News Bloodstock Bites: Grade Two double for Presenting

Bloodstock Bites: Grade Two double for Presenting

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Last weekend saw the four-time Champion National Hunt sire Presenting responsible for a Grade Two double with Top Gamble (Presenting) and Snow Falcon (Presenting) successful for the twenty-four-year-old Glenview Stud resident in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury and Boyne Hurdle at Navan respectively.

Another big race winner this season for trainer Kerry Lee, Top Gamble was ridden by Richard Johnson to a ten-length victory over reigning Champion Chase hero Dodging Bullets (Dubawi) in the Grade Two Game Spirit Chase for owners Dai Walters and James and Jean Potter.

Twice a graduate of Tattersalls Ireland, on the latter occasion when purchased by Highflyer Bloodstock for €50,000 at the 2009 November National Hunt Sale, Top Gamble is the best of the four winners produced by the Flat-placed mare Zeferina (Sadler’s Wells), a half-sister to the Group Three winner Emily Bronte (Machiavellian), dam of Group Three winners Lockwood (Invincible Spirit) and Earnshaw (Medaglia d’Oro), and to the Listed winner Zelanda (Night Shift), herself the dam of the Group Three winner Time Prisoner (Elusive Quality). A half-brother to the 2003 Grade Two Summit Juvenile Hurdle runner-up Zimbabwe (Kahyasi), Top Gamble also hails from an Aga Khan family that has produced winners as the top level under both codes including Zaidpour, Zainta, Zarkava, Zarkandar and Zaynar.

The two-and-three-quarter length victory of the Mrs Patricia Hunt-owned Snow Falcon (Presenting) in the Boyne Hurdle under Sean Flanagan was a first victory in the Navan Grade Two for eight-time Irish Champion National Hunt trainer Noel Meade since Rosaker was successful in the 2004 renewal.

The only foal produced by the once-raced French mare Flocon De Neige (Kahyasi), a half-sister to the 2005 Grade One Prix Alain du Breil d’Ete 4yo Hurdle winner Lina Drop (Trempolino) being out of the 2000 Grade One Triumph Hurdle winner Snow Drop (Double Bed), Snow Falcon was purchased by Mags O’Toole at the 2013 Goffs Landrover National Hunt Sale for €80,000 and is from the family of last season’s Grade One Tolworth Hurdle winner L’Ami Serge and the Grade Two French chase winner Rubussimo.

Back at Newbury, Venetia Williams’ 2014 Hennessy Gold Cup runner-up Houblon Des Obeaux (Panoramic) returned to form in dominant fashion, cruising to a twenty-eight-length victory under Aidan Coleman in the Grade Two Denman Chase for owner Mrs Julian Blackwell.

One of three winners produced by the five-time French jumps winner Harkosa (Nikos), a half-sister to the 2006 Grade One Feltham Novices’ Chase winner Ungaro (Epervier Bleu), Houblon Des Obeaux is a half-brother to the three-time French jumps winner Harpreuilla (Saint Preuil) and the two mile-half-a-furlong Towcester chase winner Henok (Kapgarde) and hails from the family of the French Listed jumps winners Harol and Saubaber.

In the Grade Two Kingmaker Novices’ Chase at Warwick, the Gary Moore-trained Violet Dancer (Bertolini) readily brushed aside odds-on favourite L’Ami Serge (King’s Theatre) to record an eleven-length success under Jamie Moore, though sadly the six-year-old gelding was subsequently found to have suffered a condylar fracture to a hind leg that has ruled him out for the rest of the season.

A full brother to the seven-time Flat winner and 2009 Listed Lingfield Park Spring Cup third Smokey Ryder (Bertolini) and half-brother to stablemate Chris Pea Green (Proclamation), a five-time winner under National Hunt rules and runner-up in the 2013 Listed William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Ascot and third in the 2014 Grade Two National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell, Violet Dancer is one of six winners bred by Jeremy Hinds out of the winning miler Another Secret (Efisio).

Smashing (Smadoun) became the latest big race winner for his late sire Smadoun, following victories in the Cotswold Chase and Hennessy Gold Cup  for Smad Place, when steered by Davy Russell to an easy eleven-length success for owners Ann and Alan Potts in Saturday’s Grade Two Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park.

