Grade 1-winning Montjeu son Joshua Tree to stand at Kilbarry Lodge Stud

The ranks of jumps stallions in Ireland have gained a new multiple Grade 1-winning son of Montjeu with the transfer of Joshua Tree to Con O'Keeffe's Kilbarry Lodge Stud in County Waterford.

The 12-year-old had been standing at Haras du Grand Courgeon in France since his retirement in 2015 and his first crop of three-year-olds includes the dual winner Top Max, a useful handicapper for Henri-Alex Pantall.

“We're delighted to stand Joshua Tree at Kilbarry Lodge Stud and we hope he'll be very popular with Irish National Hunt breeders,” said O'Keeffe.

“He's a lovely, attractive horse by Montjeu. He was an incredibly sound horse who was a Group 2 winner at Ascot at two and was still going strong as a six-year-old when winning the Canadian International for the third time.

“He has eight three-year-old winners to date and has large crops of two-year-olds, yearlings and foals to follow.”

Joshua Tree was bred by Castlemartin Stud and Skymarc Farm out of the Grade 3-winning Grand Lodge mare Madeira Mist, a half-sister to Pattern winners Inara and Misty Heights whose maternal granddam is Coronation Stakes heroine Magic Of Life.

Bought by Demi O'Byrne from Book 1 for 360,000gns and trained by Aidan O'Brien for Coolmore, he won the Royal Lodge Stakes at two and the Canadian International at three.

He was later sold to Qatari interests and joined Ibrahim Al Malki and then Marco Botti, for whom he finished second in his repeat bid in the Canadian International at four. He reclaimed his title in the Woodbine Grade 1 at five and successfully defended it at six.

Other notable efforts were a victory in the Prix Kergorlay and second place finishes in the Princess of Wales's Stakes and Dubai Gold Cup.

Montjeu stallions are a prized commodity in jumps breeding, as the sire himself provided legendary hurdler Hurricane Fly and his sons Authorized, Camelot, Davidoff, Fame And Glory, Jukebox Jury, Montmartre, Motivator, Scorpion and Walk In The Park have all supplied Grade 1 winners.

Joshua Tree will stand at Kilbarry Lodge Stud alongside Diamond Boy, who covered 233 mares this year, and Pillar Coral, a Zamindar half-brother to Grade 1 sires Coastal Path, Martaline and Reefscape.

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