SOLDIER'S PROMISING SON
Runaway Irish Derby hero Soldier Of Fortune (by Galileo) has sired some top-level flat winners from his South American crops, but with his early European-born offspring failing to yield as many blacktype horses as might have been hoped, his switch to the National Hunt ranks was inevitable.
The former French-based stallion will begin his third season at Beeches Stud in barely three months time, and another big book looks guaranteed, especially if he gets more talented jumpers like Early Doors.
The Joseph O'Brien-trained four-year-old was bred, in France, by Derek Clee, he made a winning debut in a bumper at Punchestown in February, was third in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper at the same venue, made a winning debut over hurdles at Wexford last month, and then went to Naas last Saturday.
There he beat Meri Devi by two lengths to take the Grade 3 Fishery Lane Hurdle over two miles, and it is no surprise to find that this gelding holds an entry in next month's Grade 1 Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
Early Doors is a half-brother to several flat winners, including the 10 and a half-furlong listed scorer Landym (by Lando), and he is out of Ymlaen (by Desert Prince), a winning half-sister to the blacktype-placed hurdler Conclave (by Key Of Luck), who stayed three miles.
His grandam, Dathuil (by Royal Academy), is a half-sister to the Group 1-placed stakes winner Luminata (by Indian Ridge), and the next dam is Smaoineamh (by Tap On Wood), a stakes winning daughter of Fanghorn (by Crocket).
That mare is the ancestor of many top-class and other talented flat horses – over a variety of distances – and they include Soldier Of Fortune, which makes Early Doors inbred 6x4 to that mare.
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GRADE 2 FOR TEOFILO SON
Juvenile champion and classic sire Teofilo (by Galileo) is a star member of the team at Kildangan Stud and, like all good flat sires, he can be expected to get some notable winners under National Hunt rules too.
Usually for one of his offspring, London Prize began his career bumpers, scoring by nine lengths at Worcester on his debut.
He began his flat career 12 months later, and has won three from eight in that sector, now rated 102 after his second-place finish in the Betfred Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket last month.
That mark suggests that he may be up to performing with credit in stakes company on the level next season, possibly even in the Cup races.
Over obstacles, however, he won the Grade 3 Imperial Cup at Sandown in March and, at Wincanton on Saturday, he added the Grade 2 Unibet Elite Hurdle.
London Prize is an 80,000gns Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale graduate who returned to the ring three years later where he made £70,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Horses-in-Training and Point-to-Point Sale.
He was bred by P and Mrs A G Venner, he is trained by Ian Williams, and he is one of four blacktype earners out of Zibet (by Kris).
His half-sister Jathabah (by Singspiel) was runner-up in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy, Fragrancy (by Singspiel) is the stakes-placed dam of pattern-placed seven-furlong listed scorer Pelerin (by Shamardal), and prolific chase winner Categorical (by Diktat) was runner-up in the Listed John Smith's Handicap Chase over the Mildmay course at Aintree.
Zibet, in turn, is out of Zonda (by Fabulous Dancer), who earned her blacktype when finishing a remote third to subsequent Group 1 star and classic sire Selkirk in a listed contest at Kempton, and so is a half-sister to the multiple stakes-placed Zoning (by Warning), who finished fourth to King's Best in the Group 1 2000 Guineas.
This is a branch of the family of the brilliant triple classic heroine Oh So Sharp (by Kris) and of her classic-winning grandson and notable sire son Shantou (by Alleged), among many others of note.
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MENGLI A RISING STAR FOR VEGA
Good flat sires almost always get a few talented jumpers too and Ballylinch Stud's young dual classic hero Lope De Vega (by Shamardal), who already has six Group 1 winners to his name, is also responsible for Grade 3 For Auction Novice Hurdle scorer Mengli Khan.
The stud also bred this talented four-year-old and they sold him for 150,000gns from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
He was among the market leaders though unplaced in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at two, ultimately won two of his seven starts on the flat – including his only outing on polytrack – and joined the all-conquering Gordon Elliott team after making 155,000gns at last year's Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale.
Sunday's promising performance took his record over hurdles to two wins from four starts and he holds an entry in next month's Grade 1 Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
Mengli Khan is out of Danielli (by Danehill), which makes him a half-brother to the tragically ill-fated juvenile champion and dual Group/Grade 1 heroine Chriselliam (by Iffraaj) and a full-brother to Very Special, the triple Group 2 star who chased home Alice Springs in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes last year.
His dam was only placed, but she is a daughter of Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes winner Ingabelle (by Taufan) and so is a half-sister to the Group 1-winning fillies Priory Belle (by Priolo) and Eva's Request (by Soviet Star).
Hurdling is certainly not what would have been in mind when Mengli Khan was born – he is bred to be a top-class performer at a mile to 10 furlongs – but it is where his talent seems to lie, and he could become yet another National Hunt Grade 1 scorer to carry the famous Gigginstown House Stud colours.
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KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN
The Tom Mullins-trained Oscar Knight is now a dual Grade B winner following his victory in the prestigious Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle at Naas on Saturday.
He beat Glenloe by a length and a quarter in the two and a half-mile feature, 11 months after his six and a half-length defeat of Ball D'Arc – who won the Grade 3 Poplar Square Chase at on the same Naas card – in the Foxrock Handicap Chase at Navan.
The eight-year-old is, as his name would suggest, a son of Oscar (by Sadler's Wells), a long-time star on the Grange Stud roster and a prolific sire of top-class hurdlers and chasers.
He was bred by Olive O'Driscoll, he is a €45,000 of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, and he is out of Cool Supreme (by Supreme Leader), who ran in a few point-to-points.
Her half-brother, Noplanofaction (by Be My Native), won a Grade 2 bumper at Chepstow, her dam was unplaced on the flat and over hurdles, and that mare, Creative Music (by Creative Plan), was out of Listed Ballycorus Stakes third Broomfield Ceili (by Northfields).
What makes that older mare notable is that her six successful offspring included the prolific pair Native Field (by By My Native) and Saceili (by Saher), and the latter became the dam of the blacktype-placed staying chaser Atavistic (by Architect).
Broomfield Ceili is also the third dam of Grade A Munster National winner and Grade A Kerry National third Shanpallas (by Golan).
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CLARCAM A SHINING ADVERT FOR CALIFET
The first Irish-conceived crop by Boardsmill Stud stallion Califet (by Freedom Cry) will only turn three in January, but with the results achieved from his earlier French-born offspring, there should be plenty to look forward to as they reach the track.
French Grade 1 star Blue Dragon is his chief headliner, for now, but the roll of honour is ably backed up by horses of the calibre of Bamako Moriviere, Ziga Boy, last season's Punchestown Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle star Cilaos Emery, and, of course, Clarcam.
A Grade 1 winner at Leopardstown and Aintree as a novice chaser, the Gordon Elliott-trained gelding won the Grade 2 TheTote.com Fortria Chase over two miles at Navan on Sunday.
He carries the famous Gigginstown House Stud colours, he was bred by Jean Michel and Dominique Le Breton, and he is the best of several winners out of Rose Beryl (by Lost World).
That mare, a winner over fences in France, is out of blacktype-winning chaser Rose Angevine (by Master Thatch) and that makes her a half-sister to Bonbon Rose (by Mansonnien), a Grade 1-winning chaser and successful National Hunt sire.
It can surely be expected that Califet, whose foals have made up to €40,000 in Fairyhouse this week, will receive another triple-digit book in 2018.