CONNETABLE showed promise in a two starts over hurdles in France before joining the Paul Nicholls stable, and following an encouraging British debut, when he chased home Gibralfaro at Ascot last month, he beat older rivals at Sandown on Saturday to take the Listed Betfred Racing “Follow Us On Twitter” Contenders Hurdle over two miles.

Bred by Serge Bathelemy, he is a son of Haras d’Etreham stallion Saint Des Saints (by Cadoudal) and so is by the sire of standouts such as Djakadam, Quel Esprit, Quito De La Roque and Storm Of Saintly.

He is the first foal out of Montbresia (by Video Rock), who won four times on the flat and four times over obstacles in France and so is out of a talented half-sister to the Grade 2-winning chaser Massac (by Garde Royale).

Her siblings also include Mareine (by Epervier Bleu), who won 11 times over jumps, and the five-times scorer Mayence (by Cadoudal).

The grandam of Connetable is the listed chase scorer Mirande (by Tiaia) and that full-sister to listed chase winner Moissac was also a half-sister to Massada (by Kashtan), a four-times winner over jumps in France before becoming a prolific source of successful racehorses at stud.

Her son Montreal (by Chamberlin) won three times over hurdles and five times over fences, earning blacktype when third in the Pertemps Final, and his siblings include the nine-year-old Tour Des Champs (by Robin Des Champs).

The most recent of his four wins over fences came at Chepstow in December, he was third in the Grade 3 BetBright Handicap Chase at Kempton two years ago and third in the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novice Chase 12 months before that, and if you fancy his chances in the upcoming Grade 3 Crabbie’s Grand National at Aintree you can, at the time of writing, get him at around 100/1.

With his pedigree there is every reason to hope that Connetable could be a talented staying chaser some day, but before that time comes there are good prizes to be won with him over the smaller jumps.