Tag: Allaho

“Everyone Is Welcome,” – Opportunity Knocks On La Route Des Etalons

Is it just me or should France be known as the bloodstock land of opportunity? This is the country that saw Wootton Bassett (GB) and Walk In The Park (Ire) pull themselves up by the bootstraps after entering the stud book at relatively modest sums. There are few serious racing nations that provide as much of a chance for a stallion to flourish than France does.
Take Kauto Star (Fr), the greatest staying chaser of the modern era, as an example. He hailed from the largely unheralded Village Star (Fr) but the cream was still provided with the right chance to rise to the top here.

A similar story was shared on one of the final stops of this year's Route des Etalons at Haras de Montaigu as the stud's Mathieu Leffray, along with his brother and father, sourced a mare by the name of Idaho Falls (Fr) for the miserly sum of €500 from the French equivalent of Done Deal.


What has that got to do with anything, you might ask? Because it was Idaho Falls who went on to produce multiple Grade 1-winning chaser Allaho (Fr), the highest-rated son of Haras de Montaigu's No Risk At All (Fr), who played a starring role on the Route des Etalons.

No Risk At All has proven his versatility as a jumps sire given he is also responsible for Champion Hurdle-winning mare Epatante (Fr) and, as he stood proud in the French sunshine, another high-class prospect, Allegorie De Vassy (Fr), hardened her reputation for Cheltenham Festival honours when winning by a street at Thurles.

Opportunity does not just knock for the National Hunt breeder alone at Haras de Montaigu, either, with G1 Prix Morny and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Dabirsim (Fr) new to the roster, as Emma Berry highlighted in her preview of La Route.

Along with the opportunities available to Flat an National Hunt breeders in France, another thing that quickly became apparent whilst touring through Normandie was how interconnected the breeding sector is, with every stud playing host to a foreign-registered vehicle and many of the same faces who toured the Irish Stallion Trail a week previously spotted in attendance.

One man in particular who reported an increased level of international traffic, largely down to young sires Persian King and Hello Youmzain, was Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d'Etreham. A strapping son of Kingman (GB), the French 2,000 Guineas winner Persian King is quite the contrast to the dual Group 1-winning sprinter Hello Youmzain (Fr), but both stallions, whose foals sold well in 2022, compliment each other at stud.

“We have great expectations for them,” de Chambure said. “We put in plenty of work in getting Persian King and Hello Youmzain purchased and then by putting the syndicate together to support them.

“When the foals arrived, it was the first step towards seeing a little bit more of them, and obviously the breeders had high expectations and they've met those expectations so we are very happy.
“Persian King and Hello Youmzain are very different horses. That is also why we took the risk to retire two horses in the same year because they have very different profiles and are from different sire lines.

“The foals also looked different and were what you'd expect from their stallions. We will keep a good eye on them throughout the spring and right up to the yearling sales. That's going to be very important for them and then hopefully they will be spread out among good trainers around Europe. We will be supporting them as well.”

De Chambure added, “The fact that British and Irish breeders can see that these good French sires have appeal to the main pinhookers and trainers in the industry, I think that will give them the confidence to increase their trust in these French stallions on the whole. It has been very positive.”

Etreham also has the first 2-year-olds by City Light (Fr), a smart miler by Siyouni (Fr), to look forward to in 2023 while, interestingly, de Chambure revealed that breeders are now adopting a different approach to the mares they are sending to Almanzor (Fr).

He explained, “City Light has over 90 2-year-olds to run this season and, being a son of Siyouni, there is a bit of a buzz about him. The first reports are positive. His 2-year-olds are quite racey and, by the end of the year, we can expect them to be showing what they can do because they should be 2-year-olds.

“Almanzor has four or five exciting horses who have just turned three. He has an important year ahead of him but I think he has the numbers coming and breeders have adapted in the mares that they have been sending him. We are going to continue to see him improve and his next big horse is just around the corner, I am sure of that.”

That horse could well be the Aga Khan's Rajapour (Ire), unbeaten in three starts at two and, crucially, hailing from the smart Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) mare Raydara (Ire), who is exactly the type de Chambure will be encouraging breeders to send Almonzor going forward.

