DAY two of the 2026 Punchestown Festival featured five graded races, and with the exception of Gaelic Warrior’s stunning success in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup, all were won by horses recording their first blacktype success. It was also a day of joy for French breeding.

Zanoosh was all the rage for the Grade 1 novice hurdle, but she was no match for the rising star Le Frimeur (Gemix). The five-year-old will always have a place in the heart of Harry Derham, providing him with his first win at the highest level, and sporting the familiar colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. Bred by Sandra and Herve Cozenot, his only auction appearance was at the Goffs Arkle Sale two years ago, selling from the Cummins’ Rathurtin Stud to Highflyer Bloodstock for €50,000.

About 14 months ago Le Frimeur made his debut, in the care of Suirview Stables’ Pat Doyle, at Nenagh and ran out an easy winner. The owners then sent him to Derham who has taken him along with care, with a slight setback on the way, and he is unbeaten in his three starts over hurdles. He is a horse with a seriously bright future.

Le Frimeur’s French-based sire, a son of Carlotamix (Linamix), died at the age of 14 four years ago, and three of his 10 blacktype winners have been victorious in Grade 1 company. Le Frimeur joins two winners of the Prix Maurice Gillois Chase on that roster, Gessy Raiselle and Le Berry.

On the dam side of the family there are plenty of winners, but Le Frimeur is just the second blacktype horse in four generations. The other is a full-brother to his dam, Desir D’Un Soir (Assessor), a multiple blacktype winner over hurdles who later went to stud with limited success as a sire.

Bumper win

Few races have a history like the Grade 1 Race & Stay at Punchestown Champion Bumper for high-class winners, and this year’s staging is sure to continue in the same vein. The Mourne Rambler was favourite to back up his Cheltenham success and lost nothing in defeat, running second to the Gordon Elliott-trained With Nolimit (Bande) in the familiar Gigginstown colours.

Thirteen months ago, With Nolimit ran out a 10-length winner of a Liscarroll maiden on his only start in a point-to-point. He had by then made four trips to the sales, only once being sold, and that was for €30,000 as a two-year-old to Jerry McGrath. Breeder Meryl Militon always had that sort of value in mind for the gelding. When he reappeared at the Goffs Arke Sale two years ago, With Nolimit was unsold at €16,000.

Jonathan Fogarty

With a win under his belt for Jonathan Fogarty, With Nolimit was sent to the Goffs UK Aintree Sale last year, and his price of £250,000 was only bettered by one other lot.

He is the fourth foal and only winner to date for his dam La Pampalina (Maresca Sorrento) who won over jumps. La Pampalina’s half-brother Le Beau Bai (Cadoudal) won and placed in the Grade 3 Welsh Grand National.

Grade 1 French chase winner Polivalente (Poliglote) appears in the third generation of the family, though most of the blacktype winners there have been successful outside France. Some familiar names are the Grade 3 Kerry National winner Spanish Harlem (Spanish Moon), Grade 3 hurdle winner Scorpio Rising (Jukebox Jury), Grade 2-winning novice chaser Westport Cove (Muhtathir) and listed winner Brampton Belle (Blue Bresil).

With Nolimit is just the second blacktype winner for Bande (Authorized), a listed winner in Japan who stands at Haras de la Haie Neuve for €3,000.

CRYSTAL Ocean (Sea The Stars) has his first five-year-olds racing, and his four blacktype winners comprise an Indian St Leger winner, two listed-winning hurdlers, and now the winner of the Grade 3 Weatherbys General Stud Book-sponsored mares’ bumper at Punchestown.

Bred by Minch and Pate Bloodstock, Even Tho was sold from Baroda Stud at the 2024 Goffs Arkle Sale to Pat Doyle’s Suirview Stables for €40,000. What a record Doyle has for producing quality runners. Her half-brother The Enabler (Walk In The Park) was a point-to-point and a listed bumper winner, had sold for €200,000, and has since been placed in the Irish Grand National. Even Tho is her dam’s third produce, and there are lots of youngstock following, including a yearling full-sister to The Enabler who sold to Peter Nolan last year for €75,000.

Even Tho is out of the placed hurdler Nanny Stone (Flemensfirth), a half-sister to Tactical Move (Stowaway), winner of a Grade 3 chase at Naas and runner-up to Spillane’s Tower in the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup. They are out of Denwoman (Witness Box), a half-sister to Grade 1 winners and full-brother Denman (Presenting) and Silverburn.

Gaelic Warrior (Maxios) has featured so many times here that he only gets a passing mention after recording his seventh Grade 1 success. Bred in Germany by the Niarchos Family, he was a €9,000 BBAG yearling whose winnings have now passed the £1.25 million mark. The Gold Cup hero, sixth on his French debut and unseated once, has otherwise won 12 times and placed on nine occasions in a 23-start career. The eight-year-old still has much to offer.

BEATEN twice over fences at Kilbeggan, Nouvotic, a seven-year-old son of Morandi (Holy Roman Emperor), has won his other three chases, culminating with victory in the Grade 3 Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase. Henry de Bromhead’s charge could well be a leading fancy for the Galway Plate in a few months’ time.

Bred by Julien Merienne and partners, Nouvotic gave great pleasure to John Bleahen of Lakefield Farm in a sad week for him and his family, and was sold by John for €42,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale to Colin Bowe. He went to Paddy Turley (who had The Mourne Rambler) and was second in a point-to-point before selling to Brookhouse Racing at Tattersalls Cheltenham for £90,000.

Nouvotic is from a very good flat family, but with a National Hunt twist. He is out of a winning half-sister to the French and Italian Group 1 winner Muhtathir (Elmaamul), a hugely successful sire whose sons include leading sire Doctor Dino and the most popular Envoi Allen.

Framont Limited bred Jessica Harrington’s second winner of the week, Quinta Do Lago, and the four-year-old was a third at Punchestown over the first two days for Galiway (Galileo). Peter and Ross Doyle signed for him as a yearling at Goffs when he was sold for €95,000 by Brendan and Vanessa Holland’s Grove Stud. Quinta Do Lago won his first two starts over hurdles, and regained the winning thread here on just his sixth start. His dam – who won in Slovakia – is a half-sister to the six-time Group 1 winner Moonlight Cloud (Invincible Spirit).

Connolly’s Red Mills

Ross O’Sullivan supplied the first two home in the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Hurdle Series Final, victory going to the five-year-old Raise You Up (Wings Of Eagles). Placed in a point-to-point, fourth to Ballyfad in a bumper, Raise You Up has now won three of his five starts over hurdles. What a bargain he has been, Michael and Gabrielle Whitty selling him for €4,500 as a foal, and Stephen Magee only getting €5,000 for him at the Tattersalls Ireland May Sale two and a half years later.

Raise You Up is one of three winners for his dam, an unraced half-sister to Grade 2 chase winner Farmer Jack (Alflora), and to the dam of Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup winner Second Schedual (Golden Love).

Bred in partnership by Mick Channon with Gill Hedley, Jacovec Cavern (Sixties Icon) was an easy winner of the first race on Wednesday. Channon won twice with him before he sold for 105,000gns to Highflyer Bloodstock. He has since won just twice, a chase at Gowran in November and this hurdle success.