An €130,000 purchase by Pierre Boulard Bloodstock at the 2013 Arqana Deauville Summer Mixed Sale, the Henry de Bromhead-trained seven-year-old gelding is a half-brother to the French Flat winner Faraude (Take Risks) out of Faragreen (Green Tune), a four-time winner in France under both codes, with the further family containing the 1991 Group Two Prix Hubert de Chaudenay runner-up Farisi as well as the 2013 Grade One Gran Corsa di Siepi Hurdle third Feelgood.

Another French-bred, the Mrs Susannah Ricci-owned six-year-old gelding Sempre Medici (Medicean), captured the other Grade Two on the Gowran Park card with a seven-length victory under Ruby Walsh in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle for trainer Willie Mullins.

Out of the unraced mare Sambala (Danehill Dancer), a half-sister to the 2007 Phil D Shepherd Stakes winner Bravo Maestro (Stravinsky), Sempre Medici is a half-brother to the triple Flat winner and 2012 Group Three Queen’s Vase third Ed De Gas (Peintre Celebre) and hails from the family of multiple European Group One winners Chimes of Freedom, Saddex and Spinning World as well as Aldebaran, the top rated U.S. Sprinter in 2003.

Mullins was also responsible for both the winners of the remaining Grade Two races at Navan on Sunday, though neither were the Closutton trainer’s leading fancies according to their starting prices with Sambremont (Saint Des Saints) the outsider of the three runners that lined up for the Flyingbolt Novice Chase whilst Measureofmydreams (Shantou) picked up the pieces following the last-flight fall of stablemate Black Hercules (Heron Island) to claim the Ten Up Novice Chase.

Running in the colours of the Shanakiel Racing Syndicate, the six-year-old gelding Sambremont (Saint Des Saints) is a year-younger full brother to this season’s Grade One John Durkan Memorial Chase winner and leading Cheltenham Gold Cup fancy Djakadam (Saint Des Saints) being out of Rainbow Crest (Baryshnikov), a four-times French jumps-placed half-sister to the 2000 Grade Two Prix Congress Chase winner Sun Storm (Subotica).

By Saint Des Saints, a five-time French black-type winner over hurdles who stands at Haras d’Etreham alongside Elusive City, Masked Marvel, Poliglote and Wootton Bassett, Sambremont now looks likely to be among a strong team for the Cheltenham Festival by the eighteen-year-old stallion that includes the aforementioned Djakadam, the World Hurdle contender Aux Ptits Soins and the Triumph Hurdle hope Connetable, with Sambremont holding entries in the Grade One RSA Chase and JLT Novices’ Chase as well as the Listed National Hunt Chase.

A €65,000 purchase by Harold Kirk at the 2013 Goffs Punchestown National Hunt Sale, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Measureofmydreams (Shantou) is one of four winners produced by the winning pointer Le Bavellen (Le Bavard) making the eight-year-old gelding a half-brother to the 2004 Grade Two Naas Novice Chase winner Lord Who (Mister Lord). From the family of the 1962 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Shandon Belle it is interesting to note that Le Bavellen’s last three foals, a 2007 colt by Portrait Gallery that died in 2009, Measureofmydreams and a 2009 full sister to Sunday’s Grade Two winner being by Burgage Stud-resident Shantou, were all foaled in August or September, a rarity in the Northern Hemisphere bloodstock world.

Finally, in the week that saw Doncaster Bloodstock Sales Ltd (DBS) rebranded as Goffs UK in order to come into line with the company they merged with back in 2007, the Goffs sales season kicked off with their two-day February Mixed Sale posting a reduction in aggregate, average price and median price on the previous year’s sale, with a total of €4,361,750 changing hands at an average of €14,989 and median of €8,000, decreases of 18%, 8% and 20% respectively on the 2015 renewal.

Topping the sale when selling to Sunderland Holding Inc. for €165,000 was the placed filly Umniyah (Shamardal), a four-year-old full sister to the dual Group Three winner Dubai Prince (Shamardal) from the family of the three-time Grade/Group One winner Storming Home (Machiavellian). The other lot to make six figures was the once-raced broodmare Xaloc (Shirocco), a half-sister to the 2015 Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes winner and Group One Racing Post Trophy third Foundation (Zoffany), who was offered in foal to Zoffany and purchased by Richard Fitzsimons of BBA Ireland in conjunction with Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock for €120,000.