PRESENTING had yet another big race winner at the weekend when Snow Falcon booked his place at the Cheltenham Festival with victory in the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle at Navan.

He is a horse with an outstanding jumping pedigree and one that would be fitting for a winner at Prestbury Park.

Snow Falcon is the only produce of the Kahyasi mare Flocon De Neige (the French for snowflake) and she ran once without troubling the judge.

However her place at stud was guaranteed when her older sister Lina Drop, a daughter of Trempolino, became a Grade 1 winner over hurdles in France.

That victory in the Prix Alain du Breil Hurdle for four-year-olds was one of two graded wins over jumps and she was runner-up in the Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier Hurdle.

Lina Drop and Flocon De Neige are out of the Triumph Hurdle winner Snow Drop.

She also won the Grade 2 Adonis Hurdle and was a Grade 3 winner in France. She is one of a select group of Grade 1 winners over jumps to breed one also.

Snow Drop was the best of three winners for her Mandalus dam Niffy Nora, a listed hurdle winner in France as well as winning a point-to-point in Ireland.

Niffy Nora also bred the listed hurdle winner Holy Joe, by Pharly, and he was twice runner-up in the Grade 3 Prix du President de la Republique Chase.

Niffy Nora’s sisters produced three blacktype winners over jumps, the Cheltenham Festival winner The Wicketkeeper, the Grade 2 French chase winner Rubissimo and the listed hurdle winner La Zingarella.

The latter is a daughter of Phardante and she is the dam of last year’s Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle winner L’Ami Serge and the stakes-placed Sizing Codelco, most recently second to Shaneshill at Naas over fences.

Another smart jumper from the immediate family is the Grade 3 Florida Pearl Novice Chase winner Thegreatjohnbrowne.

Snow Falcon has the pedigree to win at Cheltenham and no one will be shouting for him more than his breeder Sean Gorman who sold him as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland for €42,000.

Noel Meade and Mags O’Toole paid €80,000 for him as a three-year-old at the Goffs Land Rover Sale.

Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact Leo Powell at leopowell@theirishfield.ie and visit our website www.theirishfield.ie with breeding news