Nigel Twiston-Davies enjoyed a Graded race double last Saturday with his novice chasers Bristol De Mai (Saddler Maker) and Blaklion (Kayf Tara) pressing their claims for Cheltenham Festival glory with victories at Sandown Park and Wetherby respectively.
Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s five-year-old gelding Bristol De Mai (Saddler Maker) recorded his second success at Grade One level with a convincing six-length victory in the Grade One Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase under retained rider Daryl Jacob, following his success in last season’s Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow, to continue the fine run of form for his sire Saddler Maker who has been responsible for Grade Two winners Alpha Des Obeaux, Apple’s Jade and Label Des Obeaux in the last couple of months.
One of three winners bred in France by Jean-Yves Touzaint out of the unplaced mare La Bole Night (April Night), Bristol De Mai is a half-brother to the French Flat winners Ula de Mai (Passing Sale) and Riva (Winning Smile) and descends from the family of this season’s Grade Three Joe Mac Novice Hurdle winner Bachasson and the 2001 Grade One Grand Steeplechase de Paris runner-up Ilare as well as the French Listed-winning chasers Echouqua, Makarios and Sirta.
Over at Leopardstown on the same day, J. P. McManus’ ten-year-old gelding Carlingford Lough (King’s Theatre) claimed back-to-back renewals of the Grade One Irish Gold Cup with a twelve-length victory for trainer John Kiely under Mark Walsh.
An €80,000 purchase by John O’Byrne at the 2006 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, Carlingford Lough is a half-brother to the 2003 Grade One Tolworth Hurdle winner Thisthatandtother (Bob Back) and the 2008 Grade Three Tote Scoop6 Heroes Sandown Handicap Hurdle winner The Tother One (Accordion), out of the Grade Two Fairyhouse New Stand Handicap Hurdle winner Baden (Furry Glen), a half-sister to the bumper-winning dam of the 2011 Grade Two Newbury Winter Bumper runner-up Bygones In Brid (Old Vic).
Willie Mullins was responsible for the other three Grade One winners on the Leopardstown card with Outlander (Stowaway) maintaining his unbeaten record over fences when claiming the Flogas Novice Chase under Bryan Cooper after Barry Geraghty had guided Bleu Et Rouge (Charming Groom) to victory in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle and Footpad (Creachadoir) had sprung a slight surprise by landing the opening Spring Juvenile Hurdle under Danny Mullins.
Bred by Ronnie O’Neill, who stood Stowaway at Whytemount Stud in County Kilkenny until the stallion’s death last year at the age of twenty-one and from whom he also bred the four-time Grade Two-winning jumper Hidden Cyclone (Stowaway), Outlander was purchased by Philip Fenton on behalf of Gigginstown House Stud for €78,000 at the 2011 Tattersalls Ireland Derby National Hunt Sale.
One of five winners – all by Stowaway and bred by O’Neill – produced by the twice-raced mare Western Whisper (Supreme Leader), Outlander is a full brother to the 2010 Grade Two Michael Purcell Memorial Hurdle winner Western Leader (Stowaway) and the 2014 Listed 888sport Totepool Handicap Chase winner Mart Lane (Stowaway), with the further family being that of the four-time Grade One-winning hurdler Asian Maze and the Grade Three handicap chase winner Quantitativeeasing.
The J. P. McManus-owned five-year-old gelding Bleu Et Rouge (Charming Groom) is the best of the three winners produced by the unraced mare Lady Du Renom (Art Francais), a half-sister to the French Listed-placed chasers Champigny Du Renom (Cyborg) and Gadelier (Abdonski), who hails from a family that Mullins has had plenty of success with in the past courtesy of the Grade One victories achieved by Un Atout, Sir Des Champs and Sous Les Cieux who all appear under the fourth dam of Bleu Et Rouge’s pedigree.
Bred by Haras de la Rousseliere - the residence of his sire Charming Groom until his relocation to Tunisia in 2012, from where he covered the dam of Douvan, Star Face (Saint Des Saints), resulting in a now three-year-old filly named Kalimama (Charming Groom) - Bleu Et Rouge is the sole black-type winner produced so far by the 2004 Group Three Prix de la Porte Maillot winner with the 2010 Listed Prix Camille Duboscq Hurdle runner-up Charmingo his other offspring of note to date.
