TWO great female families were to the fore at the weekend, thanks to the victories of North Lodge (Presenting) in the Grade 2 Classic Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and Stattler (Stowaway) in the Grade 3 Naas Business Club Novice Chase. Both also have strong connections with the midlands.

North Lodge was bred by the late Oliver and Salome Brennan and is the second Grade 2 winner the couple produced from their Saddlers’ Hall (Sadler’s Wells) mare Saddleeruppat. He was preceded by Winter Escape (Robin Des Pres) who won seven times, notably the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton, and he was placed in the Grade 1 Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse. The Brennans enjoyed great success as breeders and two standouts were the Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival winner Alberta’s Run and the Midlands Grand National heroine Miss Orchestra.

Saddleeruppat was a dual bumper winner for the Brennans, at Punchestown and Fairyhouse when trained by Joanna Morgan, having been purchased 21 years ago for IR13,500gns as a foal from her breeder Ned Morrissey. She is also the dam of the bumper and dual hurdle winning mare Lughnasa (Westerner), the bumper winner Notawordofalie (Presenting), and the point-to-point winning mare Scarlet Feather (Flemensfirth), the last named now also being a winner producer.

Cailin Supreme

Saddleeruppat is one of a trio of winners from the smart racemare Cailin Supreme (Supreme Leader), and both of her two winning siblings were above average. They were sons of Oscar (Sadler’s Wells). Apache Jack showed great promise when third in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and his five career wins encompassed success in a bumper, over hurdles and fences.

However it was his older brother Black Jack Ketchum, born nine years earlier, who achieved most fame, winning that same Cheltenham race that his brother was placed in (but then a Grade 2 event), as well as capturing the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

They are far from being the only stars in the family. Cailin Supreme, winner of three bumpers, three hurdle races and placed in a couple of listed hurdle races when trained by Paddy Mullins for Ned Morrissey, was a full-sister to Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle winner Castlekellyleader (Supreme Leader), while that cross also worked when Cailin Supreme’s half-sister Mary Kate Finn (Saher) bred the Grade 2 winner, Cheltenham Festival hero and Grade 1 Two-Mile Champion Chase runner-up Fota Island (Supreme Leader).

Mary Kate Finn is also the grandam, through her daughter Notsophar (Phardante), of the Grade 1 bumper runner-up Luska Lad (Flemensfirth) who went on to win a trio of Grade 2 hurdle races.

O’Hara’s star

Cyril O’Hara has been enjoying a purple patch as a breeder in recent times, not least because of the success of the star graduate of his Ennel Bloodstock enterprise, Monkfish. Could the seven-year-old Stattler, a 33rd blacktype winner for Stowaway (Slip Anchor), be the next Cheltenham Festival winner for the Mullingar breeder?

The signs are all there. Now two for two over fences, Stattler has only once finished out of the first three in his 10 career starts to date, and that was no disgrace as he was fourth in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle last year, a race sponsored by the gelding’s owner Ronnie Bartlett.

Stattler, also a bumper and hurdle winner, was twice in the frame in Grade 1 company, running third in the Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown to Gaillard Du Mesnil and Gentlemansgame, and then to Galopin Des Champs and Gentlemansgame again in the War Of Attrition Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

Might I

It is unlikely that Stattler will be the only blacktype winning offspring of the unraced Our Honey (Old Vic). His year younger half-brother Might I (Fame And Glory) has won a bumper and a hurdle race from just five runs, and his placed efforts include chasing home Grade 1 winner Constitution Hill over hurdles and finishing third in the recent Grade 2 Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle to Jonbon.

Our Honey has two winning full-brothers and three winning half-brothers, and they are all out of Honeyed (Persian Mews). She is from a well-known Russellstown Stud female line, her four winning half-brothers being headed by the Grade 2 Seagram Top Novices’ Hurdle winner Carobee (King’s Ride), and the listed hurdle winner Winter Squall (Celio Rufo).