WHAT a fantastic Cheltenham it was for the Flood family’s Boardsmill Stud, with three of their four stallions siring Grade 1 winners there. Court Cave’s son Willoughby Court scored in the Neptune, while Fayonagh won the Champion Bumper for his sire Kalanisi.

Then just after the Cheltenham Gold Cup the new arrival at Boardsmill Stud, Mount Nelson, completed a remarkable treble when his son Penhill ran away with the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Spa Hurdle. Penhill had won five times on the flat before switching to hurdles, in which sphere he has now won six of his eight starts, which also include the Grade 2 Guinness Hurdle at Limerick and the Grade 3 Joe Mac Hurdle at Tipperary.

Mount Nelson covered at Newsells Park Stud in England for his first eight seasons, so he has had runners for five years and has sired winners of more than €5,000,000 in prize money.

He had eight individual European stakes winners in 2016 and among his best performers are Berkshire, successful in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, Highlands Queen who won the Group 2 Prix de Pomone at Deauville, the Group 2 Union Rennen star Boscaccio in Germany and Purr Along, a group victress at both The Curragh and Deauville. Over hurdles Mount Nelson is already sire of two other smart performers, Allee Bleue and Trafalgar Rock, in addition to Penhill, so he really is an ideal dual-purpose stallion.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Mount Nelson was one of the best two-year-olds of 2006, the joint fourth top-rated in Europe. Second on his debut, he then won a maiden race at the Curragh by six lengths in a huge field of 29 runners before travelling to Saint-Cloud for the Group 1 Criterium International, in which he defeated the recent Prix des Chenes winner Spirit One and Yellowstone. Unfortunately Mount Nelson then had a setback which prevented him from running in the 2007 classics.

Back to his best as a four-year-old, Mount Nelson was third in a group race at Chantilly, then was a very close fifth in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot before finishing very fast to win the Group 1 Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park from Phoenix Tower. His only other race was the Grade 1 Arlington Million in the USA, in which he was a close third to his old rival Spirit One and Archipenko.

One of the best of the 113 stakes winners sired by champion miler Rock Of Gibraltar, Mount Nelson is a half-brother to the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes winner Monitor Closely. Their dam Independence was a top-class racemare whose wins included the Group 2 Sun Chariot Stakes and the Group 3 Matron Stakes at the Curragh.

Jt 4th top rated 2yr old in Europe in 2006. Won three races, £459,136, from 7 furlongs to 1 mile 2 furlongs, 2 to 4 years including, Coral Eclipse Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.1, Criterium International, Saint-Cloud, Gr.1, also placed third in Arlington Million Stakes, Arlington International, Gr.1, Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord, Chantilly, Gr.3.

Retired to stud in 2009, and sire of the winners of 327 races, and £4,293,324, including BOSCACCIO (GER), HIGHLANDS QUEEN (FR), BERKSHIRE (IRE), EMERALD STAR (GB), PURR ALONG (GB), ELBERETH (GB), MALEFICENT QUEEN (GB), MOUNTAIN BELL (GB), STRAWBERRY MARTINI (GB), WELTMACHT (GB), HOLY MOLY (GB), REINE MAGIQUE (GB), SPECIAL MEANING (GB), VOLUME (GB), MOHAVE PRINCESS (AUS), NINJAGO (GB), HORS DE COMBAT (GB), ROMANTIC SETTINGS (GB), BAZ (FR), BLACK CHERRY (GB), DOGMA (FR), MAJEED (GB), JADEL (GB), GIVE WAY NELSON (IRE), PALAWAN (GB), ROOM KEY (GB), ORSELLO (GER), LULY NELSON (ARG), STROLL PATROL (GB), IZA (ARG), MAYBELATER (GB), ALFAJER (GB), SLIPPERS BEST (GB). Also sire of the winners of 27 races, and £273,777 under N.H. Rules, including PENHILL (GB)

Stands at: Boardsmill Stud, Trim, Co Meath, Ireland

Telephone: +353 (0) 87 9066772

Contact: William Flood or John Flood

Email: info@boardsmillstud.com

Web: www.boardsmillstud.com

Fee: €4,500