'We weren't expecting this!' - Arctic Tack Stud's Jet Away off to a flying start

The four biggest days in the jumps racing calendar may be just around the corner, but the stallion whose name is on the lips of many a National Hunt aficionado at present is making waves not with Festival fancies but with a string of impressive point-to-point results.

Arctic Tack Stud's Jet Away has sired three winners from just four runners between the flags, with Supreme Jet, winner of an Oldtown maiden for Patrick O'Farrell, and Brandy Love, who scored by eight lengths at Cragmore for Colin Bowe, breaking their maidens at the first time of asking on February 15.

The stallion's red hot run of form continued on Sunday, when Denis Murphy's Bring The Action landed the four-year-old maiden at Tinahely by two lengths under Jamie Codd.

Murphy, who operates under the Ballyboy Stables banner, indicated that Bring The Action would next appear at the sales, where Jet Away's progeny have also enjoyed success of late, as Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins went to £200,000 for Brandy Love at Friday's Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale.

Brandy Love sells for £200,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February SaleCredit: Debbie Burt

"He's had a terrific start," said Arctic Tack's Eoin Banville. "It's very exciting and I can't ever remember a horse getting off to such a fast start, especially with the four-year-old maidens being so competitive.

"The vibes since Christmas have been very good, but vibes being good is one thing, translating those vibes into results is not simple. We were expecting something but we weren't expecting this!"

Jet Away certainly has the pedigree to succeed at stud, as he is out of Kalima, an unraced sister to the outstanding broodmare Hasili, dam of Banks Hill, Cacique, Champs Elysees, Dansili, Heat Haze and Intercontinental.

The Juddmonte homebred won six races for Sir Henry Cecil and Khalid Abdullah, before being bought by Irish businessman Douglas Taylor for 200,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale in 2012. He then shipped to Australia, where he won the Group 3 Easter Cup, and was among the leading fancies for the Melbourne Cup before a minor injury curtailed his racing days.

Jet Away carries the Khalid Abdullah silks to victory during his time with Sir Henry CecilCredit: Mark Cranham

"He's had good support all the way along and the man who owns him, Dougie Taylor, has supported him very well," said Banville. "He's really got behind him and has bought a lot of stock by the horse. He's done as much for the horse as anyone."

Taylor is arguably best known as the breeder of Samcro, and, in a major vote of confidence in Jet Away, he included the dual Grade 1 winner's dam, Dun Dun, among the stallion's first book.

The resulting foal, a filly named Samcro's Sister, is now in training with point-to-point handler Cormac Farrell and has been the subject of some promising early reports.

Taylor has been far from alone in his support of Jet Away, as the son of Cape Cross covered a book of 180 mares in his first season at Arctic Tack and has served three-figure books each year since, with 179 mares in 2016, 136 in 2017, 101 in 2018 and 143 last year.

His first crop also found favour with some big names at last year's store sales, with Monbeg Stables going to €60,000 for The Big Jetaway at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, while Joseph O'Brien gave €45,000 for a half-brother to the useful Baileys Concerto at the Goffs Land Rover Sale.

Eoin Banville: 'I can't ever remember a horse getting off to such a fast start'Credit: James Thomas

"Normally you'd cover a good number in the first year but, for the smaller studs like us, you find it hard to get traction from then on," said Banville.

"The sales tend to dominate people's thoughts - I'm not sure that's the right way, but that's just the way it is - and for one reason or another we were able to get traction with him."

He added: "People liked the stock by him, which is a help; they're straightforward horses to handle and that seems to be translating to his progeny who are racing now."

With those eye-catching early results on the board, Banville reports that Jet Away looks set to be busy again this year.

He said: "The phone has been very busy and he's really caught people's imagination. I'd say he's surprising most people now - he's not surprising me and he's not surprising Dougie, but he's surprising almost everyone else!"

Bring The Action: son of Jet Away strides to success at TinahelyCredit: Healy Racing

Despite his strong Flat pedigree, Banville is confident that precocity is not the only attribute that Jet Away is imparting, with his three winners to date each having contrasting profiles.

"The three winners he's had so far have all been completely different types," he said. "He's had one filly [Brandy Love], one out of an older mare who'd had a few chances [Supreme Jet], and the other fella [Bring The Action] is a big horse and a first foal. They can all run though.

"Jet Away is a fine big, good-looking horse. He's 16.2 hands and a very determined horse and very straightforward, and he's certainly passing that on to his progeny."

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