Celebrating stories, not nations

RIVALRY BETWEEN NATIONS has long been a hallmark of the Cheltenham Festival. However, while counting the number of winners trained by each nation is one thing, from a bloodstock angle, the venture becomes rather more futile. The records will show that the 2023 meeting yielded 13 winners foaled in France, 12 in Ireland and three in Britain. Things become a little less clear cut when we take a closer look at the sires’ roll of honour for the Festival.

Former residents of France are now based in Ireland, some began their careers in France, stood briefly in Britain, then moved on to Ireland, some have changed locations several times within their home nation, and the occasional one has stood at one stud his whole career. A number are, of course, dead, and still others have departed for more foreign shores. Their progeny may have been foaled in one country, sold in another, won a point-to-point in another, perhaps moved again to be trained, sold for a second or third time at a different venue.

Is it too much to venture that instead of trying to reduce four days of superlative action into feudal lines, we simply celebrate the stories and the achievements?

Perhaps the first point of note this year was the lack of domination by any one stallion. It took until the second-last race of the entire Festival for a stallion to be responsible for more than one winner.

The sire in question was the late, and deeply lamented, Shantou, who scored a double on the day, kicking off with Stay Away Fay in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (G1), and following up two hours later with Impervious, who landed the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (G2).

Sixth in the Grade 2 Mares’ Novices Hurdle over 2m1f at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, Impervious has been on an upward curve since winning on her chasing debut at Wexford at the end of October. Since then, the seven-year-old has won in Grade 2 company at Cork, before landing a Grade 3 at Punchestown in January on her last start before the Festival.

At six, Stay Away Fay is a year younger and was making only his fourth start, and third under Rules, in the Albert Bartlett.

Winner of a Lingstown point-to-point in December 2021 before changing hands for £305,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale, he made a winning hurdles debut at Newbury in November,before finishing runner-up in the River Don Novices’ Hurdle (G2) at Doncaster in January.

It is also worth noting that Stay Away Fay capped another great week for agent Tom Malone, who not only purchased the gelding, but also bought the Festival Grade 1 winners Envoi Allen and Stage Star, as well as the cross-country chase victor Delta Work and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (G1) runner-up Bravemansgame.

With so many sires responsible for individual winners, Saint Des Saints can be anointed the most successful sire of the meeting.

The Haras de la Tuilerie (jumps base for Haras d’Etreham) inmate saw only one of his progeny in the winners’ enclosure – Gaillard Du Mesnil in the National Hunt Challenge Cup (G2) – but his daughters produced the first three home in the Arkle Challenge Cup (G1) with El Fabiolo (Spanish Moon) leading in Jonbon (Walk In The Park) and Saint Roi (Coastal Path).

In addition, he was also damsire of the Ryanair Chase (G1) hero Envoi Allen (Muhtathir), as well as the Grand Annual Challenge Cup victor Maskada, the latter a winner for his grandsire’s stud mate Masked Marvel.

Only one other stallion did the double of having a winner as both a sire and damsire –Midnight Legend.

On Thursday, You Wear It Well made all to triumph in the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle for Jamie Snowden and Gavin Sheehan. The six-year-old, out of the Listed-winning hurdler Annie’s Answer (Flemensfirth), hails from the final crop of her sire, who died in 2016.

Just under three hours earlier, another daughter of the late Pitchall Farm Stud stallion, the Grade 2 winner Sparky May, was responsible for Stage Star (Fame And Glory), who made up for having been pulled up in last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (G1) by skipping clear to triumph in the Turners Novices’ Chase (G1) over 2m4f.

Over the course of four days of stellar performances over all distances, it is difficult to single out stars, but no-one could argue that the opening day gave us two winners from the very top drawer of the game.

Constitution Hill had a massive reputation to protect when he arrived at the tapes for the Champion Hurdle (G1), but the son of Blue Bresil carved his name among the list of hurdling legends by annihilating his rivals by 9l, taking his unbeaten record to six under Rules.

Ironically, his margin of victory at the Cheltenham Festival was his smallest to date, but the manner of Constitution Hill’s victory left no doubt as to the superlative talent we are lucky enough to witness.

Given the growing dominance of his sire, the Glenview Stud-based Blue Bresil, on the racecourse and in the sales ring in recent times, it was perhaps a little surprising that the sire was not represented by another winner. However, having covered significant books since his move to Ireland in 2020, he is another sire sure to be celebrating top level winners at Prestbury Park for many years to come.

Another sire who has large numbers of Irish-conceived runners making their way onto the racecourse is Walk In The Park.

Already sire of three Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival winners from his French-bred crops, as well as last year’s Champion Bumper (G1) winner Facile Vega from his Irish-conceived runners, the Grange Stud resident has made a massive impact in the sales ring as well as the racecourse and finally has the numbers to back up his reputation, since his move to Ireland in 2016.

Although not among the winners at this year’s Festival, but responsible for two Grade 1 runners-up in Jonbon and Facile Vega, Walk In The Park has scored one important victory this spring as the first date for the now-retired, legendary mare Honeysuckle.

It brought the nine-year-old’s Festival story full circle as she scored in the same race she won for the first time in 2020, prior to her two Champion Hurdle victories.

The mare may have returned to a silent winners’ enclosure following the first of her Champion Hurdle successes in the Covidravaged Festival of 2021, but the memory of her rapturous reception will live long in the memory, with not a dry eye in the house as she and Rachael Blackmore returned to the hallowed circle.

Staying on a female theme, it may be noteworthy that only one stallion sired more than one winner, but it is surely even more so that one mare was responsible for two winners.

Her second foal is the Network gelding Delta Work, a five-time Grade 1 winner and now successful three times at the Cheltenham Festival, having this year won the crosscountry chase for the second time, adding to his 2018 victory in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (G3) in 2018.

Bred by Charles and Jean-Francois Magnien, his younger brother Jazzy Matty (Doctor Dino) upheld family honour on the opening day of the meeting when scoring by a neck in a hard-won finish to the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

Their dam got her week off to a good start when her five-year-old son Inneston, a full-brother to Jazzy Matty, was runnerup in the Grade 3 novices’ handicap hurdle final at Sandown. Robbe is also responsible for the Grade 2-placed Elwood (Martaline), the Leinster National winner Cap York (Ballingarry), and has a two-year-old by Rail Link waiting in the wings.

As noted earlier, many of the sires on this year’s roll of honour have stood at multiple locations during their careers. However, the furthest-flung currently is surely the stallion responsible for the first winner of the week, the former Kildangan Stud resident French Navy, who sired the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (G1) victor Marine Nationale.

The Grade 3-winning son of Shamardal was one of four stallions introduced at stud as part of the Darley Club. That offer saw breeders pay up front for a single nomination and those who subsequently sent a mare for free for the following three seasons received a lifetime breeding right.

French Navy now resides at Jai Govind stud in India, so Marine Nationale’s second Grade 1 success will not have European breeders beating a path to his door, but breeder John O’Connor of Ballykelly Stud can celebrate a shrewd bit of breeding.