Pricey Cheltenham sale buy Andy Dufresne a smooth winner on rules debut

JP McManus had to fork out £330,000 at last year's Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale to secure exciting pointer Andy Dufresne to race in his colours.

Judging by the five-year-old's first run since that auction, in a Down Royal bumper on Tuesday, even that huge sum could be money well spent.

Andy Dufresne, trained by Gordon Elliott and partnered by Derek O'Connor in the race, took a keen hold and was soon allowed to take up the running, before going clear a furlong from home and then strolling to a ten-length victory.

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Golden Spread, a son of Duke Of Marmalade sent out by Willie Mullins, was the distant runner-up, with Ballylig, a Stuart Crawford-trained Winged Love gelding, coming home in third.

“We always thought a lot of Andy Dufresne but we were waiting for a bit of rain to run him,” said Elliott after the race.

“Derek said the race didn't go right for him but he still did what he did. We think he's as nice as any of the good bumper horses we've run all year.”

Andy Dufresne's odds were slashed to around 8-1 and 10-1 to make a victorious return to Cheltenham in March in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

The horse had earned a big price-tag on his first trip to Prestbury Park after winning between the flags by six lengths at Borris House for Elliott, when owned by the trainer's travelling head lass Camilla Sharples, who landed a popular trading touch.

He adds to the growing momentum behind Sunnyhill Stud stallion Doyen, a well-bred son of Sadler's Wells who won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and moved to the County Kildare farm in 2012 after spells standing at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket and at Gestut Auenquelle in Germany.

Already the sire of talented jumpers such as Golden Doyen, Kumbeshwar and Valdez from his earlier Flat-bred runners, Doyen is coming to prominence as his first crop conceived specifically for National Hunt purposes has turned six.

Most notably, son Battleoverdoyen remained unbeaten in three starts under rules with a smooth victory in the Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle this month, but there have also been useful maiden or novice hurdle successes for other progeny such as Baddesley Knight, Garrettstown, Halsafari, Printing Dollars and Swordsman in recent weeks.

Doyen is standing this season at Sunnyhill Stud, where he took the place of another Group 1-winning son of Sadler's Wells in Old Vic, at a fee of €5,000.

Andy Dufresne was bred by Gillian Browne and is the first winner out of the Beneficial mare Daytona Lily, a Tramore maiden hurdle winner and a half-sister to the Listed-placed handicap chaser Its Crucial.

He was originally a €10,000 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt foal purchase by Richard Rohan and was resold as a yearling at the same fixture a year later to Derek Pugh for €8,000.