RACING is made up of highs and lows, successes and disappointments, and those involved know too well how rare it is to have success. Its rarity makes it all the more enjoyable.
At Aintree on Friday, a few moments of joy turned to sorrow and heartbreak after Gold Dancer gained the biggest win of his still fledgling career when landing the Grade 1 Mildmay Novices’ Chase by four and three-parts of a length, which was the exact same distance by which he was beaten when runner-up at Cheltenham in March. Sadly, and distressingly, Paul Townend quickly dismounted after they passed the winning post when it became clear something was amiss.
We know now that Gold Dancer was fatally injured, likely brought on by a mistake at the last, and there was a hollowness to the success when the seven-year-old was unable to make his way back into the winners’ enclosure where his performance on the track would have been acknowledged.
In August 2023, a decade after the death of her husband, Count Bertrand de Tarragon, his wife passed away. The Countess, born Marguerite Couturié, was the owner of the Maulepaire stud farm, where numerous champions were born, and she was a daughter of the renowned Mme Jean Couturié who bred Right Royal V, winner of the Prix de la Salamandre, Grand Criterium, Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French 2000 Guineas, Prix Lupin, Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby and King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The late Countess bred Gold Dancer.
Sold as a yearling at Arqana for €72,000, Gold Dancer was firstly trained by Arnaud Chaille-Chaille, and won at the second time of asking in a two and a quarter mile hurdle race at Compiegne. He then carried the colours of Lynne Maclennon, a familiar face at Irish sales. His first four outings in the Gigginstown House Stud colours maybe had connections wondering what they had bought, but once he visited the winners’ circle again, at Tipperary in a chase, he never looked back.
Record books
Gold Dancer goes into the record books as the winner of five of his 14 lifetime starts, and his nine runs over fences saw him win four and finish second on three occasions. His earnings were close to £200,000, getting back much of the €250,000 it took to acquire him in 2023 at Arqana. He also has a place among a distinguished list of Grade 1-winning sons and daughters by the still active Doctor Dino (Muhtathir), who stands at the Devin’s Haras De Mesnil. The late Henri Devin was a nephew of Gold Dancer’s breeder.
The dam of Gold Dancer, the unraced Steel Dancer, is by another sire who was based at Mesnil, Kaldouneeves (Kaldoun). There is more to come in the immediate family, as Steel Dancer’s recent stock includes the five-year-old Brisky Dancer (No Risk At All), a £165,000 store in training for Dai Walters with Sam Thomas, and two younger geldings, the three-year-old Romeo Dancer (Great Pretender) and two-year-old Castle’s Dancer (Castle Du Berlais).
Four of Steel Dancer’s six winners earned blacktype, three of them winning such contests. Tzar’s Dancer (Tzar Rodney) has a Grade 3 chase victory at Auteuil among his 13 career wins, while Al Dancer (Al Namix) won 10 races, firstly trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and then latterly by Sam Thomas, for Dai Walters. He had a couple of Grade 3 wins, and also won over the Grand National fences at Aintree in the Grand Sefton Chase.
MONTJEU (Sadler’s Wells) is a name that National Hunt breeders love to see in a stallion’s pedigree, and why not. He sired Hurricane Fly among many high-class winners over jumps, while his sons include Authorized, Fame And Glory, Jukebox Jury and Masked Marvel. Oh, and don’t forget Camelot.
Masked Marvel is the focus here as his six-year-old son Koktail Divin won the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree for owner Barry Moloney and trainer Henry de Bromhead. This is the owner’s third top-level winner, after Minella Indo and Monalee. Koktail Divin was bred in France by Karine Perreau, and is a name to remember. Students of breeding will know it, and for the rest it will become more and more familiar. Perreau has bred six graded winners in the last year.
Koktail Divin is the second Grade 1 winner she has had, after Sous Les Cieux which she bred as Karine Colson. He won the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse and placed a number of times at that level. Perreau bred the most recent winner of the same race, Koktail Brut, but the Royal Bond is now a Grade 2. Just a few days before the Aintree success, Koktail Brut added a second Grade 2.
Perreau’s run of success in 2026 alone includes a Grade 3 win over fences for Imperial Saint (Saint Des Saints), in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock, and he is a full-brother to the dam of Koktail Divin. This is a family that keeps on giving for Perreau who began breeding racehorses a little over a quarter of a century ago with a distant relative of Koktail Divin. This was Givry (Bayolidaan), whom she bought for about €1,500. That winner is the third dam of Koktail Brut and of another Perreau-bred, the Munster National winner and Irish Grand National second, Gevrey (Saddler Maker).
Son of the Haras de la Tuilerie stallion Masked Marvel, Koktail Divin is out of the three-time winner Divine Sainte (Saint Des Saints), the best AQPS mare of her generation at three. Koktail Divin is his dam’s third foal, after Il Est Divin (Martaline), a three-time winner on the flat, and the talented cross-country horse Je Suis Divin (Karaktar), winner of nine races. Divine Sainte has a four-year-old daughter, Ma Divine (Masked Marvel), who did not race and is at stud, a three-year-old filly Notre Divine (Karaktar) who was exported as a yearling to Ireland, and a two-year-old filly Ode Divine (Prince Gibraltar). The mare was covered last year by Nirvana Du Berlais (Martaline).
Aga Khan Studs
Raced from two to four in the world-famous silks of the late Aga Khan IV, Mirabad (Gleneagles) was sold after winning twice and finishing second in a listed race at Fontainebleau, bloodstock agent Nicolas Bertran de Balanda signing for him at €65,000.
Mirabad has now won five races over jumps, including the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase on Grand National day for champion trainer elect Dan Skelton. He joins Zanahiyr, Rashaan, Dawalan and Zarkander on the list of Grade 1 winners over jumps bred and sold by the Aga Khan Studs, and is by the sire of Calandagan. Very little remains of this family on the books of the Aga Khan Studs, as they sold Mirabad’s dam in 2024, carrying a colt by Galiway (Galileo). They have two of his siblings.
The dam of Mirabad is stakes winner Mila (Cape Cross), and she is responsible for five winners. They are among her first seven foals, one of which did not race and the other made a single start. One of them is the three-year-old Mirik (Kameko), in training with Francis-Henri Graffard. A winner at two in 2025, he has run twice this year, finishing second in a listed race at Saint-Cloud and less than four lengths behind the winner in a Group 3 last weekend.
Last year’s Group 3 Prix Greffulhe winner Midak (Footstepsinthesand) is out of a winning half-sister to Mila. He sold for €300,000 at Arqana in the autumn and is now in training with Ian Williams. Another half-sister to Mila went even better in 2025 and bred the Australian Group 2 winner Verona Rose (Castelvecchio).