He was one of the best four-year-olds in Europe in 2002, when he was rated on 126 in Timeform’s Racehorses annual, after group victories at Saint-Cloud and Longchamp were followed by a close fourth in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Starting his stud career in France, he has sired a group winner on the flat and six blacktype winners over hurdles and fences.

It has not taken long for Califet’s success as a sire of top jumpers in France to be recognised in Ireland and in England. This season Willie Mullins has trained the top-rated filly Analifet to win a juvenile hurdle at Punchestown and then to score in the Grade 3 Bar-One Racing Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse in December. Calipto, a son of Califet, won at Newbury on his English debut last November, having already been second in the Listed Prix Finot Hurdle in France. Another smart hurdler in Ireland by Califet is Gordon Elliott’s Clarcam, who besides winning at Thurles has been second in a Grade 2 hurdle at Leopardstown and third to Analifet in the Grade 3 Fairyhouse race.