Yeats on top

Ahead of the Grand National meeting, the Castlehyde stallion is repeating his feat of 2021-22 and tops the NH sires’ table

THE SEEMINGLY always underrated Yeats both ahead of Cheltenham and after the meeting is once again lording it at the top spot of the British and Irish NH stallions’ table, the title he took for the first time last season.

At present, and ahead of the valuable Grand National meeting, which of course last year was won by his son Noble Yeats, the first two spots from last season are due to be repeated – the late Fame And Glory once again on the heels of his former stud mate. Yeats was the only sire last season to break through the £3 million barrier in earnings, and it was a feat that had not been achieved since King’s Theatre’s victory in 2015-16 season, when the former Ballylinch Studbased sire had 115 winners at a 35 per cent strike rate.

Yeats echoed those figures himself last year – 112 winners at 37 winners to runners percentage – and Conflated’s victory at the Dublin Festival in the Irish Gold Cup backing up Noble Yeats’ Aintree victory.

As we go to press Yeats is repeating that feat again and has had 92 winners this season at a 37 per cent hit.

His leading performers both ran in the Gold Cup with Noble Yeats in fourth and following home Conflated. While we are writing this the Waley-Cohen-owned runner is due to head to Aintree to reclaim his National crown with his Festival running looking to be the ideal prep race. Conflated is also entered in the same race, as well as the Irish version due to be held five days earlier.

The stallion’s leading earner this season, ahead of Aintree, is his French-trained runner Figuero, who won November’s Prix de Haye Jousselin and has picked up the equivalent of £196,000 in earnings.

The gelding, trained by Francois Nicolle, is out of the ever-dominant NH broodmare sire Saint Des Saints and was bred by the Cypres family.

Another with six-figure earnings for the sire is Tudor City, the Tony Martin-trained 11-year-old gelding who won the valuable Galway Plate in June.

Yeats’s progeny do seem to achieve a certain amount of longevity to their careers, while at the other end of the age scale is the six-year-old The Goffer, trained by Gordon Elliott. He won a €80,000 handicap hurdle at the Dublin Festival and was fourth in the Ultima Handicap Chase (G3).

Yeats does not get quantities of NH Flat race winners, perhaps the reason that he is not a hot shot at the sales, but he has had five such winners this season, including the impressive Bective Stud homebred The Yellow City, a winner on his career debut at Leopardstown at the beginning of March for Elliott.

Yeats has had a respectable seven winners in the Irish point-to-points this winter and is a top 10 sire in that sphere, but his score is dwarfed by the 18 winners for Mahler and 14 apiece for Getaway and Walk In The Park.

Yeats, now a 22-year-old, is huge value for breeders at his €5,000 fee at Castlehyde.

Shirocco achieving in points and under Rules

Yeats was not the leading sire in the sphere last year, though, and that honour went to Shirocco who bagged 25 winners last season, and is on 11 so far time around.

Shirocco, a Rathbarry Stud sire, also by Monsun, is having a fab time of it under Rules in 2022-23 with 72 winners and a third-placing, which if maintained, will be his best-ever table result.

Leading earner is Le Milos, trained by Dan Skelton, winner of the Grade 3 Coral Cold Cup at Newbury in November, and second-placed in a Listed chase at Kelso. He is another due to be heading to Aintree, but the lengthy race might be too long an ask for his stamina capabilities.

Thunder City (Shirocco)

The Tim Vaughan-trained Eva’s Oskar also has an Aintree entry on his card, and although a current 100-1 chance for that seasonal showpiece event, proved that extreme staying is his forte with a fourthplace finish behind fellow Welsh-trained Kitty’s Light in the Eider Chase.

He had previously won the Grade 3 Dahlbury Handicap Chase in December over 3m2f at Cheltenham.

Thunder Rock, who is out of an Old Vic mare, has been in form for Olly Murphy, winning at Uttoxeter and Ascot in the autumn and stepping up to Grade 1-placed form in the Scilly Isle Novices Chase at Sandown in February. He was sixth at Cheltenham in the Brown Advisory Novices Chase (G1).

He was bought by Murphy and his father Aiden at the Goffs UK Summer Mixed Sale for just £42,000 in July 2020.

Shewearsitwell went to the Close Brothers’ Mares’ Hurdle in form with a two from two in 2022-23 season, including in a Grade 3 hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas. The Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old is another out of an Old Vic mare having been bred by Cathal Ennis, and the mare, who is on an improving arc, is from the family of the good chaser Bradbury Star.

Shirocco got a Grade 1 third at The Festival with Queens Brook in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (G1) and a fourth placing in the cross-country chase with Lieutenant Rocco.

The stallion has had two lots make over £200,000 since last March – at the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale, Elliott spent £280,000 on the winning pointer and top lot What’s Up Darling, while at the same sale company’s Festival Sale Walters Plant Hire went to £220,000 for the then five-year-old Alfie’s Princess. Her dam Dunahall Queen (Saddler’s Hall) is a half-sister to Harbour Pilot.

