COOLMORE Stud’s classic star Mastercraftsman (by Danehill Dancer) has made an outstanding start to his stallion career, and like all good flat sires he has also demonstrated his ability to get talented performers under National Hunt rules too.

Wolf Of Windlesham, who represents his second crop, is rated only 60 on the flat, so is a long way removed from his sire’s best runners, but he looks set to rocket up the rankings over obstacles now that he is an unbeaten winner of the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial.

A 17-length winning on his hurdling debut at Ludlow last month, the Stuart Edmunds-trained three-year-old followed-up with a 12/1 success in that two-mile race at Cheltenham last Saturday, thereby stating his claim as a potential contender for the Festival in March.

Wolf Of Windlesham was bred by Joe and Edel Banahan and, as might be expected, he comes from a notably successful flat family.

His half-brother Fat Choy Ichiban (by Intikhab) is a stakes winner in Hong Kong and his unraced dam Al Amlah (by Riverman) is a half-sister to 1995’s Group 1 1000 Guineas heroine Harayir (by Gulch).

Winner of the Group 2 Challenge Stakes, Group 2 Celebration Mile and Group 3 Hungerford Stakes that same season, she also took the Group 2 Lowther Stakes as a juvenile, and the races in which she was placed included the Group 1 Coronation Stakes and the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.

Her son Izdiham (by Nashwan) won the Listed Gala Stakes at Sandown and was third in both the Group 3 Gordon Stakes and Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes.

Al Amlah is a full-sister to Waqood, who is the dam of the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes winner Dorcas Lane (by Norse Dancer), and that talented daughter, whose best placed efforts included third in the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks and third in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, has a Frankel (by Galileo) colt that will be among his sire’s first juveniles in 2016.

Min Alhawa, another full-sister to Al Amlah, was runner-up in the Listed Ballymacoll Stud Stakes and in the Listed Upavon Fillies’ Stakes, and the best of her three blacktype progeny is the Group 3 Winter Derby winner Tryster (by Shamardal) whom Timeform rated 127 earlier in the year.

The grandam of Wolf Of Windlesham is the one-time scorer Saffaanh (by Shareef Dancer), and in addition to being a half-sister to Alshakr (by Bahri), who won the Group 2 Falmouth Stakes and took third in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas), she is a daughter of 1983s Group 1 Irish Oaks heroine Give Thanks (by Relko).

That classic star filly also won the Group 3 Lancashire Oaks, the Group 3 Musidora Stakes and the Group 3 Oaks Trial Stakes that year, she was runner-up in the Group 2 Gallinule Stakes and in the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes, and she took third in both the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and Group 3 Meld Stakes.

With relations like these it is easy to see why a mare like Al Amlah was sent to a top stallion prospect such as Mastercraftsman, and although the result is a horse who failed to distinguish himself on the flat, it has yielded one who could have a bright future over hurdles.