Tag: Cheltenham Festival

“I Never Realised A Jumps Filly Could Be Worth So Much,” – Lossiemouth’s Breeder

Ian Kellit, the joint-breeder of Lossiemouth (Fr), a short-priced Triumph Hurdle favourite who is expected to extend her unbeaten record to four for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend at the Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday, has revealed that he was totally unaware that a jumps filly could be so valuable before the gorgeous grey came along. 

Lossiemouth bolted up in the Prix Geographie Hurdle at Auteuil for Yannick Fouin on debut, at which time she was part-owned by Kellit, the Scottish native who has resided in France for over 30 years.

While Kellit has sold many good horses back to Britain and Ireland, he never managed to make any money from a filly; that was before Lossiemouth, who he describes as “a bit of a life-changer,” came into his life. 

Kellit said, “I was back in the UK when she won on debut at Auteuil but Nicolas Madame, my racing partner, phoned me after the race to tell me that his phone hadn't stopped ringing ever since she crossed the line in front. We thought she'd run well. But did we think she'd do what she did? I don't think so. 

“I never realised that a jumps filly could be worth so much money, simply because we had never sold one for big money before. She could be a bit of a life-changer.”

The dream could well have been over before it ever began for Kellit and his crew as Lossiemouth went through the sales ring at Arqana back in November 2020. Thankfully for Kellit, Lossiemouth, who he bred from bargain mare Mariner's Light (Fr), was led out unsold at €14,000 before selling for multiples of that figure to Rich Ricci, for whom she is a warm order to land the G1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown on Saturday.

Kellit recalls, “She went with Yannick Fouin with two or three others but Yannick got pretty excited about Lossiemouth from about January last year. The vibes started to get really good from there. He went straight for the Prix Geographie and off she went–luckily Jeremy Da Silva managed to stay on after she jumped to the left at the last and she went on to win 10 lengths. 

“We've got Springcroft (Fr), the half-sister to Lossiemouth, and we are looking at sending her to a much more fashionable stallion this year for obvious reasons. Before Lossiemouth came on the scene, we were wondering about breeding from her again but now we definitely will. It's such a long game. It's a bit like wine. You start with an idea and it's not until four or five years down the line where you can see what you've got.”

He added, “The tendency has been to sell the males and keep the females. Lossiemouth is the outlier. She is probably the first female that we sold–the rest were more or less given away. 

“We've bred a few black-type horses, including Tocca Ferro (Fr) and  Le Bec (Fr), who did well for Emma Lavelle. That goes back the best part of 20 years. We also owned a good Martaline (GB) mare, Martalette (Fr), who won a Grade 3 at Auteuil but Lossiemouth is the best of them.”

Mariner's Light has turned out to be Kellit's shrewdest investment yet and she didn't cost a whole pile either. That's because her Group 1-winning brother Lord Glitters (Fr) had yet to appear on the page when Kellit acquired her.

Kellit said, “Nicolas had a share in Mariner's Light with Yannick Fouin while she was racing. When they retired her from racing, they asked if I wanted to pick her up, which I did for next to nothing. Nobody knew about her half-brother Lord Glitters back then so the page became a lot more interesting after I bought into her. 

“She produced a few before Lossiemouth, but this is the first decent horse that Mariner's Light has bred. She's not in foal this year but she's going to go back to see Great Pretender this year. It seems like it could be a good idea!”

 

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“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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Edouard Monfort: ‘Willie Mullins Taught Me That Horses Can Take A Lot Of Work’

No trainer in Ireland has farmed France for top-class talent quite like Willie Mullins has in recent times. Superstars Hurricane Fly (Ire), Douvan (Fr), Un De Sceaux (Fr), Vroum Vroum Mag (Fr) and Benie Des Dieux (Fr) are all a product of that hugely successful resource. 

It seems as though not one week goes by where Mullins fails to unleash a leading French prospect, which was evident at Clonmel on Tuesday when Ireland's dominant National Hunt trainer sent out Night And Day (GB) and Gaelic Warrior (Ger) to record emphatic successes and harden their claims for festival honours respectively. 

