THE rags to riches story of Moon Racer is a heartening tale and it could yet have many more chapters to be written. The seven-year-old inmate of David Pipe’s yard was a very smart winner of the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival last year and he is a horse with a huge future in National Hunt racing.

Unfortunately he is on the easy list at the minute, though Pipe is hopeful of having him back for some of the festival meetings in the spring. He was bred by Denis and Teresa Bergin at Kilbragh Stud in Fethard, Co Tipperary and they have produced many good horses, including another Cheltenham Festival winner in recent years, Flaxen Flare. They were the proud recipients of an award at the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association dinner last Saturday night and the accolade was well deserved.

Led out unsold for €250 as a yearling, Moon Racer did find favour when he was offered for sale at the Tattersalls Ireland August Sale in 2013, realising €5,000. He was purchased by octogenarian Michael Ronayne who took him home and trained him under a restricted licence at Coolcormack, Dungarvan.

The gelding, a full-brother to the smart Saffron Wells, made his racecourse debut in the Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper at Fairyhouse in April 2014. A 50/1 shot, he was partnered by Mark Lynch, a son of Martin and Suzanne Lynch, and it was a highly poignant victory as Martin and George were lifelong friends.

The complete outsider on the day, Moon Racer showed his dozen opponents a clean pair of heels and won by an impressive seven and a half lengths. Five days later he sold to his current trainer for £225,000 and is owned by Caroline Tisdall and Bryan Drew.

In October 2014 at Cheltenham the son of Saffron Walden reappeared and was even more impressive, beating a large field that included several previous winners by 12 lengths. He then added the Festival Bumper.

His sire Saffron Walden was a Group 1 classic winner for Aidan O’Brien and the son of Sadler’s Wells was bred by Stavros Niarchos. Moon Racer is the best of his winners. Saffron Walden stood at Rossenarra Stud in Ireland having been repatriated from Japan.