ACCORDING to information on France Sire, Tiger Groom covered 14 mares in 2020 and, this year, he moves to a new location at Haras de L’Abbaye where he will stand at a fee of €2,000 for thoroughbreds and €1,500 for AQPS and Anglo-Arab mares.

A son of Arazi (Blushing Groom), Tiger Groom turned 24 on January 1st and six years ago he had a brief stint at stud in England.

A winner in France and Switzerland, he was a smart four-year-old hurdler in France and won twice at Grade 3 level at Auteuil, also being twice runner-up in Grade 1 hurdle races.

He has had limited opportunities at stud, but what chances he had resulted in a high percentage of quality performers. He was thrust into the limelight when his son Teejay Flying won the Grade 1 Prix Gras Savoye Ferdinand Dufaure Chase in France, and this was followed by Ar Mad winning the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novice Chase.

A couple of other graded winners were Arkalon in Italy and Azura Du Kalon in France, and we are familiar with his son Daly Tiger. He won a Grade B chase before stepping up again and last weekend adding the Grade A Dan and Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse.

It is interesting to note that Tiger Groom could be celebrating again should Cheb De Kerviniou land Thursday’s Goffs Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.

Daly Tiger was purchased privately in France from his breeder Claude Menard and sold as a store at the Goffs Land Rover Sale from Niall Bleahen’s Liss House to Billy Murray for €20,000.

He next appeared at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale from Michael Goff’s Moate Stables and the catalogue stated that he “was closing on the eventual winner when stumbling and falling, having jumped the last fence well, on his only start in a four-year-old maiden point-to-point” the previous month.

The catalogue blub added that “the video is available online and must be watched to appreciate the potential of this individual”.

Sold for £95,000 to Mags O’Toole, Daly Tiger was sent into training with Noel Meade by Gigginstown House Stud and his victory at the weekend pushed his earnings well past his purchase price. He is the second foal and second winner from his Saint Cyrien (Luthier) dam Reine Tresor who managed a couple of minor placings over jumps as a six-year-old.

Reine Tresor was the only runner from four foals for her dam Raffane (Sleeping Car) who was placed 10 times on the flat in France but failed to get her head in front.

Raffane has a couple of winning siblings, the most notable being Poly Dance (Le Triton). He was unsold at €250,000 as a three-year-old at the Goffs France Arc Sale back in 2004.

That was a huge amount then and weeks prior to the sale he won for the eighth time, four times each at two and three years, and his most recent success was in a listed race at Craon. As it happened, that was his best win, and he ended his racing career with 21 wins and 32 placings from 73 starts.

McNally’s shrewd purchases reap rich rewards

RONAN McNally paid €8,000 at the recent Tattersalls Ireland November Sale for a then filly foal by Mahler (Galileo) out of the unraced Flemensfirth mare Fleur Rose.

In the catalogue it stated that Fleur Rose’s first foal was a winner over hurdles, having placed twice in point-to-points, and he was followed by a couple of younger stock. Well, that investment by McNally has worked a treat. He actually trains Fleur Rose’s only runner and winner, Dreal Deal (Arvico), and the six-year-old continued his run of success with victory in the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

This was win number six for Dreal Deal, all six in succession, and the gelding has more than repaid his €20,000 purchase price by Ryan Mahon at the 2019 Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale.

Then he was sold from Ciaran Fennessy’s Glenabo Stables for whom he reached the frame in both his outings between the flags. Bred by Ballymorisheen Stables, Dreal Deal was first sold as a newly turned yearling at Tattersalls Ireland’s February Sale.

Dreal Deal’s younger siblings include Time Marches On (Scorpion), an unraced five-year-old with James Motherway, a three-year-old gelding by Soldier Of Fortune (Galileo) and a two-year-old son of Malinas (Lomitas). Last year Fleur Rose was covered by Getaway (Monsun).

Fleur Rose had just one winning sibling, her full-brother Ballyrath (Flemensfirth). A winner over fences for Nigel Twiston-Davies, he then went point-to-pointing in England and won four times in that sphere. He and Fleur Rose were out of the unraced Rose Wee (Roselier).

It is no real surprise that a smart runner should appear in the family, as generations going back have produced plenty of good performers. Rose Wee, a daughter of the winning chaser Bottle A Knock (Le Moss), had four winning siblings, all sons and a daughter of Oscar (Sadler’s Wells). Three of them earned blacktype.

Knock Down (Oscar) won a Grade 3 chase at Auteuil and she is a successful broodmare. Murchu (Oscar) won the Grade 3 Porterstown Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse, while another own-brother, Buachaill Alainn, was his dam’s highest-rated runner thanks to running third in the Grade 1 Sefton Novice Hurdle at Aintree.

Bottle A Knock is a daughter of the useful Goolagong (Bargello) who won seven races over hurdles and fences over half a century ago, her biggest success coming in the Wetherby Pattern Novices’ Chase. She is an own-sister to Lord Browndodd.

Classic connection of recent bumper winner

EILEENDOVER, the cleverly-named winner at the weekend of the Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ Open NH Flat Race at Market Rasen, is now unbeaten in three starts, all bumpers.

Owned and bred by Michael and Pam Sly, and trained by the latter, this daughter of Canford Cliffs (Tagula) is bred to be a stakes winner on the flat, something she may yet become. She ran at the end of last year in a pair of three-year-old bumpers, winning over 13 and a half furlongs at Huntingdon on her debut by 29 lengths at odds of 28/1.

Less than a month later she went to Wetherby and, this time at odds of 1/3, she won by 16 lengths over 12 and a half furlongs. On Saturday she tackled two miles and half a furlong and was no less impressive, though this time her winning margin was a ‘mere’ six and a half lengths!

This is a new chapter in a success story that has been special for Pam Sly. Eileendover joins John Clare (Poet’s Voice) as a winning offspring from the Oasis Dream (Green Desert) mare Specialty. The latter took until the age of four to register a win at Yarmouth, following up immediately at Newmarket, both times over a mile.

Specialty is one of three winners to date from the classic winner Speciosa (Danehill Dancer) Bred by Kevin and Meta Cullen, Speciosa was sold by them for €25,000 at Goffs to Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud, and was then purchased at the Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale by Pam Sly for 30,000gns.

As a two-year-old Speciosa won two of her six races, including an upset win in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket. At three she won the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes before landing the Group 1 1000 Guineas for her trainer who owned her with Michael Sly and Tom Davies. She failed to win in nine subsequent races although she was runner-up in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh and the Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes.