PRIDE of place on the breeding front this week belongs to Fiona McStay following the battling neck success of Ashdale Bob in the Grade 2 Colm Quinn BMW Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse last Sunday.

Trained by Jessica Harrington and ridden by Robbie Power, the six-year-old Shantou gelding, is the third of five recorded foals (four colts) out of the four time-winning Bob Back mare Ceol Rua. This is the family of McStay’s superb mares Glens Music and Glens Melody.

On the opening day of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival on Saturday, another ding-dong fight to the line saw the Willie Mullins-trained, Danny Mullins-ridden Lady Breffni post her second success over timber by half a length in the INH Stallion Owners EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle Series Final.

Bred in Banbridge by John and Margery Adams, the seven-year-old Yeats mare is the sixth of nine foals, and the only winner to date, out of the five time-winning Pivotal mare Time To Shine. Lady Breffni started her racing career in the care of Dermot ‘Red’ McLoughlin. On her sole start in a point-to-point, McLoughlin saddled her to win a mares’ maiden at his local Ward Union meeting in Oldtown in February 2019 where she scored by 14 lengths under Noel McParlan.

Other northern-bred winners over jumps in the period under review include the Alfred Buller-bred Winged Love gelding Winged Isle at Ffos Las; the Lois Eadie-bred Storm Nelson who brought up a hat trick at Carlisle on Saturday; and the Berry family-bred Quick Draw who got off the mark when landing the opening handicap hurdle at Chepstow on Easter Monday.

Chantilly winner

On the flat, the Brian Kennedy-bred Gold Saddle posted his first win at Chantilly last Friday week while Dragons Will, bred by Ivan and Eileen Heanen, recorded his fourth success at Pontefract on Tuesday.

On the ownership front, J.J. Leckey’s colours were carried to victory at Clonmel last Thursday week on the Philip Rothwell-trained Natural Breeze. Racing at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday commenced with a win for the Karl Thornton-trained, Brian Smyth-owned favourite Shanroe and Francis Casey trains Max Flamingo for a syndicate which comprises his mother Junie, his wife Paula and Co Fermanagh’s Lexi Beatty and Peter McBride.