So where do all these winners come from? Mullins's long-standing and trusty ally Harold Kirk is responsible for a lot of Closutton's jumping stars while Pierre Boulard plays an integral role in France. 

But the tapestry of talent that makes its way to Mullins runs much deeper than Kirk and Boulard alone, with many trainers in France blooding talent in the hope that the major jumps trainers in Britain and Ireland come in with a blank cheque for the next big jumping star the country has to offer. 

“During my experience in Ireland, I made good friends–like Niall Kelly, Sonny Carey and Paddy Mullins,” – Edouard Monfort.

That includes Edouard Monfort, a former employee of Mullins, who now trains a string of 70 horses in his native France and recently sold smart prospects Tekao (Fr) and Parmenion (GB) to the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history. 

Monfort spent the 2015/16 National Hunt season with Mullins, which was the same campaign that Annie Power (Ire) came off the substitutes' bench to land the Champion Hurdle, and he revealed that the relationships forged during his time working for the 16-time Champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland burns bright to this day. 

Monfort explained, “Willie is a really good man. He's very simple and you can talk with him. He's always the same. Of all my experiences in racing, I base my style on Willie.”

He added, “During my experience in Ireland, I made good friends–like Niall Kelly, Sonny Carey and Paddy Mullins. This is why I like coming to the Irish sales. It is easier for me to get information on these horses with all of my contacts. I have lots of clients from England and Ireland. 

“It's important to sell the right horses because it's easy to sell the bad horses. It's important for the future and for business to keep good contacts which is why I was confident to sell Tekao and Parmenion to Willie. I was pretty sure that they would be good jumps horses for him.”

Tekao (right): Monfort's graduate could be a leading Triumph Hurdle contender for Mullins and JP McManus | Racingfotos.com

At 34 years old, Monfort has built up a solid string. Indeed, he was destined to go down this route, being a son of Patrick Monfort, a successful trainer in France. 

But a trip to Mullins's base for that winter in 2015 had the biggest influence on Monfort, according to the man himself, who revealed that he has adopted the many things that he learned from the trainer to his own operation in France. 

Monfort said, “I was born into horses as my father was a trainer. I went to engineers' school during my career as an amateur rider where I rode for 12 years on the Flat and over jumps in France. When I finished my career as an amateur, I targeted becoming a trainer and spent a jumps season with Willie, a year with Andre Fabre and another year with Jean-Claude Rouget. 

“Working with Willie and seeing how he manages all of the horses that he has in his yard was a great experience. I wanted to go to Willie because I really like jumps racing and I wanted to get experience with a top jumps trainer. I learned from Willie that a horse can work a lot. They can work hard before they run. I also learned that you can take your time with some horses. Some of Willie's horses, he takes it step by step with them, and they could be in the yard for a few months without having a race. When they do race, they come back stronger.”

He added, “Sometimes I manage my young horses so that they can work hard for two or three months before getting a rest and after that, they come back and they feel that bit stronger. I was based with Willie when he had that very good mare, Annie Power. I also rode in one race for him. I think it was a gift from Willie to me!”

Now it's Monfort's turn to supply the ammunition to Mullins and the early signs are promising. Tekao won on his hurdling debut at Leopardstown over Christmas for Mullins in the famous green and gold hoops of JP McManus while Parmenion is also held in decent regard.

On the duo, Monfort said, “Tekao was bred by his owner. He has a good pedigree and we took our time with him. He won very well on debut on the Flat but, from the very beginning, he looked more like a jumps horse, which is why he was sold. 

“I hope he is a very good hurdles horse. I saw him winning at Leopardstown and I thought he was a good winner because he was a little bit keen but he kept going all the way from the last to the winning post. I am confident he will be a very good horse for Willie and the team.”

