MY report on last year’s Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale contains the following piee.

“Gordon Elliott also bought Stellar Story, for £310,000. Produced by Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables in association with Rob James, he is a Shantou full-brother to The Storyteller, whom Elliott trained to win 11 races, including two Grade 1 chases. ‘We were very lucky with the brother,’ said the trainer. ‘This is a proper big chaser in the making; not sure who he is for yet.’

“Stellar Story was a graduate of the Goffs Land Rover Sale where he cost €60,000. He made amends for unseating James at Kildorrery when winning at Castlelands earlier this week.”

Now we know that Stellar Story was for Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, that he remains a horse for the future, but in the meanwhile he was won two of his three starts in bumpers, starting with one at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day, and adding to it with victory at Naas in the Nursery Of Champions (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race.

Stellar Story is the fifth racecourse winner for his dam, the Bob Back (Roberto) mare Bally Bolshoi, and the fourth to be sired by Shantou (Alleged). He was bred by Stephen Lanigan-O’Keeffe, together with Devon-based Rowena Cotton. The back story is well worth repeating, as related to me by Lanigan-O’Keeffe.

Breed eventers

Three decades ago Stephen purchased Betty’s Girl (Menelek) from Hugh Williams. A point-to-point winner who won two chases in England, she was a consistent mare who was also placed many times. Her new owner’s intention was to breed eventers from her. At the time of her purchase Betty’s Girl was carrying a filly, later named Moscow Money (Moscow Society), and that mare produced a few winners, one of whom we will mention later.

Betty’s Girl then embarked on her intended career for Stephen and produced Demi Tasse (Quidam De Revel), Sam Watson’s junior European event horse and also a five-star showjumper for Jessica Kuerten. At the age of 18, Betty’s Girl was sold to England and the foal she was carrying, Back Among Friends (Bob Back), became her sole winner on the track.

One of the two winners from the aforementioned Moscow Money was Bally Bolshoi, and Stephen sold her to his friend Rowena Cotton. She won a couple of hurdle races in England before returning to Kilkenny where she has been a hugely successful broodmare for Rowena and Stephen. Her first seven foals have seen six make the racecourse and five of them are winners. Winner of a pair of Grade 1 chases, The Storyteller (Shantou) is the standout.

Investment rewarded

Rowena is a particular fan of the Goffs Land Rover Sale and in 2014 she sold then then three-year-old The Storyteller to Kevin Ross Bloodstock for €67,000. That investment has been well rewarded since and the gelding was winning for the eleventh time when he won the Champion Chase at Down Roya in 2020. He previously won the Grade 1 Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown, while two years earlier he was victorious at the Cheltenham Festival when winning a Grade 3 chase.

Four of the five winners out of Bally Bolshoi are by the former Burgage Stud sire Shantou. Bally Bolshoi has a couple of young stock by other Burgage sires, Sea Moon (Beat Hollow) and Jukebox Jury (Montjeu). While The Storyteller is unquestionably the best runner in the family, Stephen is keen to point out that another branch of the family produced the outstanding hunter-chaser Elegant Lord (Lord Ha Ha). That gelding’s 13 wins included the Christies Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham and eight point-to-points.