“We were all a bit surprised that Almanzor had been throwing some size and, from his first crop, we got a few who were a bit big and backward. We all realised that and, even though they were like that, he showed that he can sire a really good horse. They can quicken and they have a turn of foot. Most of the breeders, the mares they have sent him now have a bit more speed and are more short-coupled, and we have seen the difference in the progeny.”

a half an hour down the road from Etreham, some of the finest National Hunt sires standing in France were on show Haras de la Hetraie , including Gold Cup-producing Kapgarde (Fr), whose Fakir D'Oudaires (Fr) took the feature G2 Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles on Sunday.

The sire of last year's Gold Cup hero A Plus Tard (Fr) was joined in parade by fellow accomplished National Hunt stallion Great Pretender (Ire), best known for being the sire of Benie Des Dieux (Fr) and Greaneteen (Fr).

But it wasn't all about the stallions at Haras de la Hetraie, as not only did the stud offer top-notch entertainment when For Fun (Fr) lived up to his name by trying his hardest to break away from his handler, but the spread on offer was not bettered on the trip.

If it's French onion soup made by the boss himself, Pascal Noue, a fine selection of cured meats and enough oysters to feed a small village, Haras de la Hetraie was worth the trip even for those who hadn't got a mare in tow.

However, the majority of the people who made the trip to Sumbe were there in a professional capacity, according to Mathieu Le Forestier, nominations and racing manager at the stud, who reported that a lot of business had been done across the two days.

Easy to see why. Horses like Mishriff (Ire) don't retire to stud very often and, despite the fact that his debut season will be interrupted due to a slight setback, Le Forestier explained how interest in the stallion has not dwindled in the slightest because of it.

He said, “We envisage him covering 140 mares this year, which is a good number. The Prince [Faisal] will send him 35 to 40 mares of his own, which leaves about 100 nominations in Mishriff. “There have been virtually no cancellations from breeders after we announced his setback and the interest in him did not wane. We expect that he will resume covering on Mar. 15 and we don't see it being a big issue, except maybe for in the case of maiden mares.


“There aren't many alternatives to a horse of the quality Mishriff has in France and we have waited a long time to have a freshman with credentials as good as he has in the stud book here. Selling him is not the hardest job in my life.

“The good thing about Mishriff and Golden Horde (Ire) here at Sumbe is that they do the talking. We have done a lot of business over the past two days. There have not been many passers by and most of the people that have come here have been serious breeders.”

On the 2020 G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde, who stands for €8,000, he added, “Golden Horde has been popular. He'll have good numbers but, most importantly, the right blend of people who breed to race and those who breed to sell have used him. We have 15 yearlings by him that we plan to race and they will be divided up between Andre Fabre, Jean-Claude Rouget, Roger Varian and Clive Cox.”

The sentiments shared by Le Forestier about Mishriff were be echoed by Mathieu Alex at Haras de Beaumont about G1 Qipco Champion S. winner Sealiway, set to stand for €12,000 this season, and very much the pride and joy of Pauline Cheboub's operation.

Asked if there had been much international interest at Haras de Beaumont on Saturday and Sunday, Alex said, “Yes, German, Irish, English, Swedish, Danish, American–we have had plenty of interest. This is business but also, and this is very important, the Route des Etalons gives us a chance to open our doors to the public and the industry needs that. Tourists, neighbors, it doesn't matter, everyone is welcome and we have to open the doors and explain our game. We have to show them that we love our horses. We have a mission.”

He added, “Sealiway was a champion two-year-old, which is extremely important nowadays. He won a Group 1 in England, the Champion S., where he beat three Classic winners, so he is a serious horse for France. That type of horse usually retires somewhere else. This place is for him. If it wasn't for him, none of this would be here. He's an extremely important horse and stallions like him are extremely important for this country. You've seen it with Le Havre (Ire), Siyouni (Fr), Wootton Bassett (GB), the whole country is propped up by them because they attract breeders from abroad. Also, they prop up the sales. So we need stallions like that.

“There has been a short-supply of top-class stallions in France and then we had three or four good ones at the same time. I don't know why that is. Siyouni is getting old, Le Havre is dead and now Wootton Bassett is gone. There is an opening and we need new good ones coming through. French people know that and, without mares, it doesn't matter how good Sealiway is, we need the mares. We are in the process of sorting out the mares for him this year and the important thing is numbers.”

