Bravemansgame claims Grade 1 glory for little-known French stallion

Bravemansgame struck a mighty blow for the small cluster of runners seen to date by Haras de Talma's stallion Brave Mansonnien as he delivered an authoritative performance in the Grade 1 MansionBet Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury.

On his second hurdling start at Exeter in early November, Paul Nicholls' recruit had been the sire's first British winner and Brave Mansonnien has only a couple more scorers registered in France from a career which took some time to gather momentum.

The 17-year-old stallion was a winning hurdler in Auteuil back in 2007 who competed in high graded company, before producing a succession of minute crops from different studs until Riquet Enfin gained him more prominence by finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Prix Cambaceres in 2014.

Bravemansgame boasts smart French jumping breeding as his sire is a rare active son of the late Mansonnien while his dam Genifique is a daughter of Nickname.

A few of the Brave Mansonniens have found their way to Britain and Ireland, and Bravemansgame was first bought privately by Richard Busher, having been bred by Michel Guiot and Bernard Stoffel.

He was bought by Donnchadh Doyle as a three-year-old store for €48,000 and, after winning a point-to-point at Lingstown, returned an impressive £370,000 at the 2019 Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale.

Bravemansgame is Genifique's first foal. She has a younger full-sister to the Challow hero named Tikinik and a Pirateer filly named Pikinik, neither of whom have raced yet.

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