Bloodstock Bites: Landmark for Balko

Our pedigree expert Chris Hill brings us his weekly round-up of what's been in the news in the racing bloodstock scene.

Gitane du Berlais (Balko), a five year-old mare trained by Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins, recorded her first success at Grade One level last Saturday when running out a convincing eight length winner of the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park in the hands of Daryl Jacob to maintain her 100% record over fences and continue the fine run of form for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

Out of Boheme du Berlais (Simon du Desert), a French jumps-placed half-sister to the French Listed jumps winners Bacchus du Berlais (Saint Preuil) and Baraka du Berlais (Bonnet Rouge) from the family of European Listed jumps winners Chello, Falcon Crest, Palaiseau and Tenerific, Gitane du Berlais is a half-sister to two French flat winners, the six-time winner Poeme du Berlais (Great Pretender) and the dual winner Crystal du Berlais (Great Pretender).

The winner of the Grade Three Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse last January, a race that last weekend saw two Mullins-trained six year-old daughters of King’s Theatre, Morning Run and Lyrical Theatre, fill the first two placings with the former maintaining her 100% record, and the Listed Aintree Juvenile Fillies’ Hurdle in December 2013, Gitane du Berlais is the first Grade One winner sired by Balko (Pistolet Bleu), the victor of the 2004 Grade Two Prix Congress Chase and Prix Georges de Talhouet-Roy Hurdle who stands at Haras du Lion in France and has also produced the Grade Three chase winner Michto and the Listed Chase winner Walk Sibo.

Ned Stark (Wolfe Tone), a €5,000 purchase by trainer Stuart Crawford at the 2011 Goffs June National Hunt Sale who made £44,000 when bought by Highflyer Bloodstock two years later at the 2013 DBS Newbury Festival Sale, claimed the Grade Two Towton Novices’ Chase at Haydock Park last Saturday for owners the Dunkley and Reilly Partnership under Denis O’Regan.

Trained by Alan King, Ned Stark was bred by Miss Susan Scott at Farnagh Stud using resident stallion Wolfe Tone (Sadler’s Wells), the winner of the 2005 Listed Aston park Stakes at Newbury and the seven year-old gelding is the sole stakes winner sired by the 2005 Ascot Gold Cup fourth to date.

One of four winners produced by the unraced mare Last Moon (Montelimar), Ned Stark is a half-brother to the winning chasers and point-to-pointers Torduff King (Oscar), who finished third in the 2008 Grade Two Woodlands Park 100 Club Naas Novice Chase, and Barnlands Boy (Churlish Charm) as well as to the three-time winning hurdler Noleens Moon (Un Desperado), with the further  family containing the Murphy Irish Stout Chase (now known as the Grade Two Greenmount Park Novice Chase) runner-up Nebraska.

Hidden Cyclone (Stowaway) put himself on course for a crack at this year’s Champion Chase at Cheltenham when piloted by Andrew McNamara to a five length victory in the Grade Two Tied Cottage Chase last Sunday at Punchestown, though sadly for Ronald O’Neill, who bred the winner at Whytemount Stud using his resident stallion Stowaway (Slip Anchor), just days later his sire - one of the busiest stallions in Europe having covered a reported 816 mares in the last three years - died during exercise at the age of twenty one.

A graduate of the 2009 Tattersalls Ireland Derby National Hunt Sale when purchased by trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon for €21,000, Hidden Cyclone is a full brother to the winning hurdler Kings Canyon (Stowaway) as well as to the as yet unnamed four year-old gelding who was the third priciest lot at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale when bought by Shark Bloodstock for €160,000.

Their dam Hurricane Debbie (Shahanndeh), whose ten foals to date are all by Stowaway, is an unraced half-sister to the 1994 Grade One Challow Hurdle and dual Grade Two novices’ hurdle winner Berude Not To (Roselier), whilst the further family contains the 1990 Grade Three Dawn Run Novice Chase winner Aughanvilla and Charlie Longsdon’s 2014 Grade Two Gerry Feilden Handicap Hurdle runner-up Kilcooley, who like Hidden Cyclone was bred at O’Neill’s Whytemount Stud using Stowaway.

Though sadly no longer with us, Stowaway now has three interesting contenders for Festival honours with Hidden Cyclone set to join four-time Grade One winner Champagne Fever in the Wednesday highlight and Outlander, Willie Mullins’ taking winner of the Grade Two Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown and another bred at Whytemount Stud, entered in all three of the Grade One novices’ hurdles to be run at Prestbury Park.

In sales news, the first Tattersalls auction of 2015 saw a record turnover by aggregate and median with a total of 2,586,100 guineas changing hands at the February Sale, an increase of 19.4% on the 2014 renewal, and the median of 7,000 guineas an improvement of 3.7% on last year whilst the average price of 12,256 guineas was only a slight decrease of 2.7% on 2014.

Sutton Veny (Acclamation), a five time winning mare who was offered by Belmont Stud in foal to last year’s leading first season sire Lope De Vega, was the sale’s top lot when purchased by David Redvers Bloodstock for 80,000 guineas with Postale (Zamindar), a once raced half-sister to the 2011 Group One Prix Jean Prat winner Mutual Trust (Cacique) from the Juddmonte draft, making 72,000 guineas when bought by Whitwell Bloodstock in foal to Cacique.

Earlier in the week Tattersalls Ireland held their first sale of the year with their February National Hunt Sale posting increases across the board with the aggregate of €1,493,300 an increase of 48% on the previous year’s sale, whilst the average of €8,635 and median of €6,200 were improvements of 9% and 24% on 2014.

Topping the sale when selling to Garrynacurra Stud for €65,000 was a yearling colt by Presenting out of the three-time winner under rules and 2012 Grade One Navan Novice Hurdle third Reine Angevine (Poliglote), from the family of the 2004 Grand National runner-up Clan Royal. The sale’s second priciest acquisition was a yearling colt by Flemensfirth out of Dawn Bid (Mazaad), an unraced half-sister to the Grade Two winning hurdler The Bajan Bandit (Commanche Run) and Therealbandit (Torus), making him a full brother to the 2008 Grade Two Winter Novices’ Hurdle runner-up On Raglan Road (Flemensfirth), who was purchased by Aiden Murphy for €55,000.

Finally, in other breeding news Stay Gold (Sunday Silence), the winner of the 2001 Hong Kong Vase and sire of Champion Japanese performers Orfevre, Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa has died at the age of twenty one whilst Coolmore’s dual Australian champion sire Encosta De Lago (Fairy King), sire of twenty three individual Group One winners including Sacred Kingdom, the two-time Top Rated Older Sprinter in Hong Kong, has been retired from stud duties at the age of twenty one due to declining fertility.

Chris Hill

Chris is a Pedigree Researcher for Weatherbys Ltd, the company that provides the majority of pedigrees for thoroughbreds sold at public auction in Britain and Ireland and who offer a range of products and services to suit your Bloodstock needs.

For further information please visit http://www.weatherbys.co.uk/bloodstock