If La Hetraie boasted the best food of the tour, well then the biggest crowd was recorded at Haras de Bonneval, where over 100 people turned out to see Siyouni and co strut their stuff during one of the afternoon sessions on Saturday.

Siyouni may have been the star attraction but Zarak (Fr), one of the hottest properties the country has to offer and set to stand for €60,000 this term, sent tongues wagging. Even Alain De Royer-Dupre turned out to say a few words about his Group 1-winning son of Dubawi (Ire) who has quickly made his mark at stud.


One of the more famous studs in France, Haras de Bouquetot, were provided with an opportunity to showcase some of its newbies, with Galileo Gold (GB) having made the move from Tally-Ho to stand alongside fellow newcomer Thunder Moon (Ire). Armor (GB) should make plenty of appeal to breeders, being a speedy son of No Nay Never, but there was no doubting the star attraction, as Wooded (Ire) wowed everyone in attendance and makes plenty of sense at €12,000.

Whether you are a high-end breeder on the Flat, want to produce the next big jumping star or are in search of a bit of value over both codes, the 2023 Route des Etalons confirms that there is something for everyone in France.

Three takeaways from the Route des Etalons
After a helter-skelter two days touring some of the best studs in France, here are some takeaways from a memorable trip.

Important Newbies
Mathieu Alex obviously has a vested interest in seeing Sealiway succeed but he spoke frankly and honestly about the need for another superstar stallion in France.

Siyouni is obviously operating at his pomp and, if Zarak continues on the trajectory that he is on, he could well take over the mantle but the importance of horses like Sealiway and Mishriff entering the stud book in France cannot be understated. Let's hope they are a success as there is clearly an opening there.

Exciting Times For Haras d'Etreham
Haras de Etreham managed Wootton Bassett from a €6,000 freshman to becoming a €40,000 stallion after just seven seasons before Coolmore swooped in and secured a deal for him to stand in Ireland in 2021 where he stands to this day for a cool €150,000.

Have Etreham uncovered the next Wootton Bassett in either Persian King or Hello Youmzain? That is obviously an exceptionally high bar to aim for but the early signs are promising.

In Persian King, Etreham can offer breeders a quality son of Kingman who has plenty of size while Hello Youmzain is exactly what you'd expect one of the fastest sons of Kodiac to look like.
The first foals by both stallions went down well in 2022, with some notable names signing for the progeny of the two, and it appears as though the future is bright for everyone at the famous French stud.

Dominance Of The Jumps
The dominance of the French-breds over jumps in Britain and Ireland is nothing new and a major highlight of the trip was getting the chance to see Kapgarde and No Risk At All in the flesh.
On Saturday, the Willie Mullins-trained It's For Me (Fr) (Jeu St Eloi {Fr}) shot to the head of the Champion Bumper betting when bolting up in a Navan bumper for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

Jeu St Eloi is more or less an unknown as a stallion in Britain and Ireland, which goes back to the point made about France's ability as a nation to churn out top-class horses time and time again from relatively obscure origins.


Beaumec De Houelle (Fr) could be the next sleeper of a stallion for National Hunt breeders to take note of. One of the only sons of Martaline (GB) to stand in France, he won five of his six starts, including the G1 three-year-old hurdle at Auteuil in 2018.

Of course, jumps horses retiring to stud is nothing new in France, with Balko being another example, whereas it is quite rare in Ireland. Apart from Nickname, few entires have competed at the highest level, although who's to say what heights Sir Eric would have reached had he not suffered a fatal injury.

The French do things differently, that's for sure, and they are all the better for it. The proof, as they say, is in the eating, and there was a lot to digest on this trip.

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12 Questions With Arqana’s Thomas Leffray

What was your first job in the Thoroughbred industry?

I did an internship at Haras de Montaigu about 10 years ago during my school holidays.

The biggest influence on your career?

I have always had the chance to work for great people all over the world that always pushed me to go forward in the industry. Ballylinch Stud has been one of them. I learned everything there, about horses and all industry. They gave me every opportunity to learn.

Favourite racehorse of all time, and why?

It must be Allaho. For a tiny family breeding operation, he is an impossible dream coming true, he has changed our lives.

Who will be champion first-season sire in 2023?

