Quevega and Vautour's sire Robin Des Champs dies aged 21

Blow By Blow became his fifth Cheltenham Festival winner this year

Robin Des Champs: stood for ten seasons at Glenview Stud in County CorkCredit: Amy Lynam

Superb jumps sire Robin Des Champs - who supplied Cheltenham Festival winners Blow By Blow, Quevega, Sir Des Champs, Un Temps Pour Tout and Vautour - died recently at Glenview Stud in Fermoy, County Cork. He was 21.

Trained by Guillaume Macaire, Robin Des Champs won four of his five starts over hurdles at Auteuil, which earned him a place at Haras de Saint-Voir.

From his French-bred crops he produced the phenomenal six-time David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle winner Quevega and the ill-fated Vautour, who won three different Grade 1s at the Cheltenham Festival, namely the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, JLT Novices' Chase and the Ryanair Chase.

Another of his sons, Sir Des Champs, won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle and the Grade 2 Jewson Novices' Chase (now the JLT), before finding only Bobs Worth too good in the 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Un Temps Pour Tout, who was foaled in Ireland in 2009 the same year Robin Des Champs relocated to Glenview, landed two renewals of the Grade 3 Ultima Handicap Chase, while Blow By Blow joined Sir Des Champs on the Martin Pipe roll of honour this year.

"He was the first National Hunt horse that we bought from France and we are delighted that he was so successful," said Catherine Cashman.

"He definitely upgraded the mares he covered. It wasn't his racing profile - he had to do it the hard way in fairness to him. John Tyrrell of BBA Ireland picked him out for Liam at that time."

Robin Des Champs has emerged as a broodmare sire of note, with Cana the dam of this year's David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle heroine Benie Des Dieux and Oasice the dam of dual Grade 1 novice hurdle winner Bacardys.

He previously held the covering record in France, having served 180 mares at Saint-Voir in 2007, while his son Cokoriko set a new benchmark this year with a book of 234 at Haras de Cercy.

Sizing Tennessee also gave a poignant reminder of his sire's prowess when running out a ten-length winner of the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury on Saturday.

Top performers by Racing Post Ratings

Name, damsire, RPR

Vautour, Dom Pasquini, 180

Sir Des Champs, Video Rock, 172

Sizing Tennessee, Dernier Empereur, 166

Un Temps Pour Tout, Bonnet Rouge, 163

Quevega, Cap Martin, 162

Quinz, Tin Soldier I, 158

Woodland Opera, Strong Gale, 153

Un Atout, Bad Conduct, 153

Tombstone, Un Desperado, 153

Hell's Kitchen, Trempolino, 153