Why 2021 should be a massive year for Coolmore's unlikely new jumps supersire

Walk In The Park may be on a rather circuitous route to National Hunt sire stardom, but with his first Irish-bred crop having officially turned four on New Year's Day it seems almost certain the only direction his stud career will head from here is upwards.

To understand what makes this such a milestone, we must trace this unlikely tale to its origins. Born in 2002, Walk In The Park was bred in Ireland by Lodge Park Stud when Seamus Burns sent his Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Classic Park to Montjeu during the son of Sadler's Wells' first season at Coolmore.

He was sold as a yearling at the following year's Goffs Orby Sale, where agent Mags O'Toole signed at €130,000. A little under seven months later, the colt reappeared at the Tattersalls Craven Sale, where he was sold by Willie Browne's Mocklershill to BBA Ireland on a bid of 270,000gns, the second-highest price at that year's breeze-up auction.

From there he was sent by owner Michael Tabor to the yard of John Hammond, the Chantilly trainer who had expertly overseen the racing career of Montjeu, whose headline victories took in no fewer than six Group 1s, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

John Hammond: trained Walk In The Park at ChantillyCredit: Edward Whitaker

Walk In The Park proved to be a classy juvenile, winning at Saint-Cloud in late October before finishing a staying-on third behind Helios Quercus in the Group 1 Criterium International. He took a big step forward at three, most notably when runner-up to Motivator in the Derby, in which he finished one place ahead of none other than Dubawi.

However, despite being kept in training for two more years, he failed to reproduce the kind of form he had shown at Epsom. He brought the curtain down on his racing days with a spin over hurdles at Auteuil, where he was beaten 33 lengths into fifth, meaning he retired with a solitary success to his name.

Such a profile would likely have made him a hard sell to British and Irish National Hunt breeders at the time, so, a little over two weeks later, Walk In The Park made his third appearance at public auction when signed for by Marc Semirot at €195,000 at the 2007 Arqana Arc Sale.

The following year, Semirot introduced French breeders to Walk In The Park at Haras du Val Raquet in Normandy, where he covered 58 mares at a fee of €2,500.

Walk In The Park: the best could yet be to come for Coolmore's sireCredit: Coolmore

Decreasing book sizes followed and in 2013 Walk In The Park transferred to Haras des Granges in the south west of France. Despite the apparent downturn in fortunes, Walk In The Park's second and third Val Raquet-bred crops, from books of 56 and 39 mares respectively, contained two National Hunt celebrities who would dramatically alter the course of his stallion career.

During 2014, second-crop son Douvan, bred by Haras de la Faisanderie, readily landed a Compiegne contest for Philippe Peltier, while third-crop son Min, who was bred by Marie-Therese Mimouni, showed distinct promise in two starts at Auteuil for Yannick Fouin. The pair were handpicked to continue their careers with Willie Mullins for owners Susannah and Rich Ricci.

By the time the 2014-15 British and Irish jumps season drew to a close, five of Walk In The Park's progeny had made their way across the channel and four were successful. No runner did more to advertise Walk In The Park's talents than Douvan, who went unbeaten in four outings that season, a run that culminated with a Grade 1 double in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle.

The exploits of Douvan, along with other talented hurdlers such as Eaux Fortes and the Listed-winning Flat performer Dance In The Park, saw renewed faith in Walk In The Park and in 2015 he served a book of 78 - a figure considered sizeable in the south west of France, which does not have the mare population of Normandy.

Douvan wings the final flight in the 2015 Supreme Novices' HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

At the beginning of the 2015-16 National Hunt season Mullins unleashed Min, who began his march towards stardom with victory in the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle, while Douvan landed a third Grade 1, and first over fences, in the Racing Post Novice Chase.

By this point it had emerged Walk In The Park was on the move again, with a rise in popularity among French breeders seeing a return to Normandy to stand at Haras de la Huderie for the 2016 breeding season. However, in mid-January that year, all that changed as Coolmore announced they had moved to re-secure the services of their former colour bearer.

