KEEPER Hill continued the fine run of horses trained by Warren Greatrex when he gained the biggest success of his burgeoning career at the weekend, winning the Grade 2 bet365 December Novices’ Chase at Doncaster over three miles. This was his second win in three starts over fences.

Bred by Sharon Ryan in Cashel, Co Tipperary, Keeper Hill is a six-year-old son of Westerner (Danehill) and he is the second produce of his dam You Take Care (Definite Article). She raced in the colours of JP McManus and was placed a couple of times from just six career starts, most notably being beaten less than a length over hurdles at Limerick.

Her first mating at stud was with St Jovite and the resulting filly, Katiebyrne, won a point-to-point and was placed in a bumper in 2015. Keeper Hill was next and he has been followed by four produce, including the Oscar (Sadler’s Wells) gelding Up To No Good. He is in training with Warren Greatrex and cost the trainer €50,000 at the 2016 Goffs Land Rover Sale. There is a three-year-old Gold Well (Sadler’s Wells) filly, a two-year-old Fame And Glory (Montjeu) colt and a yearling colt by Leading Light (Montjeu) in the wings.

Keeper Hill has been a regular visitor to sale rings, starting with the Tattersalls Ireland February Sale when he was a yearling. There he was sold by his breeder for just €3,800. Two and a half years later he was sold by Abbey Stables at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for €31,000 and went into training with Ronnie O’Leary. In November of his four-year-old year he made a winning debut in a Market Rasen bumper and was quickly dispatched to the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham December Sale.

There Keeper Hill was sold to Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer Bloodstock, acting on behalf of her trainer husband, for €110,000. Under his tutelage he developed into a smart novice hurdler, winning three times and highlighted by his victory in the Listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon earlier this year.

It is not at all surprising that Keeper Hill should be a smart runner as he comes from a family full of talented performers. His dam is a daughter of the unraced Tracker and she is by Bustino (Busted) out of the Royal Gunner (Royal Charger) mare Make A Signal, the dam of Make A Stand (Master Willie). He won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham 20 years ago and also won the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury, the William Hill Hurdle at Sandown, the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton and the Kennel Gate Hurdle at Ascot.

Back to Tracker for a minute. While the statistics might seem to make her out to be an average broodmare – 12 foals, six runners and four winners – the reality is that three of those victorious offspring won important National Hunt races. The current star of the trio is Shattered Love (Yeats) and her three blacktype wins to date include the Grade 3 Coolmore Solerina Mares Novices Hurdle at Fairyhouse this year and the Grade 3 Kerry Lombardstown EBF Mares Novice Chase at Cork a fortnight ago.

Born two years before Shattered Love was Irish Cavalier (Aussie Rules) and he has been a fine servant to the Rebecca Curtis yard, winning at both the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals. He landed the Grade A Guinness Handicap Chase at the latter in 2016 and was third in the same race this year. He also won the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.

The third black-type winner out of Tracker was Make A Track (Hernando) and he won and was placed in the Tim Duggan Memorial Chase at Limerick when trained by Charlie Swan.

Westerner is a son of Danehill (Danzig) and stands at Castlehyde Stud, where this year he covered at a fee of €5,500. He won both the two-mile Group 1 Prix Royal Oak and the two and a half mile Group 1 Prix du Cadran at four and the following year repeated the double, establishing himself as one of the best horses of his generation over a trip. As a six-year-old he won the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup by a neck from Distinction, with Vinnie Roe third, and was runner-up to Hurricane Run in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Westerner’s oldest crop are 10-year-olds and include Cheltenham Festival graded winners Cole Harden (Grade 1 World Hurdle), Western Warhorse (Grade 1 Arkle Chase), Solar Impulse (Grade 3 Grand Annual Chase) and Empire Of Dirt (Grade 3 chase), Grade 1 winners Captain Cutter and Gilgamboa, Munster National winner Total Recall, Troytown Chase winner Champagne West, while his flat winners include Group 2 winner Never Forget.