CADOUDAL’s influence as a sire of top-class National Hunt horses, and as a sire of sires, has been immense. The son of Green Dancer (Nijinsky) is consistently popping up in the pedigrees of leading jumps performers and one of his sons who stood in Ireland was Robin Des Pres.

He was based for seven seasons at Alastair Pim’s Anngrove Stud, until his death in 2016, and he had a number of appealing qualities. A tough and sound racehorse, he won five times on the flat in France and added a further four successes over jumps. He was placed a number of times in blacktype jump races at both Auteuil and Enghien.

Robin Des Pres was three years older than his half-brother Robin Des Champs (Garde Royale) and the latter is the sire of an ever growing number of high-class National Hunt horses, Vatour, Sir Des Champs, Quevega, Un Temps Pour Tout, Un Atout, Blow By Blow and Woodland Opera among them.

GREAT SUCCESS

Winter Escape, bred by the late Oliver and Salome Brennan, won last weekend’s Grade 3 Killiney Novice Chase at Punchestown, adding to previous victories in the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices Hurdle at Kempton and a Grade 3 novice chase at Cork. The Brennans enjoyed great success as breeders and will be forever associated with the Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival winner Alberta’s Run and Miss Orchestra.

Noel Collins purchased Winter Escape, now an eight-year-old, for €15,000 as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland and he was resold at the Goffs Land Rover Sale in 2014 for €52,000 to Frank Berry. He has won his purchase price, and more, back. He is the best runner to date for Saddleeruppat (Saddlers’ Hall) who was a dual bumper winner.

Prior to Winter Escape, Saddleeruppat bred the bumper and dual hurdle winning mare Lughnasa (Westerner) and the point-to-point winning mare Scarlet Feather (Flemensfirth). The last named is owned by Oliver Loughlin, currently a Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Month nominee for Grade 1 winner Quick Grabim.

TRIO OF WINNERS

At last year’s Derby Sale M V Magnier gave €60,000 for Winter Escape’s half-sister by Presenting (Mtoto), while following on are a three-year-old Westerner (Danehill) filly and two-year-old Presenting colt. Saddleeruppat is one of a trio of winners from the smart racemare Cailin Supreme (Supreme Leader) and her two winning siblings were above average.

Both were sons of Oscar (Sadler’s Wells) and Apache Jack showed great promise when third in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. However it was his older brother Black Ketchum who achieved more fame, winning that same Cheltenham race as well as the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

Black Ketchum was not the only star in the family. Cailin Supreme is a full-sister to Grade 1 winning novice hurdler Castlekellyleader, while that cross also worked when her half-sister Mary Kate Finn (Saher) bred the Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 Two-Mile Champion Chase runner-up Fota Island (Supreme Leader). Mary Kate Finn is also the grandam of Grade 1 bumper winner Luska Lad (Flemensfirth).

Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact Leo Powell at leopowell@theirishfield.ie with news and updates for the column, and to visit our website www.theirishfield.ie for daily breeding news