I think Calyx could do well. He is the first son of Kingman to stand at stud and he was an impressive winner of the Coventry S. He comes from a very good Juddmonte family and is closely related to the champion Native Trail.

Greatest race in the world?

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is incredible for anyone who loves National Hunt racing. Nothing compares to the Cheltenham Festival.

If you could be someone else in the industry for a day who would it be, and why?

The master Willie Mullins. I would like to understand all the things he has to think about in a day, but also watch all those champions working at Closutton.

Emerging talent in the industry (human)?

Mark Byrne, the nicest and most interesting young talent. Always smiling and good fun.

Horse TDN should have made a Rising Star, and didn't?

The G1 Fillies Mile winner Commissioning. She won impressively first time out and has the pedigree to go on next year.

Under-the-radar stallion?

A french National Hunt stallion call Karaktar. He is the sire of the unbeaten 4-year-old hurdler in France Il Est Français from his first crop.

Friday night treat?

During winter I always enjoy a nice cheese board with a strong red wine in front of a nice fire.

Guilty pleasure outside of racing?

Rugby, I started it not that long ago, but I really enjoy the atmosphere. I am getting ready for World Cup in France.

Race I wish I had been there for…?

The 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup. That was some battle between Long Run, Kauto Star and Denman.

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Porter Floors ‘Em To Remain King Of The Stayers

CHELTENHAM, UK–Depending on your preference, Thursday at Cheltenham is either Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle day or Ryanair Chase day but either way, on St Patrick's Day each of the Irish-sponsored co-feature races produced a repeat Irish winner.

The one key difference 12 months on was that the owners of Flooring Porter (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) and Allaho (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}) were allowed on course to celebrate in person. And celebrate they did. The huge black-and-white-bedecked entourage that accompanied the dual Stayers' Hurdle winner Flooring Porter made the most of every second of the aftermath of their tough little horse's rousing victory, prompting scenes in the winner's enclosure resembling a pitch invasion as the winning jockey Danny Mullins was carried on the owners' shoulders. 

It was hard not to share in their joy and marvel at the pillar-to-post success of the 7-year-old, who was given to his trainer Gavin Cromwell four years ago after failing to reach his reserve of €6,000 at the store sales. He has now won £462,000 in prize-money and, as his manner of victory showed, is clearly still full of running. 

What he lacks in stature – and he was easily the smallest and slightest of the 10-runner field – Flooring Porter makes up for in heart, with a running style that lays down the gauntlet to his rivals and says 'catch me if you can'. Catch him they couldn't, even though the favourite, and Flooring Porter's conqueror last time, Klassical Dream (Fr) (Dream Well {Fr}), loomed ominously when freewheeling down the hill under a motionless Paul Townend. But Danny Mullins was sitting aboard a partner with deeper reserves, and as Flooring Porter's challengers lined up behind him, he flew the final hurdle to land spring-heeled and find another gear to boost him back up the hill for home. With Klassical Dream fading out of contention, Thyme Hill (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB) ran on for second, with the 2019 winner Paisley Park (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) just a nose behind him in third. 

“For these races you have plan A to Z, but I never came out of plan A, and that hardly ever happens,” said a beaming Mullins, whose father Tony has enjoyed a share of the limelight in recent years as the trainer of Princess Zoe (Ger).

“These championship races are what it's all about. The most special thing about it today is the reaction from the owners. They weren't here last year to enjoy it and it's very special for them. It's fantastic to hear the boys enjoy it like that, and it shows it can be done with a syndicate. You don't have to be in the elite to win at Cheltenham, and that's the magic of jump racing.”

The team of four friends that make up the Flooring Porter Syndicate ended up buying the horse after spotting a Facebook advert, and they include Ned Hogarty, who owns a flooring business in Galway. He said, “It shows you don't have to be a sheikh to win a Grade 1! We came here hopeful. The rain yesterday probably didn't play to our strengths, but it worked out. We all needed this at home. It's been strange times the last couple of years and this is a morale boost.”

Hogarty added, “If anyone had told me we wouldn't have won again [since the last Festival] until now I wouldn't have believed them. The horse was due it, we were due it, the parish was due it, and the country was due it. Hopefully we can all celebrate and drink a few pints on Paddy's Day. It's memories we'll have forever.”