When Walk In The Park arrived at Grange Stud, breeders did not hold back. That initial Irish book contained 224 mares, a 187 per cent increase on the 78-strong book he covered during his third and final year at Haras des Granges. And among that number were 40 black-type performers, giving him access to quality and quantity like never before.

Fast forward to the present day, and with the fruits of that first Irish book now four and occupying stables at some of the most renowned training establishments around, both under rules and in the point-to-point sphere, there is every reason to believe something big is brewing.

That first Irish-bred crop caused a stir at last year's store sales, not least the half-sister to Altior, since named Bellatior, who topped the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale when bought by Gordon Elliott and Aidan O'Ryan for €300,000.

Bellatior: the €300,000 Walk In The Park half-sister to AltiorCredit: Healy Racing

There were plenty of other eyecatching transactions too, with Gallagher Equine and Russell McNabb going to €195,000 for the gelding out of Maple Lady, while Mags O'Toole and Tom Malone gave €110,000 for the filly out of Carrigeen Kohleria. Coolmore also threw their support behind the debut Irish-bred crop when MV Magnier gave €90,000 apiece for the geldings out of Arctic Lady and Bonnie Parker.

Digging a little deeper into Walk In The Park's 2016 book reveals that there are also siblings to the likes of Abbyssial, Bellshill, Birchdale, Cogry, Danny Whizzbang, Johns Spirit, Latest Exhibition, Might Bite, Monalee, Noble Prince, Rogue Angel, Santini, Simonsig, Sizing Tennessee, Slate House, Stoney Mountain, Tombstone and Tornado Flyer in the pipeline.

There are also some genuine National Hunt celebrities among the mares with a Walk In The Park four-year-old on the ground, notably the brilliant Quevega, a four-time Grade 1 winner and the first horse to land six races at the Cheltenham Festival. The daughter of Robin Des Champs had initially been slated to travel to France for a liaison with Network but was rerouted when Coolmore announced their new arrival.

Other Grade 1-winning mares among that initial Irish book include Bitofapuzzle, Glens Melody, La Segnora and Refinement, who are joined by black-type winners such as Byerley Babe, Chomba Womba, Clear Riposte, Emily Gray, Jacksonslady and Violin Davis, as well as the Irish Grand National scorers Bluesea Cracker and Liberty Counsel.

Quevega's Walk In The Park filly, her second foal by the sireCredit: Irish National Stud

Moreover, members of his older French-bred crops are still flying the flag, including Min, who landed a seventh Grade 1 in the John Durkan Memorial Chase in December, and Douvan.

Those headline acts are joined by other classy types such as Friend Or Foe, Koshari, Nestor Park, Roll Again and Vado Forte, while his final Haras des Granges-conceived crop, now five, includes JP McManus's record-breaking point-to-point recruit Jonbon, a £570,000 brother to Douvan now with Nicky Henderson, and the €470,000 buy Ginto, who ran with distinct promise at Fairyhouse last Sunday on his rules debut for Gordon Elliott.

All told, it amounts to an awful lot of firepower at Walk In The Park's disposal and, given he produced two top-class talents from books of unheralded mares, it is hard not to wonder what he might do now he has been granted the cream of the British and Irish National Hunt broodmare band.

Walk In The Park covered 313 mares during his eight seasons in France. His first five terms at Grange Stud have seen five books totalling 1,121 mares. With so many stalwarts of the National Hunt stallion scene either retired or deceased - think the likes of Presenting, Flemensfirth, Kayf Tara, King's Theatre, Oscar and Shantou - there will soon be a changing of the guard at the head of the jumps sire pecking order.

Although it may have taken him a while to get there, now that he has quality and quantity on his side there is every reason to believe that Walk In The Park will be among those to the fore in the coming years.

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