ON a weekend when, to put it bluntly, almost every National Hunt race of any note was won by a French-bred, there was a glittering exception at Wincanton, and it produced one of the most emotional victories of recent times.

The winning silks were not only familiar, they are famous, but now Paul Barber’s name is no longer on the racecard, replaced following his death in the summer by Chris and Giles Barber. For the first time they flashed past the winning post when carried to victory by the Irish-bred Knappers Hill in the Grade 2 Boodles “Rising Stars” Novices’ Chase at Wincanton. This was the gelding’s second start over fences, and last month he was runner-up to the aptly named Unexpected Party in a listed chase at Chepstow.

The Wincanton triumph was timely, given that it came just weeks before the breeder of Knappers Hill, Ronnie O’Neill, is due to sell the gelding’s sire Valirann (Nayef) at the Goffs December National Hunt Sale. It is rare these days to see stallions being offered for sale at public auction, and certainly one that has already shown ability in the breeding shed, but this is an opportunity for a farm to get their hands on a potential Grade 1 sire.

To say that Valirann possessed all the credentials required for success as a stallion when he retired to Whytemount Stud would be something of an understatement. He had the looks, pedigree and performance on the track to suggest he would do well, and now he is approaching some 50 individual winners under all codes, and a number of runners who have earned blacktype. More of that anon.

Knappers Hill was sold as a foal to M J Walsh for €20,000. He reappeared at the Goffs Land Rover Sale from Springhill Stud and made quite a splash. Only three horses sold for more money, and Knappers Hill was purchased by bloodstock agent Tom Malone for €155,000. The gelding joined Paul Nicholls to race in partnership, sporting the Barber silks.

Undefeated

He made his racecourse debut some 16 months later at Chepstow in a bumper and won as he liked, finishing seven lengths clear. He completed his first season undefeated in three outings, ultimately adding the Grade 2 Weatherbys-sponsored, 18-runner Aintree Champion National Hunt Flat Race to a victory over his more fancied stablemate Stage Star in the Listed Ascot Championship Open National Hunt Flat Race at Ascot.

While Harry Cobden was in the saddle on his debut, Megan Nicholls steered him to both of his blacktype bumper wins.

His two seasons hurdling saw him compile the very respectable record of seven wins in 13 starts, and Paul Nicholls believed that he had a Grade 1 level hurdler in his care. While he failed to win at that grade, his roll of honour did number successes in the Grade 2 Select Hurdle at Sandown Park, the Grade 2 Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, while he was also placed in Grade 2 contests at Wincanton (runner-up in the Kingwell Hurdle), Fontwell and Ascot.

Perhaps the Grade 1 success will come over fences, and this would be no surprise. While he has sired his share of bumper and hurdle winners, it is clear that Valirann does well with his chasers and his point-to-pointers, and I have to profess a personal interest in one of his chase winners, Freddie Robdal who is trained by Henry de Bromhead.

Coverings

Valirann will have plenty of runners in the years ahead. In 2020 he covered some 110 mares, while this year’s yearling crop is the result of nearly 160 coverings. Bred and raced by His Highness the Aga Khan, Valirann is a son of Nayef (Gulch), a four-time Group 1 winner and a proven sire of sires.

Out of the stakes-winning Linamix (Mendez) mare Valima, Valirann was the best three-year-old stayer in France, where he came within a short head of being undefeated in five starts, and he won the Group 3 Prix de Lutece and Group 2 Prix de Chaudenay, both over 15 furlongs, on his final two starts.

His half-sister Valyra (Azamour), an unbeaten Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks heroine, died young, while their dam is out of a half-sister to the mile star and classic sire Val Royal (Royal Academy). In addition to breeding a Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, Valirann’s third dam is the grandam of the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes winner and sire Valixir (Trempolino), and third dam of Vadamos (Monsun).

Valirann is no one-star wonder either. His daughter Ballybawn Belter won the Grade B Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown in February and was successful again in September in the colours of J.P. McManus, three-time winner Panda Boy was beaten less than a length in a blanket finished when he was placed in the Grade B Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown last Christmas, while Upping The Anti, another three-time winner, was second in the Grade 3 Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase at Thurles.

Knappers Hill has quite a pedigree on his dam side too. She is the King’s Theatre (Sadler’s Wells) mare Brogella, purchased more than a decade ago by Ronnie O’Neill for just €10,000. Sold in foal to Windsor Knot (Pivotal), she was very smart racemare for trainers James Burns and Frances Crowley.

Better

A three-time winner on the flat, Brogella was even better over hurdles where her four victories included a Grade 2 at Killarney and a Grade 3 at Punchestown. On her penultimate start, she was third behind Brave Inca in the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse. Given this record, why did she not bring more at the sales?

Well, her first foal was never named, her second was unraced, and she was at the time of her sale rising 13. Since then there has been a transformation. Knappers Hill is one of her three blacktype winners from five successful offspring, preceded by Swamp Fox (Windsor Knot) and Rene’s Girl (Presenting).

Swamp Fox won the Grade 3 Liam Healy Memorial Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel and he was runner-up in the Galway Hurdle. He missed out on that big race win by just a neck. It was two lengths back to Rene’s Girl when she too missed out on a big race success, chasing home Finian’s Oscar in the Grade 1 Big Buck’s Manifesto Novice Chase at Aintree. Knappers Hill also has a multiple-winning full-brother.

Beef Or Salmon

Knappers Hill, Swamp Fox and Rene’s Girl are not the only, or even the best, runners over jumps in their immediate family. Brogella is one of four winners from her dam Metroella (Entitled) and she too was one of four from Boldella (Bold Lad). The latter mare had a non-winning daughter Farinella (Salmon Leap) who left her mark by producing the outstandingly popular Beef or Salmon (Cajetano).

Sold at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for IR6,500gns, Beef Or Salmon won a point-to-point, a couple of bumpers, flat races and hurdle races, but it was over fences that he excelled, his 13 wins including nine at Grade 1 level – the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup three times, the Champion Chase at Down Royal twice, Lexus Chase twice, John Durkan Punchestown Chase and the Punchestown Gold Cup.