Fiercely Proud starts to justify £125,000 sale with Listed bumper victory

Fiercely Proud was adding National Hunt black type to what has become quite a diverse page when he was a narrow winner of the Listed JCB "Junior" National Hunt Flat Race at Cheltenham on Sunday.

Bred by Shadwell, the four-year-old was picked up for 21,000gns by Highflyer Bloodstock at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale as an unraced juvenile before going into the care of the shrewd Newmarket trainer Don Cantillon.

In the hands of Ben Bromley, son of Highflyer's Anthony, he was a stylish winner of a bumper at Market Rasen in late October and changed hands for £125,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham's November Sale.

Knocked down to Kilbride Equine and now racing for the Radford family and Ben Pauling, he knocked the Paul Nicholls-trained Meatloaf off centre stage in a tight battle, prevailing by half a length.

"He wasn’t cheap but to be fair to Don he said he was a nice horse," Pauling said. "The form of the race at Market Rasen was nothing and most people have picked up on that.

"To be honest we just wanted to get him to settle and if he did that we knew he had half a chance on his home work. It is always nice to have a bumper winner at Cheltenham and he did it in the style of a good horse from last to first, which makes it even sweeter.

“Tim Radford, who is a big name of old, has just bought a few horses in his own name again and he has kindly sent a couple to us. It is great to see those colours back in the winner’s enclosure at Cheltenham as it means so much to him."

Pauling described a tilt at the Weatherbys Champion Bumper as "a maybe" but is likely to run the horse again before the end of the campaign.

Harry Swan guides The Storyteller's brother Stellar Story (right) to a narrow success at Fairyhouse

Fiercely Proud's sire Iffraaj is most recognised as producing Ribchester and Wootton Bassett but has claimed success with the odd jumper too, most notable Kim Bailey's smart Charbel.

His family is predictably more Flat-oriented, going back to Shadwell's exceptional siblings Bahri and Bahhare. Fiercely Proud's dam Estiqaama, a three-time winner over a mile for William Haggas, produced another bumper winner for Phil Kirby in Raiff before she left the Shadwell fold for €32,000 to Gary Duffy's Irish Emerald Stud at Goffs in 2019.

Her new owners could also breed the Exceed And Excel filly Eximious, bought for 100,000gns by Highclere and successful in a novice event for Roger Varian at Salisbury last summer before finishing down the field in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes. They have a filly who has just turned one by Royal Lytham and then sent her to Coulsty.

The other pedigree development of note came in the Jump Into January @fairyhouse (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race, where expensive purchase Stellar Story was off the mark for Gigginstown and Gordon Elliott.

The Shantou full-brother of Elliott's Grade 1 hurdle and chase star The Storyteller was the third top lot at the last Cheltenham Festival Sale when making £310,000 on the back of an Irish point-to-point win for Donnchadh Doyle.

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