A key figure responsible for helping to make those memories is Cromwell, the former farrier who took Cheltenham by storm three years ago when saddling Espoir d'Allen (Fr) to win the Champion Hurdle. Sadly the 5-year-old was never seen on a racecourse again after suffering a fatal accident in training some months later. But Cromwell has returned from that tragedy with a horse whose quirks have taken some careful management but who has stamina and verve in abundance. For good measure, between Flooring Porter's two Cheltenham victories, the versatile trainer has also enjoyed a 2-year-old group victory at Royal Ascot with Quick Suzy (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}).

“I was worried as to whether he'd get done for a turn of foot but Danny kept his cool and he knew what he was doing – he knew what he had underneath him,” said Cromwell. 

“Danny is so good with these front-runners, he seems to have a serious clock in his head. It's there for everyone to see and Flooring Porter hasn't been straightforward, he's just gone with him straight away and he's just a proper horseman.”

He added, “The crowd here is just magic. It was amazing here when Espoir d'Allen won the Champion Hurdle but we came here as an outsider and he wasn't that expected. Coming here today we had one of the fancied ones and we fancied him. It all worked out, so it's fantastic.”

Allaho All Class

It wouldn't be the Cheltenham Festival, or St Patrick's Day, without a winner for Willie Mullins but the trainer had to suffer a heart-rending reversal in the opening contest, the G1 Turners Novices' Chase, when Galopin Des Champs (Fr) (Timos {Ger}) fell at the last after a superb display of galloping and jumping which had put him into an apparently unassailable position. While he lay stricken on the landing side of the final fence, the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}) galloped on past him, having to be urged up the hill by Rachael Blackmore for what had looked an unlikely victory for so much of the contest. 

With Galopin Des Champs mercifully just winded and returning sound to the unsaddling enclosure, it wasn't long before his trainer and jockey Paul Townend were back out in front, with the imperious Allaho defending his crown and leading home a one-two for Mullins in the Ryanair Chase.

“It makes you wonder why I didn't pick him last year, doesn't it?” said Townend, who has chosen Allaho's stable-mate Min (Fr) in 2021, leaving Rachael Blackmore to land the spoils. “He gallops and jumps. He's just really, really good. We took our time learning about him, and I think we've got there now. That's what he likes to do and he's built for it, look at the size of him. I'm delighted.”

Mullins, now with five winners at Cheltenham this week, said of Allaho, “He jumped from fence to fence and came down to the last as if it wasn't there, and that is a mark of a champion. I was a nervous wreck. The horse was doing everything right for Paul then coming to the last I thought 'here we go again', but he got over it and jumped it well. Paul has nerves of steel and I'm delighted he is on our side.”

The Thompson family of Cheveley Park Stud were the leading owners at last year's Festival with three winners, and two of those, Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy) and Allaho, have now backed up in 2022. For the final day, they also have a major chance in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup with A Plus Tard (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}), who was second to his stable-mate Minella Indo (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}) 12 months ago and is currently favourite to go one better on Friday. 

Though the Cheveley Park Stud colours bear the patriotic red, white and blue of Britain, where the Thompsons' Flat horses are bred and trained, the late David Thompson chose to base his select National Hunt string in Ireland, and he was well rewarded for the investment he made. Cheveley Park Stud has now been represented by nine Cheltenham Festival winners.

Britain Fights Back 

Despite a fairly lacklustre performance from the British trainers at last year's Festival, this time around the honours are more even, with Ireland leading Britain by 11 winners to 10 going into the final day. Thursday's three Grade 1 contests all went to Irish stables but the remainder of the day's races fell to stables in England and Wales. 

The Harry Fry-trained Love Envoi (Ire) (Westerner {Ire}) remained unbeaten when winning the G2 Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle to give jockey Jonathan Burke his first Festival victory. Dual-purpose trainer Hughie Morrison was rewarded with his first Cheltenham winner since Frenchman's Creek (GB) in 2o02 when Mouse Hamilton-Fairley's homebred Third Wind (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) held off Alaphilippe (Ire) (Morozov) in a tight finish to the G3 Pertemps Final, while Cheltenham specialist Coole Cody (Ire) (Dubai Destination) landed the G3 Craft Irish Whiskey Plate for Welsh-based Evan Williams.  

