SHIROCCO enjoyed another successful 2022/’23 season, resulting in a career-best number of 14 blacktype performers and sire of 131 winners. That figure was the third highest achieved by an active sire during that period, with the same title earned for Shirocco’s seven blacktype winners.

Those accolades, along with a career-best 131 wins, saw Shirocco end the season as the fourth leading active sire by prize money. The Cashmans summed up the season in their fact-filled brochure for this covering season.

“Queens Brook set the tone early in the season with a comfortable listed hurdle win before landing a Grade 3 at Punchestown. She ended the season with a fine third in the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham- her third placing at the highest level.

“Willie Mullins is no stranger to success with Shirocco’s progeny, having trained the great Annie Power. The master of Closutton worked his magic on Shewearsitwell to return to her best after a serious injury, as she recorded her second Grade 3 success at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, and rounded off a fantastic season with a gallant third in the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.

Smart prospect

“Olly Murphy meanwhile, appears to have a smart prospect on his hands in Thunder Rock, a previous bumper and four-time hurdle winner who was seen to best effect last season when winning two chases and placed at the highest level to three-time Grade 1 winner Gerri Colombe.

“There are a number of exciting point-to-point graduates to look forward to in the upcoming season, including John Costello’s impressive Quakerstown winner What’s Up Darling. The five-year-old subsequently sold to Gordon Elliott for a sale-topping £280,000 and went on to win a bumper in good style for Gigginstown House Stud. Tom Keating’s promising four-year-old Peso provided Shirocco with another six-figure sale when knocked down to Jonjo O’Neill and Stroud Coleman for £100,000.” The prediction about the now eight-year-old Thunder Rock proved to be quite accurate, and after winning a listed chase last November, he has now added a second, taking his career wins to nine. He has been a money-spinner for connections since being purchased for £42,000 by his trainer Olly Murphy and his bloodstock agent father, Aiden. At that time the then four-year-old was placed in a point-to-point.

Successful progeny

Bred by Olivia Hegarty, Thunder Rock and his full-brother Sir Rock (Shirocco) are the two successful progeny of La Belle Sauvage (Old Vic). That mare was purchased after her racing career, in which she was placed in bumpers and over hurdles, for €13,500 by Thomas Hegarty.

Her two winners are from her first three foals, and she has a number of young stock to race in the future. Aiden Murphy spent €40,000 in 2022 to purchase a half-brother to Thunder Rock. The colt foal, now a two-year-old, is by Order Of St George (Galileo).

La Belle Sauvage is a daughter of Lady Rebecca (Rolfe), and she was a three-time bumper winner who went on to become an outstanding hurdler. Her 10 victories over the smaller obstacles included three wins in the Grade 1 Cleeve Hurdle, and she was placed at the Cheltenham Festival in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle. She bred a listed bumper winner in Lord Generous (Generous), and is grandam of Thunder Rock and the Grade 2 hurdle winner Royal Kahala (Flemensfirth).

Lady Rebecca’s dam was an unraced full-sister to a pair of staying chasers, Tartan Takeover (Tycoon II) who won the Timeform Chase at Haydock and was runner-up in the Grade 3 Scottish National, and Tartan Tyrant (Tycoon II), winner of seven chases, six point-to-points, and second in the Grade 3 Grand National Trial Chase to Lo Stregone.

Good weekend

It was a good weekend for Shirocco as another of his eight-year-old sons, Brideswell Lad, added a listed chase win at Leopardstown to last year’s Punchestown Festival victory in the Grade 2 Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase. This was a fifth chase win for Brideswell Lad, in addition to two wins Brideswell Lad is a full-brother to Accidental Legend (Shirocco), winner of four hurdle races, and a half-brother to two others, notably Cloth Cap (Beneficial). That gelding gained his biggest win in the Grade 3 Ladbrokes Trophy Chase, was placed in the Scottish Grand National, and he coincidentally also won the listed chase at Kelso that Thunder Rock won at the weekend.

This is a really strong female line that goes back to a family that was successful for Tom Nicholson some decades ago. Brideswell Lad’s grandam Mill Lady (Jurado) was a half-sister to Strath Royal (Furry Glen). A late developer, he won a bumper at the age of six, seven hurdle races at seven and eight, and added a dozen chases, winning up to the age of 12. His forte was chasing and he won the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and a listed chase at the same venue.

William Flood

Mill Lady is an own-sister to Juresse (Jurado) and she was bred by William Flood. She won over hurdles when trained by the late John Fowler. Put to stud, Juresse struck gold with her second foal, Niche Market (Presenting). He went to Fairyhouse in 2009 for the Irish Grand National, having failed to get into the Aintree equivalent when he was one of the four reserves for the race. Victory in the race provided trainer Bob Buckler with his biggest win, while it also was the launching ground for the 19-year-old winning rider, Harry Skelton.

Strath Royal’s dam Last Princess (Le Prince) won on the flat and over fences and she was a daughter of Lady Artist II (Artist’s Son). That mare was foaled in 1954, won on the flat, and she is forever remembered as the dam of two very smart racehorses in Artifice (Master Owen) and Bigaroon (Bowsprit).

The latter won the Irish Cesarewitch three times at the Curragh, while Artifice was an outstanding chaser, winning the Black and White Gold Cup at Ascot and being placed twice in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. This is also the family of the Aintree Grand National winner Amberleigh House (Buckskin).