Cyrname emulates ill-fated sire by winning Grade 1 over fences

Cyrname - a seven-year-old son of Nickname - emulated his sire by winning a Grade 1 over fences with in the Ascot Chase on Saturday.

Nickname, whose other Grade 1 winner is the Prix Maurice Gillois Steeplechase-winning mare Royale Flag, was himself trained as a jumper, winning two top-flight hurdle races including the champion four-year-old hurdle at Auteuil when handled in the earlier part of his career by Jean-Paul Gallorini.

Bred and initially owned by Sylvia Wildenstein, Nickname suffered from persistent lameness in France and was later switched to the yard of Martin Brassil in County Kildare. Nickname was soon back to winning ways, including an emphatic 14-length success in the Grade 1 Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown in December 2006.

At the conclusion of his racing career, Nickname was retired to his birthplace of Haras de Victot in Normandy, where he succeeded his own sire Lost World, a Group 1-winning juvenile by Last Tycoon, on the roster.

Nickname stood for three seasons at Victot before his early demise when fracturing a leg in a paddock accident in August 2011 at the age of 12.

When Nickname came in at 43 in the '50 Great Two-Mile Chasers' series, Brassil told the Racing Post: "He was the only entire I ever trained over fences but you wouldn't think he was a colt. You could ride him out with fillies and he wouldn't take a bit of notice.

"It was only when you led him out, down by a paddock with a couple of mares, then he'd let you know. He was great to handle and do anything with."

Cyrname's pedigree is rather light, being one of only three black-type performers under his first three dams, the others being the Willie Mullins-trained Cadmium, winner of the Grade 3 Buck House Novice Chase and the Black Hills Handicap Chase at Punchestown, and Listed-placed chaser Nivaling.

Both Cyrname and Cadmium are out of daughters of Passing Sale, who is also the damsire of top-class two-mile chaser Sire De Grugy.

Nickname's other runners of note are the dual Caspian Caviar Gold Cup winner Frodon, Grade 2 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle scorer Gwencily Berbas and the Grade 2 Future Champion Novices' Chase scorer Le Mercurey.

Nickname's full-brother Nom De D'la stands at Elevage Figerro at a €1,800 fee, while his My Risk half-brother No Risk At All is a €5,000 option for breeders at Haras de Montaigu.

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