A NEW arrival from France at Alastair Pim’s Anngrove Stud is Vendangeur, who has come to join Aiken and Tobougg.
Bred and raced by the Wildenstein family and trained by Elie Lellouche, Vendangeur was a high-class stayer who scored in a Group 2 event at Longchamp and was placed in three other blacktype races. This handsome son of Galileo has already started to make a name for himself as a sire of jumpers, with a Grade 1 chaser to his credit.
Vendangeur raced only as a three-year-old when he was never out of the money in seven starts. His first win came in the Prix Bend Or at Saint-Cloud, but he was soon racing in top company and he was second in both the Listed Prix Pelleas at Chantilly and the Listed Prix de Reux at Deauville. In the Group 3 Prix de Lutece at Longchamp he was second to Getaway, but his finest hour came in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay over 15 furlongs at Longchamp’s Arc Meeting, beating a good class field in the third fastest time recorded in that race, with Getaway third.
There have already been several talented jumpers in Ireland and Britain that were sired by Vendangeur. His son Arzal led all the way to win the Grade 1 Manifesto Chase at last year’s Grand National meeting by eight lengths, beating L’Ami Serge and the recent Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Sizing John. Sadly, Arzal died since then.
Two good recent winners for Vendangeur are Barra, saddled by Gordon Elliott to win a Fairyhouse maiden hurdle by 12 lengths and finish second in the Grade 2 Dawn Run Hurdle at Cheltenham, and Chateau Conti, impressive winner of a maiden hurdle at Cork for Willie Mullins after winning two bumpers in France. Cirano De Sivola scored in a bumper at Warwick, while Cyrius Moriviere and Baratineur are both very useful hurdlers,
A son of the multiple leading sire Galileo, Vendangeur also comes from an outstanding female family. His dam Vahine never raced but she is dam of six winners, including Three French Hens, whose four wins included the Listed Dallmayr Coupe Lukull in Munich.
Vahine was a half-sister to Vin De France, winner of the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois, and also Vacarme who won the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury and became quite successful as a stallion. Their dam Virunga was a top class racemare who won the Group 3 Prix de Malleret and was third in the Group 1 Prix de Diane. Virunga is the ancestress of no less than seven Group 1 stars.
Top rated 3yr old stayer in France in 2006. Won two races, £95,276, from 1 mile 2 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs, at 3 years including, Prix Hubert de Chaudenay Casino Barriere, Longchamp, Gr.2, also placed second in Prix de Lutece, Longchamp, Gr.3, Prix Pelleas, Chantilly, L, Prix de Reux, Deauville, L
Retired to stud in France in 2008, in Ireland in 2017, and sire of the winners of 17 races, and £152,252 and sire of the winners of 23 races, and £519,517 under N.H. Rules, including ARZAL (FR), Barra (FR), etc.
Stands at: Anngrove Stud, Mountmellick, Co Laois, Ireland
Contact: Alastair Pim
Telephone: +353 (0)57 862 4122
Email: anngrovestud@eircom.net
Fee: €3,500