Teahupoo continues high rise for Masked Marvel with Fishery Lane Hurdle success

Classic winner Masked Marvel's leading son Teahupoo enhanced his credentials for the Champion Hurdle next year with a fluent success over last season's Triumph Hurdle victor Quilixios in the Grade 3 Fishery Lane Hurdle at Naas on Saturday.

Bred in a partnership by Haras du Hoguenet and Prevost Baratte, the four-year-old is the fifth foal out of the dual winning hurdler Droit D'Aimer, and is a half-brother to French 2m1f chase winner Droit De Rever.

A winner of an Auteuil hurdle on his sole start for Gabriel Leenders in January, Teahupoo won his first two races for Gordon Elliott by 15 and seven lengths, the latter in the Grade 3 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle, before finishing second to subsequent Champion Four Year Old Hurdle scorer Jeff Kidder when in the care of Denise Foster in a Fairyhouse Grade 2.

Teahupoo is the standout performer so far for his sire, a Newsells Park Stud-bred Montjeu half-brother to Waldmark, the dam of Masked Marvel, the prolific producer Waldlerche, and Waldnah.

Masked Marvel: winner of the 2011 St LegerCredit: Mark Cranham

Masked Marvel won on his first start at two for John Gosden, while he supplemented his victory in the St Leger with wins in the Bahrain Trophy and Cocked Hat Stakes between a run in the Derby, in which he finished eighth behind Pour Moi.

He was also third to St Nicholas Abbey in the Coronation Cup at four before moving to Robert Hickmott in Australia, where his best effort came when a neck second in the Group 3 Craven Plate at Randwick.

The 13-year-old was retired to Haras d'Etreham's National Hunt branch for the 2015 breeding season at a fee of €3,000. He stood 2021 for €5,000.

Among his notable performers to date so far are Auteuil Listed-winning hurdlers Sel Jem and La Danza, three-time winners Maskada and Geromino, plus Gredin, who struck on his first start over hurdles for Donald McCain at Carlisle last month.

Teahupoo has a three-year-old sister called Leading Saw and a two-year-old half-sister by Montmartre called La Haute Couture.

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