Minella Indo (IRE)

2013 g. by Beat Hollow (Sadler’s Wells) out of Carrigeen Lily (Supreme Leader). Bred by Mrs R H Lalor.

Sold from the breeder Anne and Dick Lalor’s Rathkenty Stud to John Nallen for €24,000 as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland, Minella Indo went on to land a point-to-point at Dromahane. He is now a triple Grade 1 winner, and what an achievement for the Co Tipperary-based Lalor family.

Minella Indo is a half-brother to the Grade 2 chase winner Benatar (Beneficial) and three other track winners, along with a couple of others who won point-to-points. Unusually for this family, Minella Indo doesn’t carry the famous Carrigeen-prefix in his name.

Winner of the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett on the Friday of Cheltenham a couple of years ago, Minella Indo is out of a tough racemare who was placed in the Grade 2 Leopardstown Chase.

His grandam Carrigeensharragh (Walshford) won 10 races, including a number of listed chases, and she is grandam and ancestress of many blacktype winning National Hunt horses, including the Irish Grand National winner Rogue Angel (Presenting), and the Grade 1 chase winner Carrigeen Victor (Old Vic).

This is also the family of another Irish Grand National winner in The Bunny Boiler (Tremblant) and Grade 1 winning chaser Central House (Alflora).

Quilixios (GB)

2017 g. by Maxios (Monsun) out of Quilita (Lomitas). Bred by Stiftung Gestuet Faehrhof

Sixth win for Rachael Blackmore, a fifth for Henry de Bromhead (who later added the Gold Cup), a third of the week for Cheveley Park Stud, and an important first win at the Cheltenham Festival for the Coolmore National Hunt sure Maxios, based at Castlehyde Stud for €7,000 this year.

Foaled in England, Quilixios is now unbeaten in five starts, once in France for Francois Nicolle, three times for Gordon Elliott, including a Grade 1, and now a debut win in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for his new trainer. Who knows how high this fellow can climb the hurdling ladder.

Sold as a foal for €20,000 at Arqana, Quilixios is one of three winners out of his group-placed dam.

Quilixios’ three-year-old half-brother Colour Sergeant (Kingman) sold as a yearling for 220,000gns to Juddmonte Farms and last year was placed on all his seven starts for Ger Lyons, being runner-up on his last five outings.

Belfast Banter (IRE)

2015 g. by Jeremy (Danehill Dancer) out of Sumtin Nice (Simply Great). Bred by Seamus Cooney

Denis Hickey in Garryrichard Stud will be looking at the present incumbent of the stallion box, Hillstar, and dreaming of glory.

That Grade 1 winner is another son of Danehill Dancer (Danehill), the sire of Jeremy who once stood at the famous Wexford stud.

Jeremy had a week to remember at Cheltenham 2021, and his fourth winner came in the shape of Belfast Banter in the Grade 3 County Hurdle. Belfast Banter sold on his third visit to a sale when he was knocked down to Timmy Hillman for €10,000 as a yearling, sold from Seamus Cooney’s Glynn Stud in Killurin, Co Wexford.

Sold for €28,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale to Patrick Turley and Mark O’Hare, he was runner-up on his point-to-point debut and sold on for just £30,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham to his current owners.

Sumtin Nice ran twice in point-to-point, pulling up and unseating her rider, but she earned a place at stud as she is a half-sister to the Thyestes Chase winner Dun Doire (Leading Counsel), and he also won a Grade 3 chase at Cheltenham.

Last week Sumtin Nice foaled a colt by Jet Away (Cape Cross).

Vanillier (FR)

2015 g. by Martaline (Linamix) out of Virgata (Turgeon). Bred by S C E A Ecurie Haras Des Marais

The second French-bred winner of the week, a second Grade 1, and the second produced by a daughter of Turgeon (Caro). Vanillier sold for €46,000 in Arqana as a foal, Seamus Murphy listed as the purchaser, and he reappeared at the Goffs Land Rover Sale in the Ballincurrig House Stud draft. This time Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock signed the docket at €40,000.

Sent to Sam Curling by Carlyn Hyde, the gelding won a point-to-point at Dromahane at the second time of asking. Now, on just his fifth outing over hurdles, he gained his second and most important win in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, a race won a year ago by Monkfish.

Martaline stood at Haras de Montaigu and he is the sire also of Irish and British Grade 1 winners Disko, We Have A Dream, Very Wood and Dynaste.

Vanillier is the better of the two winners to date from his winning dam, while his grandam Vinca (King Of Macedon) won a listed chase in West Germany about 25 years ago.

Porlock Bay (FR)

2011 g. by Kayf Tara (Sadler’s Wells) out of Exolthir (Muhathir). Bred by John Studd

John Studd owns and bred Porlock Bay who won five times over jumps in France, trained by Francois Nicolle who is also mentioned on this page as the man who started the career of Quixilios.

Now Porlock Bay has added to his point-to-point success since coming back to England by capturing the Foxhunters – renamed this year with no amateur riders.

Studd raced Porlock Bay’s dam Exolthir and she won over nine furlongs as a three-year-old in France. Her grandam Spectacular Joke (Spectacular Bid) won the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Gheest (now a Group 1) and bred the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Amonita (Anabaa).

Colreevy (IRE)

2013 f. by Flemensfirth (Alleged) out of Poetics Girl (Saddlers’ Hall). Bred by N Flynn

Niall Flynn’s home-bred Colreevy is a real superstar and she became the eighth winning mares at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival when she won a brilliant inaugural Grade 2 chase for mares. This was the 20th win for an Irish-bred at the meeting. Colreevy is already a dual Grade 1 winner, talking the Champion INH Flat Race at Punchestown two years ago for Niall and his family at Five Naughts Stud, and adding the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick at Christmas.

She is the fourth foal and one of five winners for Poetics Girl, and her siblings include the 2018 Grade A Munster National winner Spider Web. Poetics Girl’s half-brother Snap Tie won a Grade 3 hurdle race and was third in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Poetics Girl is a daughter of Aries Girl who was runner-up in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle when it was run at Fairyhouse. Colreevy’s third dam Ravaro won the Irish Cesarewitch, a number of listed hurdle races and was runner-up in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Galopin Des Champs (FR)

2016 g. by Timos (Sholokhov) out of Manon Des Champs (Marchand De Sable). Bred by G A E C Des Champs

A winner at Auteuil for trainer Arnaud Chaille-Chaille on his only start in France, in May of last year, Galopin Des Champs has always had a great reputation, but his bare form figures heading into the final race of Cheltenham 2021 might not have looked as smart as they should – 2P6.

Now he is a Cheltenham winner, and he is by some way the best runner in his family for generations, apart from his full-sister Flute Des Champs (Timos) who won a listed chase at Auteuil in 2019. Their sire is a little-known listed winner but a son of Sholokhov who had two Grade 1 winners this week.

Last year French-bred horses won 11 races at the Festival, Now, 12 months on, Galopin Des Champs was their fourth.