LAST year Michael Hickey announced that Doyen (Sadler’s Wells), the champion older horse in Europe in 2004, was to retire after 17 years at stud. Following three years at Dalham Hall in Newmarket and three years in Germany, he joined the stallion ranks at Sunnyhill in 2012.

His flat crops yielded 18 stakes winners, the Group 1 Preis der Diana-German Oaks winner Turfdonna being his best. Doyen was to prove equally adept as a National Hunt sire and was a consistent source of quality winners. Battleoverdoyen was his first Grade 1 winner over jumps, and he achieved this feat over hurdles and fences.

Beacon Edge joined him when he won the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse, and now Banbridge (Doyen) becomes a member of that exclusive club after his eighth career win came in the Grade 1 novices’ chase at Aintree. He had been placed in the Drinmore Chase, and was runner-up to El Fabiolo at the Dublin Racing Festival. Beacon Edge and Banbridge are both out of daughters of Presenting (Mtoto).

Ferguson

Bred by Dan McSorley, Banbridge was sold as a yearling for €36,000 to Ian Ferguson at Tattersalls Ireland. He is the first winner for his dam who failed to show anything in a few starts as a seven-year-old in point-to-points. She was deserving of a chance at stud nonetheless as her winning siblings included the Midlands Grand National runner-up Major Malarkey (Supreme Leader).

The third dam of Banbridge is the winning pointer Pineway VII (General Ironside), and she bred the multiple Grade 2 winning hurdler and chaser Valley Henry (Step Together).

Also making a splash for Doyen at Aintree was Florida Dreams for Nicky Richards. This five-year-old was bred by Rita Moran and sold through Ralahine Stud for €234,000 at the 2021 Goffs Land Rover Sale. He has now won both his starts, most significantly the Grade 2 Weatherbys Bumper on Grand National day. What a boost this win has been for an already hugely successful family, and many will be pleased with this important pedigree upgrade.

Full-brother

Last December Sunnyhill Stud sold a Doyen colt foal, a full-brother Florida Dreams, to Richard Downes for €20,000. He was then a half-brother to the winning point-to-pointer and hurdler Tara Line (Kayf Tara), but now he is a full-sibling to a Grade 1 bumper winner, as also are a four-year-old filly and a two-year-old filly, the latter having cost Robert Breen €15,000 as a foal.

They are the first five foals out of First Line, a German-winning daughter of Big Shuffle (Super Concorde), and what a bargain she was when bought for only €10,000 by Guy Petit as a four-year-old at Arqana. After all, she was a full-sister to the listed winner and group-placed Fairlight (Big Shuffle), and she was the dam of Twinlight (Muhtathir), an 11-time winner whose biggest success came at Leopardstown in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase.