ONE of my annual highlights is to spend an hour with the students on the management course at the Irish National Stud, where I talk about the very select ‘Blue Hen’ group of mares, numbering just 10 worldwide, who have produced four or more Group/Grade 1 winners on the flat.

Two of the mares are from Aga Khan families, and one of those mares is the three-time listed winner Ebaziya (Darshaan). While she was responsible for three Group 1-winning daughters, and a son who also won at that level, no Group 1 flat winners had emerged since then from Ebaziya’s descendants – until last Friday.