TWO days before Ascot got under way a filly with some Irish pedigree connections won the Group 1 Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks) at Chantilly, her victory in the 10 and a half furlong classic coming just nine days after being all but knocked over in the Group 1 Investec Oaks at Epsom.

Star Of Seville was bred in England by her owner Lady Bamford, and she is trained by John Gosden, but her sire stood at Coolmore Stud until last summer and her dam is among a string of winners bred from Lodge Park Stud’s good mare Park Charger (by Tirol).

Duke Of Marmalade (by Danehill) did not make the sort of early impact that would guarantee a long-term berth here, getting lots of stakes and Group 3 scorers but missing out at the higher levels, and so it was not really any surprise to see him sold to South Africa.

He was a top-class middle-distance racehorse, he is a half-brother to the Derby winner Ruler Of The World (by Galileo), and he comes from one of the best stallion-producing families in the stud book, so the emergence of at least one Group 1 star in Europe was almost to be expected.

Duke Of Marmalade now stands at Drakenstein Stud and it is entirely possible that there could be another Group 1 winner, or two, among those Irish-sired progeny he still has to run.

Star Of Seville is out of the dual winner Stage Presence (by Selkirk) and the mare’s offspring also include English Ballet (by Danehill Dancer) who won the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket in 2006.

That chesnut was then runner-up to Simply Perfect in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at York and third behind that same filly in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Ascot, and her juvenile daughter Eljaazah (by Acclamation) opened her winning account over five furlongs at Chester a week ago.

Stage Presence, whose wins came over seven and eight furlongs, missed out on blacktype when finishing fourth in a listed contest at Ascot as a three-year-old, but her half-sister Rum Charger (by Spectrum) won both the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes and the Listed Athasi Stakes in 2002. That filly then went on to become the dam of Winchester (by Theatrical) who was stakes-placed at the Curragh before going on to become a four-times Grade 1 winner in the USA.

Stage Presence is also a half-sister to Park Romance (by Dr Fong), who was placed in the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes, and to Pakhoes (by College Chapel), who was beaten a neck in both the Group 3 Coventry Stakes and the Group 3 Railway Stakes, and their dam Park Charger (by Tirol) earned her blacktype placings at four different venue in Ireland.

There are various other notable performers in the family, including the Group 1-placed, pattern-winning fourth dam Hamada (by Habitat) and Eastern Appeal (by Shinko Forest), who took the Group 3 Athasi Stakes and Group 3 Concorde Stakes in 2007, and with so much blacktype on the page there is every reason to hope that Star Of Seville could eventually produce a son or daughter who is at least as talented as she is.