St Leger hero Masked Marvel off the mark at stud with winning hurdling debutant

Masked Marvel, the emphatic winner of the 2011 St Leger, got off the mark at stud on Monday when his three-year-old son Arbarok made a winning debut in a Clairefontaine hurdle race for unraced colts and geldings.

The gelding, bred by Haras d'Etreham and Eric Puerari, scored by five lengths for the James Reveley-Guillaume Macaire axis.

Masked Marvel retired to Haras d'Etreham in 2015 having won four races, headed by the Doncaster Classic. The son of Montjeu, who was bred by Newsells Park Stud and bought for Bjorn Nielsen by Jeremy Brummitt for €260,000, also boasts a deep German pedigree.

He is the fourth foal out of the Mark Of Esteem mare Waldmark, and therefore a half-brother to Waldlerche, dam of Waldgeist and Waldlied.

His second dam is German champion Wurftaube, while top-level performers like Wonderment, Wake Forest and Landofhopeandglory appear beneath his third dam, Wurfbahn.

Masked Marvel has around 40 first-crop offspring registered with France Galop, and stood the 2019 covering season under Etreham ownership at Haras de la Tuilerie at a fee of €4,000.

A handful of his progeny have fetched six-figure sums at public auction, head by the €110,000 son signed for by Bertrand Le Metayer Bloodstock at the 2018 Arqana Summer Sale.

More news:

Post-Gigginstown store market highlights resilience of jumps industry

O'Leary is king of the ring at Derby Sale as son of Martaline tops trade