Silver Streak provides a rare jumping strike for Dark Angel

By a sire who is a renowned source of speed and a brother of winning sprinters, Silver Streak's pedigree made him quite an unlikely National Hunt hero even before his first Grade 1 victory in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle.

The bright grey was bred by Yeomanstown Stud from the fifth crop of its similarly-coloured resident star Dark Angel, now known for his seven Group 1 heroes including Battaash and Harry Angel, at a time when he was priced at a mere €12,500.

Silver Streak was first bought by Ann Duffield for €45,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale and he was already ready to run in July of his juvenile year, getting beaten a neck at Beverley.

However, he ended up going hurdling and was bought by his current trainer Evan Williams for £25,000 at Goffs UK a couple of years later.

Silver Streak's previous seven victories had included the Welsh Champion Hurdle and the Swinton at Haydock, along with two Listed victories at Kempton, even if he was often known for filling the frame in the main events, including chasing home Epatante in this same race 12 months ago.

Yeomanstown's Dark Angel is a well-known sire of sprintersCredit: Patrick McCann

A fine front-running ride by Adam Wedge helped him reverse the placings with Epatante as he became Dark Angel's second top-level hurdle winner.

His son Guitar Pete claimed two juvenile Grade 1s for Dessie Hughes and remains a smart chaser for Nicky Richards who has claimed decent prizes at Wetherby and Cheltenham.

Silver Streak is out of the Hamas mare Happy Talk, who won over a mile and a quarter in Ireland and there is more jumping form on that side of the family as her dam, Mamara Reef, is a winning hurdler who also produced capable winter performers Sivota and Mr Fickle.

Happy Talk, who died in 2016, has produced six other winners, mainly over sprint distances such as with Nagham and the prolific Foreign Rhythm.

One, however, Needwood Blade's Mica Mika, was a decent middle-distance handicapper for Richard Fahey and also won one of his three hurdling starts.

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