THE tally of National Hunt blacktype wins for representatives of the Sadler’s Wells (by Northern Dancer) male line increased by two at Naas on Sunday when Sutton Place (by Mahler) won the Listed Irish Racing Writers Kingsfurze Novice Hurdle over two miles about half an hour before Sub Lieutenant took the Grade 3 Naas Directors Plate Novice Chase over a half-mile further.

I reviewed the pedigree of the former here recently when that of his dam’s Grade 2-winning half-brother Measureofmydreams (by Shantou) was examined.

Sub Lieutenant also has some highly accomplished relations although a much longer time has passed since I last discussed his family in these pages.

The Sandra Hughes-trained seven-year-old is a son of Brian Boru (by Sadler’s Wells), the classic-winning three-parts brother to Group 2 scorer and new Burgage Stud stallion Sea Moon (by Beat Hollow) and full-brother to Soviet Moon, the unraced dam of Derby and Arc hero Workforce (by King’s Best).

Brian Boru began his career under the Coolmore banner then spent two years at Dunraven Stud before moving to Longford House Stud where is now in his second season.

His best progeny include the Grade 2 winners Bold Sir Brian, Fox Appeal and Noras Fancy, Grade 3 winner and recent Eider Chase runner-up Shotgun Paddy, and last year’s Grade 3 Grand Annual Chase scorer Next Sensation.

Sub Lieutenant has also won at Grade 2 level as he took last year’s Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle over two and a half miles at Thurles, he was Grade 1 placed at Leopardstown two months before that success, and Sunday’s victory was his first from six starts over fences, several of which have also been in blacktype company.

Famous colours

He is a €58,000 graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in Fairyhouse, he carries the famous colours of Gigginstown House Stud, and he was bred by Edmond Coleman.

That latter fact may help some to identify Sub Lieutenant’s famous half-brother as Coleman also bred the 2014 Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Lord Windermere (by Oscar), another grandson of Sadler’s Wells.

Entered in next month’s Grade 3 Crabbie’s Grand National, the Jim Culloty-trained Lord Windermere has not been seen in action since pulling up before Valentines on the second circuit last year.

His wins also include the 2013 edition of the Grade 1 RSA Chase at Cheltenham and, like his younger brother, he too was a blacktype winner over hurdles before switching to the larger obstacles.

Their dam Satellite Dancer (by Satco) ran a few times over hurdles, without success, and she is also responsible for the dual hurdles-winning mare Tizzy Blue (by Oscar), the point-to-point and hurdles scorer Lady Elite (by Lord Americo), and It Came To Pass (by Brian Boru).

That full-brother to Sub Lieutenant is also trained by Culloty and, like Lord Windermere, carries the well-known colours of Dr Ronan Lambe. He won a point-to-point at Ballindenisk in late November, then a maiden hunter chase at Limerick a month later, and he was runner-up at Leopardstown last month.

The six-year-old got three entries at the Cheltenham Festival including the Grade 1 RSA Chase and the St James’s Palace Foxhunter Chase for which, at the time of writing, he was among the ante-post market leaders.

They also have a half-sister called Sycamore Island (by Turtle Island) who, although unplaced in a Tipperary bumper on her only start under National Hunt rules, won twice in point-to-points.

Satellite Dancer’s 2012 Oscar colt made €54,000 in Fairyhouse as a foal, she had a full-sister to Lord Windermere in 2014 and their younger full-brother was offered several months ago at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, led out unsold at €44,000.

A granddaughter of 1969 Derby hero Blakeney (by Hethersett), Satellite Dancer is out of an unraced mare called Greek Empress (by Royal Buck), which made her a half-sister to four winners and also to an unraced filly who went on to become the dam of two notable performers.

royal greek

The most prolific racehorse among her siblings was Royal Greek (by Royal Captive) as he won once over hurdles, four times over fences and twice in point-to-points, and the sister of note is Go And Tell (by Kemal), dam of Start Me Up and Stars Out Tonight (by Insan).

The latter won a bumper, once over hurdles and twice over fences in England, picking up blacktype when a well-beaten third behind Azertyuiop in a Grade 2 novice chase at Cheltenham, and he then went to the USA where he became a listed-placed winner.

Start Me Up, a 12-year-old son of Irish Derby winner Winged Love (by In The Wings), is more closely related to Lord Windermere and Sub Lieutenant, his most recent outing was an unplaced effort over hurdles at Warwick in September, but his prior form includes five wins and a string of blacktype placings.

He was runner-up in the Grade 3 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle at Limerick, third in the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, and then placed in each of the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan, the Grade A Kerry National at Listowel and the Grade B Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Chase at Limerick.

Although none of Greek Empress’s progeny won at blacktype level and her daughter Satellite Dancer was unplaced, the emergence of the latter as such a successful broodmare is not really a surprise.

Rathgorman

Talent can skip a generation and as Greek Empress was out of the flat and hurdles scorer Greek Light (by Greek Star) that made her a half-sister to the blacktype-placed prolific winner Holly Park (by Garland Knight) and, considerably more notable, to the Queen Mother Champion Chase hero and dual Castleford Chase scorer Rathgorman (by Super Sam).

Sub Lieutenant is a half-brother to a Cheltenham Festival star and from the immediate family of another one, and although he does not have an entry at that most famous of meetings, he is engaged in the Grade A BoyleSports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in just over two weeks time.