IL EST FRANCAIS (FR) (2018 g. by Karaktar ex Millesimee, by Video Rock)

Already hailed as the next Kauto Star, the Grade 1-winning hurdler Il Est Francais travelled from France to England and conquered his rivals to land the Grade 1 novices’ chase run at Kempton in honour of that former star from the Paul Nicholls’ yard.

In winning the Kempton feature, Il Est Francais took his unbeaten run over fences to three, having already landed the Listed Prix Fondeur Chase at Auteuil. His five victories over hurdles included a stunning success in the Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier 4yo Hurdle, again at Auteuil. Connections are already talking about a challenge for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in 2025, but first they want to win the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

Winner of the Group 3 Prix du Prince d’Orange and Prix Noailles, the Aga Khan-bred Karaktar (High Chaparral) looks set for stardom in the French stallion ranks. Il Est Francais is a member of his first crop, while another rising star is his daughter Kala Conti who won the Grade 2 juvenile hurdle at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.

For good measure, his son Joyau Du Thaix opened his winning account at the second time of asking for Paul Nolan at Limerick. Karaktar stands at Haras de Cercy and will cost breeders €12,000 to use in 2024, a long way from his starting fee of €2,000 in 2017.

Bred ay Haras de Saint-Voir, Il Est Francais is the ninth and final produce of the Video Rock (No Lute) mare Millesimee. Eight of those ran and all have won. The best of the rest, Un Beau Matin (Sagamix), was a listed winner over jumps in France before moving to Gordon Elliott’s yard. There he won twice and was placed four times in graded hurdle races, made a winning debut over fences but was fatally injured next time out.

IRISH POINT (FR) (2018 g. by Joshua Tree ex Burkina, by Fragrant Mix)

Not eligible for blacktype in our catalogues, Irish Point won a Grade 1 race at three over jumps in France for AQPS horses. However, he is now a dual Grade 1 winner over hurdles, following his victories at Aintree in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, and over Christmas at Leopardstown in the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle.

Bred by a partnership of four, Irish Point is the first foal of a mare who won on the flat at three and over jumps at five in France. She is currently in foal to Joshua Tree (Montjeu) and expecting a full-sibling to the Gordon Elliott-trained star. One of her other two offspring is an unraced two-year-old named Major Tree (Joshua Tree).

In terms of French races for AQPS horses, there is quite a lot of blacktype in the pedigree of Irish Point, though it all happens under the gelding’s fourth dam Judelle (Laniste). However, for the sake of our catalogue pages she is the dam of a pair of listed chase winners in France, Socrate III (Quart De Vin) and Gabion (Bayolidaan), and she is grandam of the Grade 3 hurdle winner Rameur (Shaanmer).

Joshua Tree is based at Haras du Grand Courgeon and this year his fee is €5,000, double what it was in 2023 and the highest it has ever been. Irish breeders will remember Joshua Tree from his two seasons at Kilbarry Lodge Stud in 2019 and 2020. His first four crops now include at least one blacktype winner.

As a racehorse, Joshua Tree made the Grade 1 Canadian International Stakes his own, winning it three times in four years, and finishing second on the other occasion. At two he had Vale Of York back in third when wining the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, then trained by Aidan O’Brien. He had four trainers during his career, and won in Woodbine for both Marco Botti and Ed Dunlop.

JANGO BAIE (FR) (2019 g. by Tiger Groom ex Tenessee, by Kapgarde)

The Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle winner Jango Baie was bred in France, but the twice he has been sold were in Ireland and England.

Yet another potential star to advertise the prowess of the Bleahen brothers, he was sold from Lakefield Farm for just €30,000 to Matt Gahan at the Tattersalls Ireland May Sale at three, and was beaten less than a length on his sole point-to-point start for Michael Goff.

Bought for £170,000 a year ago at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale by JP McGrath Bloodstock, he is now unbeaten in two hurdling starts for Nicky Henderson, and becomes just the seventh blacktype winner for his sire Tiger Groom (Arazi), a Grade 3 hurdle winner in France who was runner-up in a pair of Grade 1 contests. He stood down from stud duties last year.

His other winners include the Grade 1-winning chaser Ar Mad, and Daly Tiger who was a smart performer here for Noel Meade. In France he got another Grade 1 winner over fences.

Unusually in French pedigrees, Jango Baie’s dam Tenessee was unplaced in eight starts over jumps, once earning a few euro for finishing fifth of six runners in a chase. From four runners at stud she is responsible for a pair of winners, but her son Jango Baie has lifted the family to a new level. Tenessee’s five winning siblings includes the listed-placed chaser Rhode Island (Crillon), and the only other blacktype on the pedigree page appears under the Grade 1 winner’s fourth dam.

Jango Baie was bred in partnership by André-Jean Belloir, Benoit Grosfils and Philippe Ouvry. They will be hoping that Jango Baie can be even half as good at the 2022 Tolworth Hurdle winner, Constitution Hill.

STATE MAN (FR) (2017 g. by Doctor Dino ex Arret Station, by Johann Quatz)

Can State Man step up on his comprehensive defeat by Constitution Hill in last year’s Grade 1 Champion Hurdle and be the one to dethrone the superstar? The Willie Mullins-trained gelding notched up his ninth success over hurdles at Leopardstown when winning the December Hurdle for the second year running.

State Man already has three ‘champion’ hurdle victories under his belt, but the one that matters most is in March. Six of those nine wins have been at Grade 1 level, seven in graded races, and his winnings have topped £750,000.

He just one of many racing stars for Doctor Dino (Muhtathir) who is also sire of Dinoblue. State Man is, along with seven-time Grade 1 winner Sharjah and Sceau Royal the best offspring of his sire.

State Man is the second Grade 1 winner out of Arret Station, a daughter of Johann Quatz (Sadler’s Wells). The other is his half-sister, another Willie Mullins inmate, Statuaire (Muhtathir), and she was victorious in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

State Man and Statuaire were both bred by Vincent Barrett’s ML Bloodstock, and he raced their dam, having purchased her for €13,000. Arret Station won a listed hurdle race at Auteuil at the age of three, and later added a win over fences at the age of six. Arret Station is the dam of a third winner in Stop Line (Martaline), and she was placed in a listed hurdle race at Auteuil.

Arret Station’s younger own-brother, Pull Marine (Johann Quatz), is a three-time winner over jumps, while their unraced half-sister, Danseur Sur La Lune (Dano-Mast), purchased for just €2,000 as a three-year-old, has bred three winners headed by the seven-time scorer, Le Meteque (Early March). Their dam Alicesprings (Pelder) won five races on the flat and was one of five winners for her own winning dam, Cyrning (Saint Cyrien).