THE Grade 1 heroes of the opening day of the 2015 Punchestown Festival were reviewed here before, but there was also an impressive winning performance from a gelding who was making his racecourse debut.

Petit Mouchoir was bred in France by Philip Gueret and he first caught the public eye when making €100,000 at last year’s Goffs Landrover Sale in Kill.

In February he made a winning debut in a three mile point-to-point at Kirkistown, and on Tuesday, he scooped the €59,000 first prize with an exciting display in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper INH Flat Race over two miles.

The Gordon Elliott-trained grey is a son of the notably successful dual-purpose stallion Al Namix (by Linamix), who stands at Haras de Mirande. Saphir Du Rheu and Grandouet are two of best performers.

He is the first foal out of the triple French National Hunt scorer Arnette (by Denham Red) and her second foal is a Great Pretender (by King’s Theatre) filly born in 2012.

Arnette is a half-sister to the multiple scorer Kaprice Royale (by Garde Royale), she is one of only three foals out of the flat and dual jumps winner Gashaka (by Cariellor), and her grandam Ironique (by Riverman) is a non-winning full-sister to the dual flat stakes winner and successful broodmare Rivermaid.

HALF-SISTER

That mare gave us the Group 3 Prix de Sandringham winner Only Star (by Nureyev), the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs scorer Movieland (by Nureyev), and the stakes winner Reine Maid (by Mr Prospector), and she is a half-sister to three other blacktype fillies who enjoyed success at stud.

Moika (by Zeddaan) was multiple stakes placed but her son Don Mario (by Dunphy) won the Listed Prix Matchem. Miquette (by Fabulous Dancer) won one listed contest in France, but her daughter Moselle (by Mtoto) won two of them in England.

The most notable of the siblings is Moquerie (by Beaugency), winner of the Group 3 Prix de Pomone and later the dam of four stakes winners one of whom, Quemora (by Riverman), is the grandam of the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale scorer Sirene Doloise (by Marchand De Sable).

All of this blacktype is quite remote from Petit Mouchoir, both in genetic relationship and in aptitude, but with the way that he won on Tuesday, it is easy to imagine to that he could be a potential Grade 1 horse in the making.