Flying season for Getaway

After a best-ever result in last season’s NH stallion table with a third-placing and earnings of £2,167,042, Getaway is on

much the same consistent trajectory for this year – at the time of writing is in fourth and currently with earnings of £1,745,980.

In France he has had Motu Fareone flying his flag with a Listed chase win in September, and two subsequent runnerup spots. Motu Fareone is out of the King’s Theatre mare Arrive In Style and is a grandson of the Grade 1-winner Kates Charm (Glacial Storm).

Trainer Stuart Coltherd has enjoyed a good season with Cooper’s Cross, who has won twice and finished on the places three times in six starts this season, the horse’s first year out of novice chasing company.

The Big Breakaway put in a big effort to finish second in the Welsh National for trainer Joe Tizzard, the gelding’s first attempt over 3m6f. The Ultima did not work out for him. He looked as though every yard was required and he goes to the 4m2f Grand National with every chance.

The Big Breakaway did not go to Cheltenham last year but had finished third to Monkfish in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase in 2021.

Bred by William Mangan, he was a €360,000 winning point-to-point purchase by the Tizzards from Monbeg Stables at the Goffs Punchestown Sale in 2019.

Getaway did get a top ten lot at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale –Tizzard and Doyle Bloodstock going back to the sire with whom they have been successful and spending £165,000 on Lord Of Thunder, who had finished second to Mt Fugi Park at Bellharbour point-to-point in February for Sam Curling.

Simple Getaway: the point-to-point winner was bought for £180,000 at the Cheltenham December Sale by Gwent Holdings from Monbeg Stables, he had been a €52,000 Derby Sale store

Henrietta Knight spent €210,000 on the gelding out of Dreambaby (Yeats), a halfsister to Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman, offered by Oak Tree Farm at the Derby Sale.

Getaway is a son of Monsun and he has done well in the pointing field this season, and looks like he could go close to repeating his feat of 2021-22 when he got 22 winners between the Irish flags.

Walk In The Park continues his march upwards

Walk In The Park has been the established sire at the sales this winter, buyers mad keen to buy almost anything by him whether it might be a foal, store horse and or a point-to-pointer. He was the leading sire at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale with 39 lots sold at an average price of €44,500 and got top foal – a colt out of a Presenting half-sister to Vegas Blue and sold by Yellowford Farm for €100,000 to Aiden Murphy.

He has had three pointers fetch over £300,000 since last April, the trio topped by the £400,000 given by trainer Gordon Elliott for two-time winning pointer Croke Park at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale, while agent Alex Elliott spent £360,000 for Mahon’s Way at Cheltenham November on behalf of Cheveley Park Stud.

Ben Pauling spent £350,000 on Flash In The Park at the inaugural Tingle Creek Sale, and at the recent very strong Cheltenham February Sale, the Grange Stud-based stallion had four of the top ten lots.

The results in the ring have been highly influenced by the stallion’s continuing results on the racecourse with his headline acts Jonbon and Facile Vega heading up the charge, although the pair did not convert for him at the Festival, both taking second spots in their Grade 1 races.

The 2023 two-time novice chase winner six-year-old Limerick Lace did not go to The Festival and has not run at graded level yet, but she is an improving sort trained by Gavin Cromwell. She is a McManus homebred out of the Califet mare Sway, and is a full-sister to the year-younger Inothewayurthinkin, who was fourth in the Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Nass Novice Hurdle in January, a Listed hurdle third in February, and was also one to side step The Festival.

Mahler’s first Festival success came courtesy of the fine jumping display put in by The Real Whacker under Sam Twiston-Davies in the Brown Advisory

First Festival success for Mahler

Mahler is heading for a best-ever stallion table finish, the son of Galileo currently in sixth spot. The Real Whacker, trained by Patrick Neville, who has moved from Ireland to Yorkshire, is enjoying a fine time with the lightly raced Dipper Novice Chase winner, the horse progressing to win the Brown Advisory and give the sire his first-ever Festival winner and the sire’s third Grade 1 winner.

The Real Whacker was bought for just €21,000 as a Goffs Land Rover store in 2019 and is out of the winning Witness Box mare Credit Box.

Blue is all the trend

Foals by Blue Bresil were also in much demand at the November NH Sale, and the stallion’s three Cheltenham Grade 1 winners – Constitution Hill, Blue Lord and Good Land – have propelled him into 12th spot on the general sires’ table. Ahead of The Festival, he was the season’s leading sire of Grade 1 winners with three from three and ahead of Saint Des Saints, who was three from four.

In February, Blue Bresil also bagged a Grade 1 second spot with Inthepocket, bred by Tessa Greatrex and David Futter and trained by Henry de Bromhead. The gelding was sold at the 2019 Yorton Farm Sale to Hamish Macauley, won his pointto-point for Paul Cashman, and was sold at the Cheltenham December Sale 2021 for £290,000. It looks money well spent as the six-year-old gelding was a Grade 2 winner on his second start under Rules and finished fourth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (G1).

