven’s Pass) was out of luck at Dundalk in January, and their three-year-old half-sister Giovanna (by Gio Ponti) was runner-up in an eight and a half furlong maiden on turf at Tampa Bay Downs just two weeks ago.

Layounne did not win but her half-brother Della Francesca (by Danzig) was third behind Rock Of Gibraltar in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas, won the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes and also a Grade 2 contest at Belmont Park.

Caress (by Storm Cat) was the stakes-winning dam of Grade 1 star and Three Chimneys Farm stallion Sky Mesa (by Pulpit) and of Grade 3 scorer Golden Velvet (by Seeking The Gold), whose Eoin Harty-trained daughter Innovative Idea (by Bernardini) is blacktype placed in the USA.

Of course, La Affirmed (by Affirmed) was also responsible for the Group 3 Railway Stakes and Group 3 Concorde Stakes winner Bernstein (by Storm Cat), the late Castleton Lyons Stud stallion whose string of major winners in South America complement his northern hemisphere progeny, horses who include classic star and new Gainesway sire Karakontie and the outstanding filly Tepin, the two most recent winners of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Lil Rockerfeller is a gelding, so clearly has no pretensions to any possible stud career, but he is now a Grade 2 winning hurdler who could be on his way to Cheltenham.