THE Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase, then a listed race, was run for the first time in 2017, and Willie Mullins saddled Great Field to land the prize. A month later the gelding went to Punchestown and took the honours in the Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Chase.

Mullins won the race for a second time in 2023 with Flame Bearer, and on that gelding’s only subsequent run he claimed the scalps of his stablemates Sir Gerhard, Appreciate It and James Du Berlais to win his Grade 1 at Fairyhouse. Could Mullins follow suit this year with the recent winner of the Thurles feature, Mister Policeman?

Victory for the French-bred son of Triple Threat (Monsun) will have been greeted with great joy at Ger O’Neill’s Capital Stud, which this year has become home to the sire of the Grade 3 winner.

Triple Threat started his racing career in France where he won the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam at three and placed in the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt the following year. Sent to the USA to continue his career, he was successful there in the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes and placed in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes at Woodbine in Canada.

At stud in France until this season, Triple Threat has made a most encouraging start, and the six-year-old Mister Policeman is from his second crop, one that also includes a pair of smart hurdlers, the Grade 3 winner Sans Bruit and the listed winner Rosa Kleb. The young stallion also has a pair of blacktype-placed hurdlers, and this good start at stud bodes well for the future.

Mister Policeman certainly has the potential to become a Grade 1 winner. He won second time out over hurdles at Fontainebleau for David Cottin and then joined Mullins. He made his sole start over hurdles in Ireland a winning one. This season he had his attention turned to chasing and has won three of his four starts, suffering his sole defeat when third to Quilixios at Naas.

Triple Threat’s sire Monsun (Konigsstuhl) needs no introduction, being a sire of high-class winners on the flat and under National Hunt rules, while his sons have also made their mark at stud with top-notch winners under both codes.

One of seven winning progeny from the Lyphard (Northern Dancer) mare Drei, Triple Threat is the most accomplished of that septet. His half-sister Pina Colada (Sabrehill) is a stakes winner in the USA, while their unraced sibling Mrs Marsh (Marju) bred the champion miler Canford Cliffs (Tagula). He won the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas, Group 1 Sussex Stakes, Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes and Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes. One of the best racehorses of the last 50 years, Canford Cliffs is expected to sire his first Group 1 winner before long in South Africa.

Race record

TRIPLE THREAT (FR), Bay or Brown horse, 2010. Won 5 races, value £319,845, from 1 mile to 1 mile 2 furlongs, Prix Eugène Adam, Maisons-Laffitte, Gr.2, Monmouth Stakes, Monmouth Park, Gr.2, Prix La Force, ParisLongchamp, Gr.3, also placed second in Prix de Boulogne, ParisLongchamp, L. and third in Northern Dancer Turf Stakes, Woodbine, Gr.1, Prix d’Harcourt, ParisLongchamp, Gr.2 and Prix de Guiche, Chantilly, Gr.3.

At stud

Retired to stud in 2017, and sire of 27 winners, of 61 races, and £1,291,489, including MISTER POLICEMAN (FR), SANS BRUIT (FR), ROSA KLEB (FR), Jumper Sacre (FR) and Pacific One (FR).

Information

Stands at: Capital Stud, Bishopslough, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny, R95 PW10, Ireland.

Contact: Ger O’Neill, Jerry Horan, Darragh McCarthy or Joe Sinnott

Telephone: +353 (0)86 3844560

Email: info@capitalstud.ie

Web: www.capitalstud.com

Fee: Private