VICTORY for Lossiemouth, bred in France by Elevage des Vallons and Ian Kellit, in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle was just another step forward, after she won a Grade 3 at Fairyhouse and a Grade 2 at Leopardstown in December. She reversed placed with Gala Marceau, who inflicted the only defeat Lossiemouth suffered at the Dublin Racing Festival, and she was successful on her only start in France, also over hurdles.

A daughter of Great Pretender (King’s Theatre), she is out of a winning daughter of Gentlewave (Monsun). Lossiemouth is the second winner from Mariner’s Light. She is one of nine winners out of Lady Glitters (Homme De Loi), who failed to win but was placed nine times, twice at listed level. As a 15-year-old, Lady Glitters failed to sell for €7,000. Incredibly, she was carrying her best offspring, Lord Glitters (Whipper).

Winner of £2.2 million, Lord Glitters has been successful in four countries. At Group 1 level he has won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Jebel Hatta Stakes in Meydan.

A listed winner at three and runner-up in the Group 2 Prix Noailles to Aidan O’Brien’s Group 1 winner Ballingarry, Great Pretender went on at five to win a listed hurdle race at Auteuil.

A dozen of Great Pretender’s 27 blacktype winners are fillies. That list includes the brilliant Benie Des Dieux, winner at the highest level of the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, the EBF Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown twice, and the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil Hurdle. Other Grade 1 winners by Great Pretender are Greaneteen, Ptit Zig, Dortmund Park, Great Field and Grand D’Auteuil. Standing at Haras de la Hetraie, Great Pretender has seen his fee grow from a starting €1,800 to this season’s €8,000.

What a shame it was that in 2019, at 15, the retirement from stallion duties of Coastal Path was announced due to fertility issues. The Juddmonte-bred son of Halling (Diesis) was making a huge impact with his runners.

In fact, his first crop included Bacardys, a dual Grade 1-winning hurdler, and later crops saw the emergence of Saint Roi, Asterion Forlonge, and Franco De Port. Successes such as these should be no surprise, as he was a half-brother to the leading French sire Martaline (Linamix), Grade 1 sire Reefscape (Linamix), and their half-brother Pillar Coral (Zamindar) is at Kilbarry Lodge Stud.

Coastal Path’s son Faivoir won the Grade 3 County Hurdle yesterday. Sold for €33,000 at Arqana at two and for €60,000 at the Goffs Punchestown Sale as a winning point-to-pointer, he added a pair of bumpers, a couple of chases, and this was his sixth victory over hurdles. He previously enjoyed success at Grade 2 level over hurdles.