Allmankind flying the Gredley flag through winter after Chepstow demolition

Far better known for their exploits on the Flat, most recently through the likes of Big Orange and Pretty Pollyanna, Bill and Tim Gredley were delighted to join the realms of Grade 1 jumps owner-breeders through the impressive Allmankind in Friday's Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow.

The youngster, who has been flying the flag for thefirst progeny of Sea The Moonto be entering the winter game, is now three-from-three since moving from Michael Bell's yard to his new National Hunt vocation with Dan Skelton.

From the family’s Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs in Newmarket, Allmankind is out of the Sadler's Wells mare Wemyss Bay and although several of his relatives have shown a fair level of ability when switched to jumping, they have not been in the same league as this three-year-old, who is clear favourite with some bookmakers for the Triumph Hurdle after a relentless front-running performance.

"It was as much of an experiment as anything else," said Tim Gredley.

"We knew he had an engine, but I was just hoping that the hurdles might give him something to concentrate on and break up the race a little bit, because when he was on the Flat he was just getting keener and keener.

"We ran him at Newmarket in a handicap and I was expecting him to run well and he resorted to his usual tactics of running blind, blew himself up early and got tailed off.

"So instantly I spoke to my father (Bill) and said 'look, are you happy to me to cut him and send him to the Skeltons?' because we weren’t really getting anywhere, and really just hoped that the hurdles would be that ingredient to focus him during the race."

Although the 30 broodmares kept by the stud are intended to be producing Classic prospects, Tim Gredley is not ruling out further ventures into the winter game after such a resounding success with this one.

"The jumping has come as a bit of an afterthought, but it’s given us a shake to realise that there’s another string to our bow if things don’t quite work out for those middle-distance pedigrees," he told Great British Racing International.

"It’s a nice option to have, instead of putting them through the horses-in-training sale as a three-year-old because they’re not quite working out, we can maybe hang on to them and send them to Dan to go jumping.

"I’m not saying it’s going to happen with all of them, it might just happen for one or two a year. They’ve got to fit the profile, but for sure it’s something we’ll definitely look at now. It’s a nice new avenue open to us."

Wemyss Bay, who was picked up for 40,000gns at the 2014 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, has paid a further visit to the Lanwades Stud resident.

"It’s amazing to have Group 1 or Grade 1 winners, but to have the family is great," Gredley continued.

"We’ve got a full-sister foal, which is quite exciting, and she’ll go back to Sea The Moon because it obviously works.

"Funnily enough my father went really (big) on Sea The Moon a few years ago before he’d become the popular stallion he is today, so we’ve got quite a lot of good yearling stock at ours, which is exciting.

"I just want to thank all the team at Stetchworth Park, because they do a great job foaling and raising all these horses and Allmankind is just one of them."

If you enjoyed reading this, you might also like...

How 2019 witnessed a surge in the point-to-point market

From the sad to the strange: six of the biggest surprises in bloodstock in 2019

Five of the most spectacular horse trades from the 2019 sales circuit