Mengli Khan's Royal Bond win highlights his Flat pedigree

Mengli Khan's effortless victory in the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday propelled him to the head of ante-post betting for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham and highlighted a pedigree that would be more expected to be found in a Flat contest.

The four-year-old son of Lope De Vega joined Gordon Elliott after the trainer and Mags O'Toole went to 155,000gns to secure him at last year's edition of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.

At the time, the then three-year-old had been in the care of Hugo Palmer and had won two races having been picked up for 150,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale from the draft of his breeder Ballylinch Stud.

His placement in the prestigious yearling auction was warranted as he is the sixth foal out of the Danehill mare Danielli and is a brother to Group 2 scorer Very Special, as well as being a half-brother to the ill-fated Fillies' Mile and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Chriselliam.

Danielli is herself a half-sister to 1995 joint champion two-year-old filly Priory Belle, whose biggest success came when landing the Moyglare Stud Stakes, and the pair are out of the Group 3-winning Taufan mare Ingabelle. This is also the family of Group 1 winners Eva's Request and Opinion

If Mengli Khan were to score at Cheltenham, he would of course be far from the first blueblood bred for the Flat to strike at the meeting. For example this year's Glenfarclas Chase winner Cause Of Causes is a half-brother to Derby hero Kris Kin and the great Istabraq is a half-brother to another winner of the Epsom Classic in Secreto.