Sunnyhill Stud sire Doyen off mark with first jumps Grade 1 winner

Sunnyhill Stud stallion Doyen supplied his first National Hunt Grade 1 winner on Sunday when son Battleofdoyen maintained his unbeaten record with an accomplished display in the Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle at Naas.

Trained by Gordon Elliott for Gigginstown House Stud, Battleofdoyen is on a steep upward curve as he won a Punchestown bumper in November and took a maiden hurdle at Navan last month before taking top-level honours on his first start in black-type company.

View full result and watch race replay

The six-year-old gelding had scored between the flags at Loughanmore for Jerry Cosgrave in April 2017 and later that month was knocked down to Elliott for £235,000 at a Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sale.

Battleoverdoyen was bred by Berry Farms and is one of three winners out of the Sillery mare Battle Over, who won on the Flat and over jumps in France.

Remarkably, the dam's three winners have all struck in the last nine days as Battleofdoyen's half-sister Treackle Tart won a competitive Doncaster handicap chase for Charlie Longsdon on December 29 and his full-brother Swordsman landed a Fairyhouse maiden hurdle by 12 lengths for Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud on New Year's Day.

Battleoverdoyen hails from the first Irish-conceived crop of Doyen, after the stallion moved to Sunnyhill Stud from Gestut Auenquelle in 2012, taking the place of another outstanding son of Sadler's Wells who had died at the stud in 2011 in Old Vic.

Doyen, a brother to Oaks heroine Moonshell and Australian Group 2 scorer Hatha Anna, upheld family honour by winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by three lengths for Godolphin in 2004, with US challenger Hard Buck in second and Sulamani in third.

The best runners from his early spells standing at Dalham Hall Stud and Auenquelle are German Oaks winner Turfdonna and Group 2 scorers Sneak A Peek and Wild Chief.

Several of his Flat-bred progeny have run well over jumps too, with Valdez taking the Grade 2 Lightning Novices' Chase, Kumbeshwar running second in the Grade 1 Tingle Creek and Golden Doyen scoring in the Grade 2 Triumph Hurdle Trial.

Doyen's other National Hunt-bred offspring include the useful performers Hatcher, Rapid Escape and The Russian Doyen, and last month he was the source of the wide-margin bumper winners Final List and Nimby.

Doyen is standing the 2019 breeding season at Sunnyhill Stud in County Kildare at a fee of €5,000, alongside Casamento and Lucky Speed.

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