Bob Olinger another Sholokhov star after Grade 1 performance at Naas

Already the sire of one of the hottest properties heading for the Cheltenham Festival, Sholokhov clearly has another in his portfolio after the impressive success of his son Bob Olinger in the Grade 1 Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle.

The Glenview Stud resident fathered the ultra-exciting Supreme winner and novice chase prospect Shishkin, to date his best progeny since the 2016 Gold Cup victor Don Cossack.

At six, Bob Olinger is a year younger than Shishkin and has followed on a similar sort of path, winning an Irish point-to-point and landing his sole bumper start.

The gelding was withdrawn from two sales, first when entered by his breeder Ken Parkhill's Castletown Quarry Stud at the 2018 Derby Sale.

After he won a point at Turtulla for Parkhill and Pat Doyle, he was pulled out from an intended date in the Tattersalls Cheltenham ring but has re-emerged with Henry de Bromhead in the increasingly ubiquitous colours of Brian Acheson's Robcour, for whom the Grade 1 was a significant milestone

Breeder Ken Parkhill has had plenty of success with this familyCredit: Caroline Norris

The 6-4 favourite surged six and a half lengths clear from the last to take his record to four from five starts, the only defeat coming when beaten a length by Champion Bumper winner Ferny Hollow on his season reappearance. He is into around 5-1 for the Ballymore and 7s for the Albert Bartlett at the Festival.

When interviewed afterwards, jockey Rachael Blackmore suggested Bob Olinger was most likely to end up as a chaser over a little further than this two and a half miles, which is borne out by his page.

His dam, Parkhill's bumper-winning Zaffaran mare Zenaide, is out of a sibling of Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase scorer The Railway Man, the immediate family of very smart novice hurdler and chaser Puffin Billy.

Zenaide has represented Castletown Quarry Stud - best known for producing Champion Hurdlers Morley Street and Granville Again - with distinction as all six of her foals to have raced have won, the Listed novice hurdler Myska being the other of note.

Her three-year-old gelding by Fame And Glory was bought for €88,000 by Mags O'Toole last summer, with two Flemensfirth fillies in the pipeline.

"Everyone has always thought a lot of this horse," Blackmore told Racing TV. "Patrick Mullins rode his bumper winner, Pat Doyle won a point-to-point with him before that, anyone that's been involved with him has liked him and today was the big test.

"I'm delighted for Brian Acheson and Robcour, he puts a lot into this game and its great that he’s rewarded with a Grade 1 winner and a horse like that for the future."

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