Williams's namesake, the unrelated Venetia Williams, notched her second win at this year's Festival when Chambard (Fr) (Gris De Gris {Fr}) sprang a surprise in Thursday's finale to win the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup in the hands of Lucy Turner at odds of 40/1. 

A tip of the chapeau must go to former TDN contributor-turned-Paris restaurateur Emmanuel Roussel who was absent from Cheltenham for the first time in many years but was represented on the roll of honour as co-breeder of Chambard with André Cyprès and Antoine-Audoin Maggiar. Roussel, who also named the 10-year-old, explained that Chambard translates loosely to “a noisy mess”. His victory was thus a rather fitting way to bring the curtain down on the penultimate day of the Festival, as the record crowd of 73,754 departed Prestbury Park in varying states of inebriation to regroup for one last hurrah on Gold Cup day. 

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Rachael Reigns Over Cheltenham

“Out of this world,” was how Rachael Blackmore described her week at Cheltenham so far, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the top echelon of National Hunt racing is very much her world.

The 31-year-old now leads the jockeys' table with five Festival winners in the last three days, with Jack Kennedy her closest pursuer on three. Two of her triumphs have come on horses owned by Cheveley Park Stud, which has now celebrated two winners at each of the last three Cheltenham Festivals. Wednesday's victory of Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy) in the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper was followed 24 hours later by the emphatic G1 Ryanair Chase triumph of Allaho (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}). The link between the two, apart from the owner and trainer Willie Mullins, was the brilliant, dominant riding of Blackmore, who on each horse dictated the race from the front, running her rivals ragged.

In the case of Allaho, his relentless pace started to force errors from those in pursuit of the 7-year-old, whose near-flawless jumping bought him lengths at each fence. Having dispatched his stable-mate and last year's Ryanair winner Min (Fr) (Walk In The Park {Ire}), who was eventually pulled up, he kicked into another gear for his final thrust up the hill, leaving the Joseph O'Brien-trained runner-up Fakir d'Oudairies (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}) 12 lengths adrift as he sailed across the line.

Add the Cheveley Park Stud brace to Blackmore's historic Champion Hurdle success aboard Kenny Alexander's Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) on the opening day, the victory of Bob Olinger (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}) in the G1 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle on Wednesday and, later on Thursday the daring late run on Telmesomethinggirl (Ire) (Stowaway {Ire}) to clinch another victory for owner Alexander and trainer Henry de Bromhead in the G2 Parnell Properties Mares' Hurdle. With one day to go and some enticing rides on Friday which include another Cheveley Park Stud runner A Plus Tard (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}) in the G1 Well Child Cheltenham Gold Cup, it seems likely that Blackmore will end the week on top.

While she rightly dislikes references to her being a female jockey, the fact remains that her outstanding achievements will ease the way for other women following in her wake. It is not unthinkable that Blackmore will become champion jockey in Ireland—she is currently battling it out with Paul Townend—and the same goes for Hollie Doyle on the Flat in Britain this coming season. Such an idea, that two women would be so dominant in the jockey ranks, could not have been entertained even five years ago.

Typically, though, Blackmore deflects the praise to the horses who have carried her to her lofty position. Commenting on the 7-year-old Allaho, she said, “For a jockey, when you're getting legged-up on these kind of horses for Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead, they just know their job, it's fantastic.

“He was just jumping and travelling. He's just a real galloper and that's how I rode him. It was either going to work, or it wasn't, and look, it worked. It was only when I came back in and people were saying that we went some gallop, but he felt in his comfort zone everywhere. It was fantastic.”

The last few months have brought a mixture of sadness and angst for those connected to Cheveley Park Stud. On Dec. 29, the organisation lost its patriarch David Thompson, who acquired the historic stud with his wife Patricia back in 1975. Though more readily associated with the Flat over more than four decades, it was Thompson's particular love of jumpers that prompted a rash of high-profile purchases in recent seasons and, though expensively procured, they have also been incredibly well selected.

The horse that was perhaps the most widely expected to secure his third successive Cheltenham Festival victory coming into this week was Envoi Allen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), who was sent off as 4/9 on for the G1 Marsh Novices' Chase but fell at the fourth fence under Jack Kennedy. The 7-year-old was one of eight horses moved by Cheveley Park Stud in the wake of the publication of the controversial Gordon Elliott photograph, as was Sir Gerhard. Such a decision, with just two weeks to those horses' main targets of the season, would not have been an easy one to make and will undoubtedly have caused much consternation for the owners, who also have the unbeaten Quilixios (GB) (Maxios {GB}) as second-favourite for Friday's G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle.

