IT is hard to believe that it is nine years since Thurles Racecourse’s Pierce Molony died, and today his family continue to honour his legacy by making it a uniquely family-owned and run track.

In 2017 the family ran the then listed Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase for the first time in his memory, and Willie Mullins saddled Great Field to land the prize. One month later and 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 won second time out over hurdles at Fontainebleau for trainer David Cottin and then joined Willie Mullins at Closutton. After more than a year he made his sole start over hurdles in Ireland, returning triumphant.

This season he has had his attention turned to chasing and has now won three of his four starts, suffering his sole defeat when third behind Quilixios at Naas. Given the patience of his trainer and the gelding’s careful placing, it is entirely possible that for the third time Mullins turns the Thurles Grade 3 winner into a Grade 1 winner.

Leading owners

The dam of Mister Policeman, Manhattan Princess (Pivotal), was purchased as a yearling for 70,000gns by Highflyer Bloodstock on behalf of leading National Hunt owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, and sent to be trained by Roger Varian. She never raced for them, and instead was despatched to the Arqana February Sale as a four-year-old and purchased by Louis Baudron for just €5,500. She won over 10 and a half furlongs for him and placed in three starts. Now Baudron is breeding from her.

Manhattan Princess’ first four foals have all raced and three have won, the other managing a placed effort after many tries. Mister Policeman is just her second offspring, and her fourth is the Jamie Snowden-trained La Marquise (Beaumec De Houelle), a bumper winner on her debut in November. The fifth foal produced by Manhattan Princess is the yearling filly Mlle Boniface (Triple Threat), a valuable own-sister to Mister Policeman.

Manhattan Princess is a full-sister to two winners and a half-sister to five more. Her brother Faulkner (Pivotal) won four times in the UAE from 11 starts, and he was a latecomer to racing, making his debut at the age of four. He had plenty of ability and chased home One Man Band in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile on Dubai World Cup night eight years ago, and was third to Frosted in a Group 1 also. Manhattan Princess’ other full-sibling, Finoon (Pivotal), won on her debut but sadly shattered a pastern second time out when looking sure to be runner-up in a Group 3.

Satin Flower

All of these eight winners are out of the once-raced Fibou (Seeking The Gold), a daughter of the useful Lilium (Nashwan). That mare won three of her seven starts, including a listed contest, and was group-placed. She was one of a pair of winners from Satin Flower (Shadeed), the other being her full-brother Lujain (Seeking The Gold). Trained at two by David Loder for Sheikh Mohammed, Lujain won three of his four juvenile starts, notably annexing the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes. However, he failed to train on, went to stud but eventually ended up standing in Greece. He had moderate success as a stallion.

Satin Flower visited Seeking The Gold (Mr Prospector) on a number of occasions and by him she also bred the Group 1 Golden Shaheen Stakes-third Botanical, and Satin Kiss who won the UAE 1000 Guineas but at a time when it did not carry blacktype status. At stud she later bred a couple of stakes-placed winners. Satin Flower was bred and raced by Sheikh Mohammed, trained by John Gosden, and while she won just two of her 10 starts, those wins included the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Consistent

If her win strike-rate was a little disappointing, Satin Flower was hugely consistent and she was denied a Grade 1 victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland by a nose. In fact, she raced in stakes company for all but one of her starts, and only once did she finish out of the money.