ONE man who will be thrilled with the outcome of the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse is Shane O’Callaghan.

Back in June, and the renamed Goffs Arkle Sale, O’Callaghan paid €10,000 for a three-year-old daughter of Yeats (Sadler’s Wells) and Toledana, a French-bred by the German-bred Protektor (Acatenango). At the time of the sale there was a great deal of promise among the younger stock out of Toledana, but the only blacktype that had been delivered was by her son Etre Francais (Anzillero), in a listed race in France, and he wasn’t even a winner.

How that picture has changed. One of Toledana’s promising sons was Croke Park (Walk In The Park), and he had sold for £400,000 after winning a point-to-point. Off the scene for more than a year, he was beaten into second place in a Kilbeggan bumper on his racecourse debut, but he has now made amends, won both his outings over hurdles, and last month he showed that he is a horse with quality when landing the Grade 3 Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan.

Better was to come. Croke Park’s year older half-brother, Farren Glory (Fame And Glory) and also trained by Gordon Elliott, was placed in a point-to-point, won his only start in a bumper, but then perhaps looked exposed after being well beaten on his hurdling debut, albeit in a Grade 2 contest. Now he has come back better than ever, and in the past month has gone from winning a maiden hurdle at Clonmel to landing the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle.

Bred by A V Bloodstock, Farren Glory failed to sell as a three-year-old for €29,000 at the Derby Sale, but after his couple of starts between the flags he sold for £60,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale. He and Croke Park have taken the pedigree to a new level, good news if connections decide to sell the young stock out of Toledana, a two-year-old filly and yearling colt, both by Walk In The Park (Montjeu).

Cheltenham Festival

Bred, raced and trained by Guy Cherel, Toledana won four races in France, twice on the level and the same number of times over hurdles, and she is one of five winners from Idylle Du Marais (Panoramic). The best of these was Oiseau De Nuit (Evening World), a Cheltenham Festival winner of the Grade 3 Grand Annual Chase, while another of her sons, Canardier (Crillon), was placed in a Grade 3 hurdle at Aintree.

There is another 2023 blacktype winner over jumps in the family.

Idylle Du Marais is a half-sister to the dam of Sway (Califet), and that multiple listed winner over hurdles in her native France is the dam of Limerick Lace (Walk In The Park), successful in this year’s Grade 2 Barberstown Novice Chase.

Farren Glory is from the penultimate crop sired by Fame And Glory, and he will not be the last reminder of the great loss that five-time Group 1 winner has been to the National Hunt sector. His other winners at the highest level over jumps include Flamebearer, Stage Star, Commander Of Fleet, Gardons Le Sourire in France, Home By The Lee, The Nice Guy, and Ballyadam.

I Am Maximus

The other two Grade 1 winners on the Fairyhouse card last Sunday were more familiar to us. Winner of last season’s BoyleSports Irish Grand National, his first over fences, the French-bred seven-year-old I Am Maximus (Authorized) captured the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase on the last day on which he could run as a novice.

The Irish Grand National win and Sunday’s triumph were the first two runs for I Am Maximus in the colours of JP McManus. Bred by Ron Huggins and George Tiney, I Am Maximus sold as a yearling at Arqana to Horse Racing Advisory’s Hubert Barbe for €26,000.

He made a winning debut in a bumper at Cheltenham trained by Nicky Henderson for Mike Grech, won over hurdles and was runner-up to Hillcrest in a listed hurdle race at Cheltenham, before running fourth in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle last year at the same venue.

Transferred to Willie Mullins, he was short-headed by Minella Crooner on his chasing debut, while catching the eye when fourth in Grade 1 chases at Leopardstown and Cheltenham. McManus took ownership of the bay, and the investment has been well rewarded

Notable

Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) is responsible for both I Am Maximus’ grandsire, Montjeu, and his dam sire, Poliglote. The Drinmore hero is one of six winners produced by the stakes-placed flat winner Polysheba. Her first four winners were successful on the level, I Am Maximus is the fifth, while the sixth winner is a full-brother to the Irish Grand National hero, All Authorized (Authorized).

The latter was a €45,000 Arqana yearling purchase who made a tidy profit, selling for €110,000 as a three-year-old at last year’s Goffs Land Rover Sale to Gary Moore Racing. Six days before the Irish Grand National, All Authorized, the last of 11 foals from his dam, made his debut in a bumper at Fontwell, was sent off a hot favourite, and won.

Polysheba was one of eight winners out of Ganasheba (Alysheba), and the only other one to earn blacktype was her full-brother Assurer (Poliglote). Ganasheba, was placed nine times but couldn’t manage to get her head in front. She had two stakes-winning half-brothers, and both were special.

Cahill Road (Fappiano) won the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes, but his efforts paled by comparison with his year-older brother, Unbridled (Fappiano). He was rated the best of his generation at three when winning the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, later adding the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He went on to become an influential stallion.

Authorized

The Group 1 Derby, Racing Post Trophy and Juddmonte International winner Authorized was moved to Turkey, where he stood for a fee of €12,500 this year. The 19-year-old was under the Darley banner in Britain, Ireland and France before he covered for the first time in Turkey in 2020.

He has done well with his runners under both codes, his flat winners at the highest level being made up of Ambivalent, Complacent, Hartnell, Pounamu, Santiago and Seal Of Approval. His daughters have produced the Group 1 winners Top Rank, Etoile and Teona, the latter selling for 4,500,000gns this week at Tattersalls.

Over jumps he will forever have a place in the history books as the sire of the dual Randox Grand National winner Tiger Roll.