'He's special' - Martin Pipe winner Banbridge a fine advert for smaller breeder

At a Cheltenham Festival where the big guns took usual precedent, the triumph of Banbridge in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle was a victory for the smaller breeder, in this case Bregarry House Stud's Danielle McSorley.

Banbridge quickened up in the style of a progressive horse to win the 28th and final race of the festival by a length and a half under Mark McDonagh, taking his record under rules to five wins from eight starts - and confirming the faith his breeder had from the moment he was born.

Although the son of Doyen was sporting the famous checked colours of Ronnie Bartlett, the Joseph O'Brien-trained gelding was carrying the hopes of a breeding operation on the western edge of County Dublin that consists of just three broodmares and runs alongside a web and digital consultancy company.

McSorley said: "We're all absolutely delighted. Showjumping was my background before I moved into National Hunt and then breeding. It's a family-run business, although it's more of a hobby now for us as I run a company called DMC Consultancy and the horses are beside the office."

On how the stud works, she said: "We have three broodmares here and we normally sell the produce as foals, yearlings or three-year-olds, although we do keep the odd one ourselves."

Banbridge was sold privately as a foal, having been withdrawn from the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, before being picked up by Ian Ferguson for €36,000 from Springhill Farm as a yearling.

Danielle McSorley with BanbridgeCredit: Danielle McSorley

Having placed in two of his three point-to-points for Colin McKeever, Banbridge subsequently sold privately to Bartlett having not made enough at public auction at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Online Sale in 2020.

McSorley said: "We sold him as a foal and then he went on and was sold again as a yearling. He won his point-to-point and then sold to Ronnie after that.

"He was an absolute angel [to deal with] from the moment he was born, he was something special and now we know he's something special. He was huge!"

The chestnut is the first foal out of Presenting mare Old Carton Lass, a half-sister to Midlands Grand National second Major Malarkey and a full-sister to It Is What It Is, a three-time chase winner for Jonjo O'Neill.

They are two of four winners out of an unraced Flemensfirth half-sister to Desert Orchid Chase and Persian War Novices' Hurdle winner Valley Henry.

There is plenty more to come from Old Carton Lass too, who is due any day to Blackrath Stud's Saddex and could return to Doyen for a repeat mating this season.

McSorley added: "We have a full-sister to Banbridge who is three now and a Champs Elysees two-year-old filly, so I'm rather hoping we'll have another colt!

"We sold his five-year-old half-sister by Champs Elysees to family friend Nigel Kelly and she's now in training with Jim Dreaper."

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