Cheltenham Festival pedigree pointers - but with a difference

Stallion power

The drawn-out nature of National Hunt breeding always means that stallions have often been and gone before their legacies are realised. Such is the case with Stowaway, who is seeking his third consecutive title as the meeting’s leading sire despite his death coming in 2015.

Whytemount Stud’s prolific resident has had six winners in the last two years and three of his four from 12 months ago - Put The Kettle On, The Shunter and Telmesomethinggirl - should be back for more among a large group of entries. They went a long way towards his posthumous first British and Irish champion sire title.

However, he beat the very much alive and well Yeats only on countback last year, and the Castlehyde titan supplies the likes of Chantry House, Conflated, Party Central and Mount Ida.

Ronnie O'Neill with late sire Stowaway at Whytemount StudCredit: Patrick McCann

The 21-year-old Yeats is right on the tail of Fame And Glory in this season's sire standings, with his [also deceased] fellow Gold Cup winner lacking obvious standout names but strength in numbers in the handicaps.

King’s Theatre is the meeting’s leading sire over the last decade or so but it is now almost 11 years since the magnificent stallion died. Champ, in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, would be perhaps the last prize he can secure.

Sired by...who?

Timos, on the other hand, must be the least-known stallion with an entry but one of the strongest chances of getting on the scoresheet.

A dual Listed winner and Group-placed over middle distances for Thierry Doumen and the Marquesa de Moratalla, he covered a succession of minuscule books in France but has well and truly come up with one in the shape of Galopin Des Champs.

Galopin Des Champs: absolute belter for obscure sire TimosCredit: Getty Images

Timos, notably, is a son of renowned National Hunt sire Sholokhov, producer of the likes of Shiskin, Bob Olinger and Don Cossack.

Galopin Des Champs' trainer Willie Mullins also has Janidil, by far the most successful progeny of Indian Daffodil, a largely forgotten French Group 3 winner from the family of Poliglote and Saddler Maker standing with Sebastien Berger in France.

The Grade 1-winning novice just might enjoy the drop back in trip for the Ryanair.

Broodmares on a mission

You should by now know all about six-time festival champion Quevega and her son Facile Vega, who goes for glory in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper as one of the week's hottest favourites.

Some of the best National Hunt mares on the scene who just missed out on a slice of Cheltenham fame also have the chance to make amends through their progeny.

Stage Star, for example, is a leading fancy for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle and is a son of the unlikely success story Sparky May.

Sparky May: the dam of Stage Star with trainer Pat Rodford and Keiran BurkeCredit: Edward Whitaker

Small Somerset trainer Pat Rodford found her in a field, separated from her mother by an electric fence, so her naming was easy and she rose through the ranks to win a Grade 2 at Ascot before being beaten by only Quevega in 2011.

The Paul Nicholls-trained Stage Star is her third foal, earning his place in the Ballymore field with an impressive victory in the Challow Hurdle.

Champion connections

There’s not much that Patrick Mullins can’t do. Record-breaking champion amateur, winner of Grade 1s and a Cheltenham hero already, he has also been providing remarkable, John Oaksey-esque prose for the Racing Post.

Patrick could add winning breeder to his CV as he is registered as being responsible for Keith Dalgleish’s Kelso winner Ain’t No Sunshine.

Mother Jackie has bred most of the progeny out of Screaming Witness, who was Patrick’s first ever ride under rules in 2005 and has already produced Royal Bond winner Airlie Beach, as well as a €230,000 store sale to Bective Stud at last year’s Goffs Land Rover.

Ain't No Sunshine, right, in the Middleham Park silks, was bred by Patrick MullinsCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

There is often a happy result for the Mullins family in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, with trainer Willie having won it 11 times and responsible for seven of the remaining entries this year headed by Facile Vega, and Ain't No Sunshine provides something of a wildcard string to their bow.

Stallion material?

There are very rarely any more British or Irish entires who might earn a place at stud through their hurdling exploits to follow the examples of Midnight Legend and Alderbrook, and a prospective attempt with the exciting Sir Erec ended in the most awful of ways three years ago.

However, two of the late Galileo's offspring, HMS Seahorse and Brazil, still have the physical characteristics to pass on his genes, for now at least.

HMS Seahorse is a brother to top two-year-old and four-time Group winner Armory who left Aidan O'Brien for Paul Nolan as a 24,000gns Tattersalls August Sale buy. He has made sequential progress in three starts and holds both juvenile hurdle options at Cheltenham.

HMS Seahorse and Bryan Cooper land a maiden hurdle at FairyhouseCredit: Patrick McCann

Brazil, meanwhile, is a brother to Classic hero and Grange Stud resident Capri and has moved into JP McManus's sphere from Coolmore. What had been whispers about his prospects in the Boodles grew louder when he bolted up at Naas last month.

Galileos are hardly in short supply as stallion options, but offering proof of their jumping ability in this most famous of arenas would surely do these two no harm.

Eyes for a bargain

The likes of the £570,000 Jonbon is an example of how much a small handful of powerful owners will pay for a National Hunt horse, and there will be more six-figure trades at Thursday's Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale.

Yet, for all that an educated market defines the prices for the best, some will always slip through the net. We saw it last year with Flooring Porter, who is defending his Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle title having been rejected at the sales and bought for a mere €5,000 by his ownership syndicate in a private deal with trainer Gavin Cromwell.

Rapper (left), seen here winning at Wincanton last month, was a shrewd purchase by Henry Daly at only £8,500Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Kudos can also be given to trainer Henry Daly, who signed for Rapper himself at £8,500 at the Goffs UK Spring Sale of stores. The son of Scorpion, bred by auctioneer and bloodstock mover and shaker George Stanners, will be aiming to notch a hat-trick over fences in either the Ultima or Kim Muir.

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