The Oscar for leading stallion at the Cheltenham Festival goes to...

Leading into the Cheltenham Festival this week, Oscar had a roll of honour at the meeting which included Grade 1 stars Big Zeb, Peddlers Cross, Rock On Ruby, At Fishers Cross, Lord Windermere, O'Faolains Boy and last year's Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle hero Kilbricken Storm.

And progeny of the late Grange Stud resident did not disappoint over the four days, with Paisley Park showing an impressive turn of foot to land the Sun Racing Stayers' Hurdle and Any Second Now winning the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase under a fine Derek O'Connor ride.

Added to that, Lake View Lad and Not Many Left both finished third in their Grade 3 assignments and Clondaw Castle chased home Duc Des Genievres in fourth in the Racing Post Arkle Novices' Chase to leave the son of Sadler's Wells as leading sire for the second year in a row.

Those placings proved crucial in deciding the eventual winner, though take nothing away from either Buck's Boum or Voix Du Nord, who matched Oscar's tally of winners.

The up-and-coming Buck's Boum - a brother to festival legend Big Buck's standing at Haras d'Enki - is the sire of Duc Des Genievres and Al Boum Photo, the latter successful in the Magners Gold Cup, while former Haras de Cercy resident Voix Du Nord supplied Champion Hurdle hero Espoir D'Allen and JLT Novices' Chase victor Defi Du Seuil.

Aside from Oscar, two other sons of Sadler's Wells who came close to supplying a brace of winners were Poliglote and Saddler Maker, whose dam Animatrice is a half-sister to Poliglote.

Poliglote supplied the Pertemps Final winner Sire Du Berlais, while Politologue nearly caused a dramatic upset when second to Altior in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Saddler Maker got on the scoresheet when Eglantine Du Seuil came with a withering late run to win the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle, while his son Discorama was second to Le Breuil in a thrilling finish to the National Hunt Chase.

With many of the aforementioned stallions standing or have stood in France, it is hardly surprising to learn French breds enjoyed their highest total of winners at the meeting in recent years with fourteen finding their way into the winner's enclosure.

Two other stallions from the same family to enjoy a fine week were the full-brothers Beat Hollow, a €6,000 option for breeders at Ballylinch Stud, and Court Cave, who is available to mare owners at a €4,000 fee at Boardsmill Stud.

The two sons of Sadler's Wells both sired winners of Grade 1 novices' hurdles, with Minella Indo powering clear in the Albert Bartlett for Beat Hollow, and City Island becoming the second winner of the Ballymore for Court Cave after Willoughby Court.

Derby winners once again enjoyed their day in the sun - Altior and Tiger Roll each recording their fourth festival win for High Chaparral and Authorized respectively, while Motivator came up trumps with the Triumph Hurdle hero Pentland Hills.

And while Flemensfirth, the progenitor of RSA Insurance Novices' Chase hero Topofthegame, is in the twilight of his stud career at the Beeches Stud in County Waterford, one of the stud's younger inmates in Soldier Of Fortune opened his account this week with Early Doors successful in the concluding Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.

Arguably the most promising performance all week came from Concertista, a daughter of Nathaniel who lost out to Eglantine Du Seuil in a head-bobbing finish to the Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle on what was her first start over timber.

Does the sire of Enable now have a horse of a similar calibre over jumps?

As for the broodmare sire division, Presenting was the only damsire to supply a brace of winners with Paisley Park out of his daughter Presenting Shares and the St James's Place Foxhunter Chase scorer Hazel Hill the produce of Resenting, while Flemensfirth recorded his first festival winner as damsire with the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle scorer Roksana being out of his daughter Talktothetail.

The oldest active stallion to supply a winner this week was Turgeon, who covered no fewer than 26 mares at Haras du Mesnil last year at the age of 32.

LEADING SIRES AT THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2019

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