Another sire to be represented by a first black-type winner was Haras de Lonray-resident Creachadoir, the winner of the 2008 Group One Lockinge Stakes, with Footpad (Creachadoir) carrying Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s colours to an eight-length victory in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle.
Out of the French Flat winner Willamina (Sadler’s Wells), a full sister to the 2000 Group Three Prix de Royaumont winner Sadler’s Flag (Sadler’s Wells), Footpad is himself a half-brother to the 2013 Listed Prix General de Rougemont Handicap Hurdle winner Wanaba (Anabaa) and to the Listed-placed jumpers Organisateur (Highest Honor) and Wild Mania (King’s Best), from the family of the Group One winner and high-class jumps sire Poliglote.
Blaklion (Kayf Tara) completed Twiston-Davies’ Graded-race double on Saturday when staying on best under Ryan Hatch to land the Grade Two Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby by eight lengths in the colours of Sarah Such and Gino Paletta, continuing the excellent season for offspring of Overbury Stud-resident Kayf Tara.
Bred by Mrs Mary Morrison out of the French Flat winner Franciscaine (Legend of France), a half-sister to the French Grade Three-winning chaser and sire Indian River (Cadoudal) and Listed-winning chaser The Knight (Kenmare), Blaklion is a sibling to two other winners, the 2012 Listed OLBG.com Mares’ Handicap Hurdle runner-up Francesa (Silver Patriarch) and the 2011 Lough Leane Handicap Chase runner-up Francis du Mesnil (Saint Preuil).
In sales news, Tattersalls opened their sales year last week with their February Sale posting a record turnover of 2,718,800 guineas, an increase in aggregate of 5% on the 2015 edition, whilst the average price of 10,832 guineas and median price of 5,000 guineas were reductions of 12% and 29% respectively on the previous year’s renewal.
The six-year-old mare Doldrums (Bernardini), a two-time winning half-sister to the 2006 Grade One Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes winner Vacare (Lear Fan), who was offered by Godolphin in foal to their leading sire Exceed And Excel, was the sale’s top lot when purchased by Marco Bozzi Bloodstock on behalf of a group of Italian owners for 145,000 guineas. Godolphin were also the vendors of the joint-second top lot, Soofiah (King’s Best), a three-year-old winning full sister to the dual Meydan Group One winner Sajjhaa (King’s Best), with Hadden Bloodstock the purchasers for 95,000 guineas. Highclere Stud were consigners and purchasers of the other lot to make that sum when their unraced eight-year-old broodmare High Luminosity (Elusive Quality), a daughter of the 2003 Group One Prix Marcel Boussac winner Denebola (Storm Cat), was bought by agent Linda Sadler on behalf of John Warren, who was buying out the previous partnership. High Luminosity was sold in foal to Acclamation and looks set to be covered later this year by Highclere’s new stallion Cable Bay.
Last week also saw the launch of the Tattersalls Ireland sale season with their February Sale being headed by a yearling colt by Robin Des Champs out of the winning pointer Amber Light (Anshan), a full sister to the Listed-placed chaser Gansey (Anshan) and half-sister to the two-time Listed-winning chaser The Minack (King’s Theatre). Purchased by Kevin Ross Bloodstock for €67,000, the sale topper is a full brother to Willie Mullins’ four-time winner Stone Hard (Robin des Champs). Trainer James Motherway’s Ballyregan Stables were purchasers of the next top lot when paying €60,000 to secure a yearling full brother to the 2015 Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase and 2014 Leinster National Handicap Chase winner Gallant Oscar (Oscar). Out of the unraced mare Park Wave (Supreme Leader), the yearling colt by Oscar is also a half-brother to the 2009 Grade Three Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle winner Enterprise Park (Goldmark) and was bought by Motherway on behalf of a British client.
At the conclusion of the one-day sale, the aggregate of €1,479,150 was a reduction of 2% on the previous renewal with the average price of €9,260 an increase of 6% and median price of €5,800 a decrease of 5% on the 2015 sale.
Finally, last week saw the death of Halling, who was put down at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket at the age of twenty-five due to the infirmities of old age. A winner for Godolphin of consecutive renewals of both the Group One Coral Eclipse Stakes and Group One Juddmonte International Stakes in 1995 and 1996 when trained by Saeed Bin Suroor, as a stallion Halling was responsible for four winners at the highest level, most recently with Jack Hobbs, the winner of last season’s Irish Derby and runner-up to new Dalham Hall-recruit Golden Horn in last year’s Epsom Classic.