He added, “Parmenion does not have a lot of experience but I really loved this horse when I used to train him. To compare him and Tekao, I would have to say that I would nearly prefer Parmenion from when he was a 3-year-old. I hope that he can be a very good horse. He has a German pedigree and I just think that all he needs is time.”

So why has Mullins returned to France time and time again in search of his next festival star? According to Monfort, one of the key reasons behind the success of the French-breds on racecourses in Britain and Ireland cannot be attributed to the excellent stallions who stand in the country alone, but also the deep pool of quality jumps mares that are available to breeders.

He said, “For a long time, the French breeding for jumps horses has been very good. We've got excellent mares in France for this. I think that is why we are having a lot of success in England and Ireland with our French-bred horses, because our mares here are so good. The breeders have worked very hard in keeping the right stallions in France for jumps racing. We have top jumps stallions in France but we are a little bit light on the Flat. We don't have the same level of stallions standing here compared to the jumps.”

Monfort admits that buying the raw material has become harder but a series of big-money sales, to Flat and National Hunt handlers, has been a huge help.

“It's very important for business to sell some of the horses. We know that the prize-money in France is very good but, if you want to make money, you have to sell these horses. That's why it's important to be able to showcase these horses and be able to sell them. 

“When I think a horse could be a selling prospect, we manage him with a view towards that and we take our time. Most of the time, they don't run until they are three years old if their future lies over jumps.”

He added, “We also sell horses to Australia or America. It just depends on the profile of the horse. The market has been very strong lately which has made it harder for us to buy the right horses. But, you know, when you start selling these good horses it makes it easier to buy the next ones because you've got the wallet!”

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Charles Byrnes Has Dubai Gold Target For Irish Leger Winner Sonnyboyliston

Widely regarded as one of the best dual-purpose trainers in Ireland, Charles Byrnes has taken over the training of classy Flat stayer and 2021 G1 Irish St Leger scorer Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}), who could make his debut for his new connections in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Mar. 25.

Sonnyboyliston has not been seen since finishing second in a valuable handicap at Riyadh almost a year ago for Johnny Murtagh, who guided the gelding to six career wins, including an epic in the valuable Sky Bet Ebor before plundering Irish St Leger glory in that same memorable season.

However, the 6-year-old, who carried the colours of the Kildare Racing Club on all 15 of his career starts and won over €1 million in prize-money, has been sold privately to continue his career with Byrnes.

Speaking to What's The Craic DubEye, a new Irish-run website in Dubai, Byrnes explained how the Gold Cup at Meydan could be Sonnyboyliston's first port of call, and said, “Definitely, Dubai would be a possibility if it doesn't come too early for him.”

He added, “We got Sonnyboyliston. It's very exciting to get him with his profile–an Irish St Leger and Ebor winner. We're very fortunate to get him. We're very excited.”

The Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot-winning trainer, who sent out Run For Oscar (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) to take the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October, also revealed that Sonnyboyliston's new owner has also sent him a half-sister to the star stayer.

Byrnes said, “We also have his half-sister [by Starspangledbanner (Aus)] and she'll be starting off early in the Flat season. She's very exciting, too. Hopefully she'll go the right way.”

His Flat string may be growing but Byrnes will forever be associated with plundering big-race riches over jumps and is charting a path towards this year's Cheltenham Festival with leading Pertemps Final hope Shoot First (Ire) (Westerner {GB}) and Stayers' Hurdle candidate Blazing Khal (Ire) (Kalanisi {Ire}), who the trainer admitted was only 50-50 to make it to the race.

Byrnes said, “We had a great day in Cheltenham already with Shoot First when he won the qualifier in October. He's owned by a great bunch of lads. He's qualified for the Festival now so hopefully he goes there with a chance.”

On Blazing Khal, he added, “We're 50-50. We didn't have a great run with him all along but I think we are getting back on track to some degree. Whether Cheltenham will come too soon for him is debatable. We'll try and get a run into him within the next month and go from there. You've Aintree and Punchestown. You also have France, which could be an option for him further down the road.”

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