A National Hunt numbers game as big-name Irish sires come to the fore at Christmas

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Walk In The Park absolutely romped last season's British and Irish sires' championship, with prize-money of £4.5 million totalling more than twice the figure accrued by any other rival and a Gold Cup-Grand National double from Inothewayurthinkin and Nick Rockett being the icing on the cake.

Grange Stud's leading light is ahead once more as he chases a third straight title and he has sent out more winners and fielded more runners than any other sire. It isn't quite game over yet and Walk In The Park had drawn a blank over the Christmas period until the classy performance from Final Demand in the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick. He would then deliver a second Grade 1 from his next generation with the exciting No Drama This End in the Challow Novices' Hurdle.

Coolmore colleague Getaway, who was around £500,000 in arrears, is another with a huge number of boots on the ground but not many obvious types for championship events. He, or the likes of Westerner and Soldier Of Fortune and others further down the table, would need to find the Grand National winner at least to have any hope of upsetting the likely order. 

Some of last season's flagbearers for Walk In The Park do have questions to answer, including Jonbon and Inothewayurthinkin, but even if neither return to their very best their sire has such strength in depth he would still easily be favourite to complete the hat-trick.

At some point in the future, there will surely be more Affiniseas than even Walk In The Parks. Whytemount Stud have kept the three-parts brother to Soldier Of Fortune at a low cost since his arrival in 2017 and breeders have headed through their gates in County Kilkenny in their droves. 

Affordale Fury provided a landmark result for Affinisea in the Grade 1 Savills Chase at LeopardstownCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Affinisea has been the busiest sire in Britain and Ireland for three of the last five years, including in 2025, and has covered up to a quite extraordinary 382 mares in a season.

He now has a Grade 1 winner emerging from his very first crop in Affordale Fury, who was fulfilling his undoubted potential despite causing a bit of a surprise in the Savills Chase. 

There are a dozen top-level events staged cumulatively each side of the Irish Sea over the key four days of competition. In a reasonably similar pattern to last year, the bulk of the prizes were split between the dominant forces of Irish and French-breds.

Ireland collected six through The Jukebox Man (by Ask), Idaho Sun (Idaho) and Skylight Hustle (Jukebox Jury) as well as Final Demand, No Drama This End and Affordale Fury. A few familiar faces weighed in for their Gallic cousins through a big Boxing Day Kempton double via Kitzbuhel (Cokoriko) and Sir Gino (It's Gino) as well as the reliable contributors Solness (Konig Turf), Teahupoo (Masked Marvel) and Lossiemouth (Great Pretender).

What is a bit of a worry is that from a haul of three Christmas Grade 1s last year, there was only one British-bred this time. Romeo Coolio (Kayf Tara) was one of that returning trio as he maintained his perfect run over fences. The British industry has punched above its weight – and probably been spoiled – by the likes of Honeysuckle, Constitution Hill and Golden Ace lately and hopes seem to hinge upon the Will Kinsey-bred Romeo Coolio at the top end as things stand. 

Ask and you shall receive

Of all the rabbits Dan Skelton has pulled out of the hat over the years, there may not have been one more magical than Thistle Ask.

With agent Ryan Mahon, Skelton paid just £11,000 for the gelding at this year's Goffs UK Spring Sale, where James Ewart was dispersing stock.

The way he made it four on the bounce for his new stable in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton was breathtaking, his rate of improvement reminiscent of when Venn Ottery switched from Oliver Carter to Paul Nicholls 20 years ago, going from basement level at Leicester to briefly looking as if he might even win the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Ask had two terrific results at Kempton including with The Jukebox Man (Ben Jones, second left) in the King George VI ChaseCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

The comparison is unfair on Ewart, who was a decent, thoughtful trainer and handed Thistle Ask over after he been on an upward curve anyway, but the horse has already gone up the thick end of 3st more for his increasingly impressive new stable and very much merits consideration for Cheltenham now.

It is one of those recurring ironies in racing for his sire, Ask, the top-class staying Flat horse who died at Willow Wood Stud in the middle of 2024.

Thistle Ask is well on his way to joining Boxing Day's brilliant King George hero The Jukebox Man as the best two performers the Sadler's Wells stallion produced, both reaching their zenith after he'd gone and from a €3,000 fee from his tenure at the Beeches Stud.

Eliot not Elliott

Away from the headline races, it was pleasing to see some smaller names breaking through on both sides of the Irish Sea. While El Cairos, the £410,000 acquisition for the Gordon Elliott yard at the recent David Maxwell dispersal, put just one foot wrong when stumbling after the last in Friday's maiden hurdle at Leopardstown, the recipient was Murat from the eight-horse stable of Peter Lawlor.

The Wicklow man is owner, trainer and breeder of Murat and his sire, Eliot, is a virtual unknown who has produced only three different National Hunt winners and has often stood for just €500 at Peter Maher's Blackrath Stud. Eliot, who is from a super old German family and finished third in the Preis von Europa behind Jukebox Jury on his last run in 2009, covered only nine mares last year and perhaps this horse can bring him a bit more attention.

Murat (Cian Quirke, right) wins the Thorntons Recycling Maiden Hurdle from Doctor Du Mesnil at LeopardstownCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Credit is due to another shrewd practitioner doing well with low-cost horses in the north of England. Kingston Hill gelding A Likeable Rogue was picked up by the Barker family for €5,000 as a store 18 months ago and showed a decent attitude to take the bumper at Wetherby on Saturday. It was the second time trainer John Dawson had managed such a feat within a fortnight following Richard Burridge's 1,200gns Capri filly Capricciose, who came in at Carlisle.

Augusta Kate holes out again

A Grade 1 winner who was regularly campaigned at the highest level by Willie Mullins for a gang of celebrity owners including Lee Westwood, Alan Shearer and Ant and Dec, Augusta Kate was a marquee signing by former Ireland international footballer Kevin Doyle when offered through Tattersalls Ireland seven years ago.

The €85,000 Doyle paid to bring her to Slaney River Stud in Wexford was not an insubstantial fee but she is proving just as smart a broodmare with three winners from as many runners, each with National Hunt Racing Post Ratings well over 100.

Augusta Kate has been on a hot streak as a broodmareCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Two of them won within a week, with the Tom Cooper-trained second foal Amen Kate (by Flemensfirth) claiming Listed honours in the Boreen Belle Mares Novice Hurdle at Thurles on December 20. Then on December 26, Cousin Kate (Maxios) came clear in a handicap at Limerick for Denis Hogan in the style of a progressive mare.

Doyle now has two commercial colts by Crystal Ocean that he could easily offer, with the pair about to turn two and three, while Augusta Kate produced a filly by Jeu St Eloi on March 8 and is now in foal to Poet's Word.

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