Pembroke was a Grade 2 runner-up at Cheltenham in January behind Rock My Way (Getaway), while Royale Pagaille, a Grade 2 winner of the Peter Marsh Handicap Chase in 2022, finished second to Bravemansgame in the King George VI Chase.

Valirann attracting the Malone nad Nicholls money

Knappers Hill is leading the way for Valirann, a son of Nayef who stands at Whytemount Stud for €2,000. The sevenyear-old gelding won the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton in November, and was twice Grade 2 placed in 2023 – in the Kingwell Hurdle at the same track and in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell.

Paul Nicholls trains Knappers Hill and he and Tom Malone went back to the ring to invest again in one by the sire when spending £170,000 on Annie K at the Tingle Creek Sale. She is out of the Stowaway mare Anno Whyte and was bred by Ronnie O’Neill.

Diamond Boy does it again

Diamond Boy shot to prominence at last year’s Festival with L’Homme Presse’s Grade 1 victory. It could not happen again

for the same horse, who is on the sidelines for the remainder of this season, but the sire’s Impaire Et Passe gave the Kilbarry Lodge-based sire this year’s Grade 1 Festival win in the Ballymore Novices Hurdle. The impressive winner for the double green silks has a range of options ahead.

Diamond Carl, who is trained in France, the stallion’s homeland, has picked up over £200,000 in earnings with two Grade 3 victories as a four-year-old and a second spot in the Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois.

Behind Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore was the Maxios gelding Gaelic Warrior, the sire’s leading earner. The sire is having plenty of success in graded jumps races in Europe having stood at Fahrhof until 2019 and Gaelic Warrior is his most prominent British or Irish performer since the juvenile pair of Quilixios and Aramax.

Maxios’s book grew considerably in 2021 to 171 and in 2022 to 231 so there will be plenty to come shortly for the stallion.

Ocovango putting his name in lights at Alne Park Stud

Ocovango joined the stallion roster at Alne Park Stud in the autumn and the move to stand him in the UK by the Skeltons looks to have been well judged, and Cheltenham was a fine advertisement for his services.

The eight-year-old son of Monsun had been standing at the Beeches Stud since 2015, his oldest crop are now seven-yearolds. His runners are beginning to make an impact and he bagged his first Grade 1 winner in February when Champ Kiely won the Lawlors Of Nass Hurdle building on a fourth place in early December’s Royal Bond Novice Hurdle (G1) and a Grade 3 victory in the Woodlands House Novice Hurdle at Tipperary. The horse went on to finish a good third in the Ballymore Novices Hurdle (G1).

From that first crop of his sire, Champs Kiely was bought for just €5,800 at the Tattersalls Ireland January Sale by Michael Murray.

But it is last year’s Grade 3 Aintree hurdle winner Langer Dan, trained by the Skeltons and winner of this year’s competitive County Hurdle, who probably did most of the PR job for the stallion at Cheltenham – the trainer subsequently enthusing about the horse’s hardy outlook, and outlining him as one of the reasons that led the Skeltons to invest in the stallion, who has eight winners in point-to-points in Ireland this season.

Ocovango is also collecting a batch of good graded performers – Ukantango took third in the Grade 2 Dovecote Hurdle, a race won by Rubaud, who is by Air Chief Marshal, and second in the Grade 2 Supreme Hurdle Trial in November. The Michael Scudamoretrained Mofasa was a Grade 2 Ballymore Novices Hurdle third, he is out of a Garde Royale mare and was bred by Mill House Stud.

In the last year, his sales returns have been headed by the £100,000 given by Tom Malone for the Robert Moloney-trained winning pointer Mylesfromwicklow at the Cheltenham November Sale and the horse has subsequently finished second at Ffos Las in a maiden hurdle for Dan Skelton.

By Monsun and out of the good mare Crystal Maze (Gone West), the 13-year-old stallion was bred by Watership Down Stud.

El Salvador in the placings at The Festival

El Salvador, bred by Hascombe and Valiant Stud and Balmerino B/S, bought by Bobby O’Ryan from the Ballydoyle draft at the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale 2012 for just 18,000gns, and now standing at Killack Stud, achieved a handicap second place at The Festival with Salvador Ziggy in the Pertemps Network Final(G3) off a BHA handicap mark of 147.

The 14-year-old is by Galileo and is out of the Coronation Stakes winner Balisada (Kris), and looks a bargain option for breeders priced at just €1,500.

Golden Horn: a good season of graded NH winners

Golden Horn’s recent NH representatives have continued to build on the good start made by his first transferees from the Flat to the jumping code.

He is still achieving a winner to runner statistic of 57 per cent and has had four graded race winners so far with three Grade 2 winners this season in Britain –Nusret, Nemean Lion and First Street.

Marketed has a dual-purpose sire and still just an 11-year-old, it is going to be fascinating to see what turn the career takes as the purpose-bred NH runners start to hit the track, and with the dedicated support from his new owner Jayne McGivern.

The diminutive Langer Dan: by Ocovango and winner of the Grade 3 Coral Cup Handicap