Blue the colour once again with more Grade 1 glory for Glenview Stud resident

It's a blue Christmas but not in the melancholy manner Elvis crooned about, as Rathbarry and Glenview Stud's star sire Blue Bresil has delivered fine festive fare.

Blue Lord's impressive victory in the Grade 1 Paddy's Reward Club Chase at Leopardstown was the second top level triumph for a son of the 17-year-old in 24 hours, following on from Constitution Hill's stroll to success in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Monday.

Allied to those multiple Grade 1 winners, both of whom were conceived prior to Blue Bresil's switch in 2020 to Glenview Stud, the National Hunt division of the Cashman family's stallion operation, were a pair of bumper winners who enhanced their reputations.

Billy Boi Blue won the bumper at Huntingdon for Fergal O'Brien and the five-year-old is from Blue Bresil's first Yorton Farm crop, when he stood for just £2,750.

Olly Murphy's debut Market Rasen bumper winner Sao Carlos is bred along similar lines to Constitution Hill as he too is out of a mare by King's Theatre.

Blue Bresil was also the sire of Dan Skelton's Wetherby handicap hurdle winner Santos Blue and of Royal Pagaille, who was runner-up to Bravemansgame in the King George and has won successive renewals of the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock for Venetia Williams.

Blue Lord, who runs in the double green silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, was a top class novice chaser last season when he won the Grade 1 Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival and the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase. Sandwiched in between those two victories was his third place behind Edwardstone and Gabynako at Cheltenham.

Constitution Hill had got the ball rolling for Blue Bresil in the Christmas HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Prior to going chasing, the seven-year-old mixed it with the best in novice hurdle company, earning three placed finishes in Grade 1 contests.

He was bred in France by Mrs Joelle Morruzzi and Mrs Raymonde Demai and sold as a two-year-old to George Mullins at the 2017 Arqana Summer Sale for €35,000 by Haras de la Croix Sonnet, where Blue Bresil stood for five seasons.

The exploits of his offspring have rewarded both the Cashman family and the breeders who have been keen to use the son of Smadoun since he moved to Cork.

His first Irish-bred crop, which were born prior to the emergence of Constitution Hill, averaged €22,766 at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale in 2021 and €21,237 at the following month's Goffs National Hunt Sale. His initial Irish fee was advertised as €8,000.

At this winter's National Hunt foal sales, his average increased with his second crop returning €26,271 at Goffs and €29,564 at Tattersalls Ireland, where he sired seven foals who sold for a minimum of €50,000 headed by the €82,000 colt out the unraced Chill Time, a three-parts sister to Listed bumper winner Timetochill, who was sold by Hillview Stud to JC Bloodstock.

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