Reflecting on her association with Cheveley Park Stud, Blackmore said, “It was a disappointing start to the day for [the Thompson family], but look Envoi Allen is up and he is okay, and so is Jack, and that's the main thing. They will live to fight another day. I'm very grateful to them for being so supportive of me and giving me the opportunities on their horses.”

Willie Mullins, who also trains last year's winner Min, added, “Allaho did everything right. The first thing I did when Rachael come back in was lift her number cloth to see if the lead bag was in there as it looked like Allaho was just carrying Rachael around there! He was just awesome. His galloping and his jumping, if you put it together I was hoping he could do that over three miles, but if he is only a two-and-a-half mile horse that will do me.”

He continued, “Watching him at home, all the time everyone has felt he is a galloper and a jumper and that you don't need to hold him up. I was sort of as gobsmacked as anyone else watching it as I fully expected the two horses in front to probably collapse coming to the third last and if they did you would have said they have gone too fast and took each other on, but that is their style of racing and that was the plan from the start and we just had to hope one of them would be good enough.”

Cromwell Floored By Success

While Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead been prominent this week with four winners apiece, the 17 victories for Irish-trained horses from 21 races have also been spread out among their compatriots. Gordon Elliott's stable, now under the care of Denise 'Sneezy' Foster, has had a winner each day, while Noel Meade, Paul Nolan and Paul Hennessy have also enjoyed winners. One of the most impressive performances, from another front-running ride, was that of Flooring Porter (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}), who made all, jumping exuberantly, to land the G1 Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle.

The 6-year-old's trainer Gavin Cromwell first came to wider prominence when Espoir d'Allen (Fr) won the Champion Hurdle two years ago, the spring after his Princess Yaiza (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) provided him with a major Flat win on Arc weekend in the G2 Qatar Prix de Royallieu. Tragically, Espoir d'Allen died just months after Cheltenham following an injury to his shoulder during training. Deservedly, the softly spoken Cromwell, who started out in the racing business as a farrier, now has another exciting young hurdler on his hands.

Admitting that it was a “fairytale” to win another of the Festival's championship races, he said, “We won a Champion Hurdle a couple of years ago and it was massive. I didn't think I'd ever win a race in Cheltenham, and to come back and win a second one is fantastic.”

He added of Flooring Porter, who was unsold at €5,500 when offered for sale as a 3-year-old and is owned by a syndicate led by carpet shop owner Ned Hogarty, “We came across this fella by accident. He was a very cheap store and progressed right through the ranks. It's a bit of a fairytale, really, and just goes to show that it is possible with a cheap one. He wasn't bought expecting him to be a Grade 1 horse.”

There was a sting in the tale for jockey Jonathan Moore, who has partnered Flooring Porter in 11 of his 15 starts but stood himself down on Thursday morning having failed to recover sufficiently from a race fall on Sunday. Danny Mullins instead took the ride and recorded his first win at the Festival.

Cromwell added, “Danny gave him a smashing ride. It's very unfortunate for Johnny Moore that he couldn't ride him. Thankfully, and rightfully so, he stood himself down, and he suggested Danny would be well suited to the horse. Johnny has ridden him all along and brought him all the way to here, and it is very unfortunate for him. Hats off to Johnny, it was so unselfish and I'm very grateful to him.”

Flooring Porter completed a Grade 1 double on the day for the four-time Ascot Gold Cup winner and Castle Hyde Stud resident Yeats following the win of JP McManus's Chantry House (Ire) in the March Novices' Chase. Yeats has also been represented this week by two impressive handicap-winning mares, Heaven Help Us (Ire) and Mount Ida (Ire). 

The late Whytemount Stud resident Stowaway (Ire) has also had a good week, his four winners including the Grade 1 scorers Monkfish (Ire) and Put The Kettle On (Ire), as well as Telmesomethinggirl (Ire) and The Shunter (Ire), while Kilcruit was runner-up in the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper and Fiddlerontheroof (Ire) was second to Monkfish.

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